On Wednesday, Da Nang’s schools held ceremonies to welcome the 2018 - 2019 new school year with the excitement of thousands of local pupils and students. The events featured flag raising, national anthem singing, and welcoming ceremonies for new school pupils.

Here are some photos, taken by our reporters, which reflect the joyful atmosphere of the ceremonies at some local schools.

Year 1 pupils eagerly attended the opening ceremony for the new school year at their school

Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh attending the new school year ceremony at the Phu Dong Primary School

Solemn atmosphere at the Tran Hung Dao Junior High School in Hai Chau District

Pupils from the Hoang Sa Junior High School in Son Tra District welcoming the new academic year

Named after Viet Nam’s Hoang Sa Archipelago, the school was founded in May 2016. The majority of its pupils are children of local fishermen or officers and men from the naval and border guard forces, and many of the school’s teachers are wives of naval soldiers on duty safeguarding the country’s sovereignty over its sea and islands.

A scene of a flag salute ceremony in progress at the Hoang Sa school

The pupils together singing a meaningful song, entitled ‘Hoang Sa - Ngoi Truong Ben Bo Bien’ (Hoang Sa - The School by the Sea), composed by a school teacher with the intention of inspiring younger generations to uphold their pride in the country’s sovereignty over its sea and islands.

The Phu Dong school’s pupils showing their smiley faces whilst enjoying the joyful atmosphere at the new academic year welcoming ceremony

Pupils, dressed in white, eagerly welcoming the new academic year at the Phan Chau Trinh Senior High School

An impressive view of the new school year ceremony at the Phan Chau Trinh school