The Cyber CARE Summit 2026, which opened on October 21, attracts numerous delegates to spread digital safety initiatives from Hà Nội to nationwide. — VNS Photos Thu Trang

HÀ NỘI — The Cyber CARE Summit 2026 – Together for Safer Connections Connection and Training Forum was organised on Wednesday morning by the Wellspring International Bilingual School Hà Nội.

Continuing the launch of the 2026 National Campaign “Not Alone – Connection Without Harm”, the event brought together 300 delegates, including representatives of regulatory bodies, experts, education leaders, organisations and positive community influencers, to spread digital safety initiatives from Hà Nội to local education communities and nationwide.

The Cyber CARE Summit 2026 provided an opportunity to share and scale up digital safety education initiatives and models from the capital to schools and localities across the country.

It took place four days before the first anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, or the Hanoi Convention (October 25, 2025).

The Cyber CARE Summit was designed around four guiding themes: placing people at the centre of cybersecurity; providing early digital safety education for pupils; fostering collaboration among families, schools and competent authorities; and shifting from responding to consequences towards proactive prevention.

Major General, Dr. Nguyễn Hồng Quân, Deputy Director of the Cybersecurity Department, Ministry of Public Security, said that today, cyberspace was no longer a world separate from real life. For children and young people, it is a place to learn, communicate, explore, express themselves and form social relationships.

“Yet it is also where they may face increasingly diverse and sophisticated risks: from fraud, online bullying and breaches of personal data to AI-generated fake images, as well as grooming, psychological manipulation and abuse,” he said.

Moreover, a harm that begins on a phone screen can have long-lasting consequences for a child’s mental wellbeing, education and development.

“Protecting cybersecurity, therefore, is ultimately about protecting people above all else – safeguarding the legitimate rights, safety and future of the younger generation,” said Quân.

Major General, Dr. Nguyễn Hồng Quân, Deputy Director of the Cybersecurity Department, Ministry of Public Security, speaks at the event.

The forum highlighted the role of head teachers and education managers in the capital – those who directly lead change in every school and are able to translate the knowledge and initiatives shared at the programme into educational activities suited to real-life contexts.

At the forum, Dr. Nguyễn Vĩnh Sơn, Vice Chairman of the Education Council of the Wellspring International Bilingual School System, affirms the four CARE values – Curiosity, Advocacy, Resilience and Empathy – as practical expressions of care in the digital age.

These values also resonate deeply with the message “Not Alone – Connection Without Harm”, realised at Cyber CARE Summit 2026: connecting people who share the same responsibility, spreading care and turning every connection into an act of protection for the younger generation.

Pupils participate in an art performance to welcome the event.

Scaling digital safety education

At Cyber CARE Summit 2026 – Together for Safer Connections, the Training of Trainers programme focused on equipping a core group of experts with the knowledge, skills and methods needed to implement digital safety education in schools.

Nguyễn Ngọc Thiên Trinh, Deputy Director of the Centre for Talent Development at Wellspring International Bilingual School Hà Nội, and Senior Colonel Dr. Bùi Thị Liên, a criminal psychology expert at the People’s Security Academy, directly shared and transferred specialist content to representatives at Cyber CARE Summit 2026, helping to bring digital safety knowledge into school education practice.

Beyond identifying risks such as fraud, impersonation, online bullying and various forms of online abuse, the training emphasised a proactive approach of prevention-focused education and initial response support.

A pupil performs at the summit. The summit spread the message: A happy school must be safe even in places beyond the school gate.

By understanding pupils’ age-related psychological and developmental characteristics, recognising forms of abuse and warning signs in the online environment, participants were equipped with appropriate educational methods and the skills to guide pupils in protecting themselves. They also learned the principles of receiving information, providing an initial response and coordinating support when incidents occur.

This reflects the lasting value that Cyber CARE Summit 2026 seeks to create: not merely training one generation of learners, but empowering those who can continue to train and support many future generations of pupils – so that the spirit of “Not Alone” is spread through practical action in every school.

School Digital Safety Ambassadors

Hà Nội’s School Digital Safety Ambassadors join the connection commitment to speak up proactively, support their peers and promote a culture of safe and responsible behaviour online.

One of the most anticipated highlights of Cyber CARE Summit 2026 – Together for Safer Connections was the connection by Hà Nội’s School Digital Safety Ambassadors, alongside outstanding pupils and inspirational figures in the field.

Rather than being seen only as those who need protection, young people were given the opportunity to become ambassadors for action – speaking up proactively, supporting their peers and promoting a culture of safe and responsible behaviour online.

From Hà Nội, each ambassador will carry the message “Not Alone”, helping to inspire positive action in schools and society.

The programme is expected to open up opportunities for collaboration, professional exchange and the dissemination of digital safety education initiatives to schools and localities across the country.

“A happy school must be safe even in places beyond the school gate,” the ambassadors shared. — VNS