For Do Tran Nhu Thao, a pupil at Kim Dong Primary School, the harsh reality of school bullying is entirely evident. She witnessed classmates aggressively stomp on a friend’s books, and saw another peer isolated simply for refusing to remove a face mask. Other tragic instances stem from minor disagreements, leaving individuals emotionally scarred by the majority’s sheer force.
Drawing from these observations, Nhu Thao firmly believes pupils facing crushing pressure must find a safe space to decompress or a confidant to share their burdens. This prevents pent-up feelings from violently popping like an overinflated balloon.
Driven by this thinking, she proposed robust solutions to help students release psychological negativity. These include schools maintaining recess radio broadcasts to spread uplifting messages and heartwarming songs about friendship.
Additionally, she suggested establishing emotional “cooling off” corners within libraries or gardens. Here, students can listen to soothing music, read, or meditate to diminish their fiery anger, returning to class only when composed.
Teachers could also construct a classroom’s “tree of love” where students hang their innermost thoughts for peers to read. Furthermore, Nhu Thao advocated for a “psychological companionship” model, allowing students to immediately confide in a trusted friend before escalating baffling issues to teachers and parents.
For 10-grader Le Hoang Tu Uyen at Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted located in An Khanh Ward of HCMC, the rapidly evolving landscape of social networks has unfortunately turned cyberbullying and verbal abuse into an incredibly toxic habit for countless youngsters. Currently, numerous schools frequently orchestrate thematic talk shows and massive grassroots campaigns specifically tackling the grim subject of school violence. The sad and brutal reality is that not every student actually bothers to listen or actively participate.
Consequently, Tu Uyen proposed that official Facebook Fanpage of the school’s Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union should post targeted videos dissecting school-age psychology and the prevalent mental hurdles typically faced by high schoolers.
Furthermore, she suggested organizing supplementary psychological counseling activities so that deeply introverted students can safely hunt down indirect assistance through entirely anonymous channels. Let’s face it, almost all modern students are relentlessly glued to social media. They desperately want to maintain a flawless digital persona but are understandably terrified of exposing their hidden vulnerabilities. This highly practical approach, thus, effectively helps them leverage social networks in a remarkably discreet and vastly more beneficial manner.
Mrs. Pham Nguyen Thanh Tam, a dedicated head teacher at Kim Dong Primary School, praised actively diffusing negative emotions to slash school violence. When volatile, pupils find it agonizingly difficult to absorb constructive advice. Conversely, once negative emotions blow over, they listen in a vastly more receptive manner.
Regarding older students, teacher Nguyen Thi My Trang at Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted noted that despite having counseling rooms, the diversity of students’ needs is vast. Therefore, schools must establish robust communication channels to alleviate pressure and dispel negative emotions. These could seamlessly include the Youth Union and its fanpage, Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneer Organization, or even talent clubs.
Expanding on this, Dr Giang Thien Vu of HCMC University of Education noted that students are manipulated by raw emotions, since self-control remains somewhat limited. Adults must proactively help them comprehend the severe consequences of inappropriate behaviors. Authorities need to carve out safe spaces for youngsters to calm down, subsequently assigning restorative tasks, like fixing mistakes or cleaning school, to rectify the fallout. Ultimately, these methods help the younger generation master sheer self-control and ironclad accountability.
The Ministry of Education and Training has officially announced the final results of the national round for the third “Initiatives to Ensure School Order Regarding the Prevention and Control of School Violence” competition, held in 2026. HCMC successfully bagged one brilliant first prize, one second prize, one third prize, and two consolation prizes.
Specifically within HCMC, the “Initiatives to Ensure School Order Regarding the Prevention and Control of School Violence” competition this year orchestrated directly by the HCMC Department of Education and Training received an overwhelming deluge of over 920,000 entries submitted by students spanning across the primary, junior and senior high school levels.
Following a grueling grassroots selection round, an elite group of the 2,184 absolute best submissions were meticulously handpicked to fiercely compete at the municipal-level showdown. Ultimately, the HCMC Department of Education and Training handed out prestigious awards to the top 57 most outstanding pieces across a highly diverse range of categories.
