Vietnamese teachers offer simple lessons about the fatherland Vietnamese teachers and students have been participating in many meaningful activities to show their patriotism these days. The fatherland’s map in Vietnamese students’ hearts   More than 800 12th graders of Le Quy Don High School in Bien Hoa City of Dong Nai Province participated in an extracurricular activity: they stood together to form an S-shaped map of Vietnam , including the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes, with their bodies. The activity was filmed and posted on the internet by the school’s teachers, to call on Vietnamese to show their patriotism and do practical things to encourage the protection of the fatherland. Many other schools have indeed responded to the call. More than 450 children and 100 teachers of Duc Tri Nursery School in Da Nang City on Tuesday also stood together to assemble a map of the country at their flag saluting ceremony. On Thursday morning, a huge map of Vietnam was also created in the yard of Ha Long Primary Schoolin Vung Tau. The students forming the map vociferously chanted the slogans, “Truong Sa, Hoang Sa belong to Vietnam” and “Actions for the fatherland’s islands”. Navy soldiers in students’ pictures An educational organization in Hanoi has organized an interesting event, in which 6- and 7-year-old children play the roles of navy sailors and draw pictures of them. A representative of the organization says the activity helps educate Vietnamese children just entering first grade, and deepens their patriotism and national spirit. The pictures depict Vietnamese soldiers in the eyes of children: brave, resilient and willing to protect the fatherland at any time when duty calls. Truong Sa, Hoang Sa on students’ essays Literature exam questions given by Chu Van An High School in Hanoi to its students some days ago mentioned a burning question of the day –China’s illegal deployment of an oil rig in Vietnamese waters. The question gave students an opportunity to express their viewpoints on the issue and their thoughts about what Vietnam should do to protect its territory. Dr Trinh Thu Tuyet, the teacher who raised the question and marked the exam papers, said she was moved to tears when reading the students’ essays.“I have realized that the Vietnamese youth today are not only interested in smartphones, Facebook, music or Flappy Bird. They also care about important national issues and are always ready to protect the fatherland against invaders,” Tuyet said. A teacher in Dak Lak Province in the central region has sent a message to his students who attended the year-end exam, encouraging them to study and learn more to become useful citizens of their country, the highest form of patriotism. “Try to learn hard now to be able to study at technology schools, then manufacture aircraft and missiles,” the message read. “Study at medical schools to treat diseases and injuries of soldiers. Become teachers to develop further talents for the country. Go to banking schools and become bankers, who can earn foreign currencies for the nation. These are all the paths you can follow to show your patriotism,” his message read. Compiled by Thanh Mai, VietNamNet Bridge