Today, at public schools across Vietnam, a festive mood fills the atmosphere as students and teachers take part in the national celebration of Vietnamese Teachers’ Day.
Every year, according to tradition, on November 20, schools hold special gatherings and musical performances to commemorate the occasion, while alumni return to past alma maters to pay respect. While it seems that the holiday has been part of local culture forever, Vietnamese Teachers’ Day has only been around for about 60 years.
In 1946, the World Federation of Teachers Unions, known by the French name Federation Internationale Syndicale de L'Enseignement (FISE), was established in Paris. Vietnam became an official member of the organization in 1953. In 1957, the country decided at a FISE gathering in Warsaw, Poland to make November 20, 1958 the first Teachers’ Day, according to VietnamNet.
This year, to immerse in the buoyant spirits of Teachers’ Day, have a look at this adorable animated clip by Glowing Studio, a Saigon-based 2D animation production house. In 2017, Glowing Studio made a music video based on the Teachers’ Day classic tune ‘Di Hoc’ (Going to School). The song, based on a poem by Hoang Minh Chinh with music composed by Bui Dinh Thao, is part of the old second grade syllabus. The poem takes the point of view of a young student in rural Vietnam on their first day of school, walking past “whispering streams of clear water” and under “the ‘umbrellas’ of palm trees” to meet their teacher for the first time.
The animated clip stays close to the spirits of Chinh’s poem, but elevates it by adding layers and layers of vibrant colors. Banana trees, terrace farms, a primary school child in her colorful brocade uniform — the lyrics of ‘Di Hoc’ come alive in the colorful illustrations.
“There are moments when we really ‘hate’ [our teacher], but when the time comes to say goodbye at the end of the schoolyear, the thing that rises above all that negative emotions is the image of someone who wholeheartedly care about us,” Glowing Studio writes in the project’s description.
Have a look at the endearing ‘Di Hoc’ clip below:
Production: Glowing Studio
Creative Director: An Tiem Dua Hau (Tran Hong Loc Dinh)
Storyboard & Screenplay: An Tiem Dua Hau
Art Direction: An Tiem Dua Hau / To Duong Phuong Nguyen (NTRIX)
Illustration: An Tiem Dua Hau / Ninh Ngoc Giang
Animation Director: To Duong Phuong Nguyen (NTRIX)
Animation: To Duong Phuong Nguyen / Tieu Nhat / Nguyen Cuong
3D: Nguyen Cuong
[Video and Images via Glowing Studio’s Behance page]
