Đào Khương Duy, 12, of Bến Tre Province won the third prize in the 52nd International Letter-Writing Competition for Young People held by the Universal Postal Union. Photo baochinhphu.vn

HCM CITY — Đào Khương Duy, a seventh grader at Huỳnh Tấn Phát Secondary School in Bến Tre Province, has won the third prize in the International Letter-Writing Competition for Young People.

The annual competition organised by the Universal Postal Union is meant for children aged nine to 15, who have to write letters on a given theme.

It aims to make young people aware of the important role postal services play in societies, develop their composition skills, foster enjoyment in letter-writing, and strengthen the bonds of international friendships.

The UPU partnered with the UN Road Safety Fund (a global partnership working to halve road deaths and injuries in low- and middle-income countries) to hold this year’s competition.

The youngsters were expected to write an 800-word letter imagining themselves as superheroes with a mission to make all roads around the world safer for children.

In a letter he addressed to his parents, Duy turned himself into a superhero named S-24/7 and told them his mission was to protect children around the world from road accidents using superpowers like self-duplication, transformation and teleportation.

His idea came from problems caused by traffic in his neighbourhood, including lots of horrific accidents, while the letter S stands for superhero, sacrifice and safety, he said.

He said anyone could “turn into a superhero” to protect children from traffic accidents with unconditional love and responsibility.

He had won the grand prize in the national contest held from January to March, and his letter was sent to the UPU to compete internationally.

The awards ceremony will be held in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia, on October 5. – VNS