Of the total, 24 provinces and cities held the new school year opening ceremony directly at the school while the opening ceremony in 20 others was held online or broadcast live via television.

The new school year 2021-2022 is a special academic year as all students nationwide cannot attend the opening ceremony on September 5 due to the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thirteen provinces and cities have had to postpone the opening ceremony after September 5 while six others will not organise an opening ceremony including Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Tri, Quang Binh, Ca Mau, Can Tho and Bac Lieu.

At the opening ceremony, students listened to a letter sent from President Nguyen Xuan Phuc to the entire educational sector on the occasion of the new school year 2021-2022.

*Hanoi students attend opening ceremony broadcast live

More than 2.2 million students in Hanoi attended a special opening ceremony for the new school year 2021-2022 held virtually and broadcast live on television.

Chairman of the Hanoi municipal People's Committee Chu Ngoc Anh beats the drum to open the new school year. (Photo: THANH TUNG)

An opening ceremony for all Hanoi students was held at Trung Vuong Secondary School in Hoan Kiem district and broadcast live on television.

According to Director of Hanoi Department of Education and Training Tran The Cuong, the city’s education sector will make every effort to fulfil the dual goal of both preventing the pandemic and effectively implementing educational programmes.

The Hanoi education sector will diversify its forms of teaching while proactively building specific education plans in accordance with the pandemic’s developments and the response capacity of educational institutions.

A musical performance to welcome the new school year 2021-2022 being broadcast live on television. (Photo: DUY LINH)

The city has also agreed to reduce 50% of tuition fees for preschool children and primary and secondary students this school year to a total budget of about VND900 billion (US$39.5 million).