As children in Hanoi finally return to school after a long time spent learning online, parents are filled with mixed emotions. 

Vu Minh Tri, an 8th grader in Hanoi, was reunited with his classmates for the first time after nine months on Tuesday.

All the 63 cities and provinces in the country have plans to reopen schools within this month after closure for months to help contain COVID-19 spread, the Ministry of Education and Training revealed on February 7 night.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has requested the Ministry of Education and Training to consider reopening school to children nationwide at the earliest possible time after months of closure due to COVID-19.

About 150,000 students in grades 9 and 12 in Ho Chi Minh City returned to school after seven months studying online because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Hanoi's 12th graders returned to school on Monday after seven months of online learning in the capital, joining their peers in many other provinces around the country. 

The Hanoi Department of Education and Training on December 5 changed its plan on face-to-face learning for high school students due to the complicated nature of the COVID-19 outbreak locally.

School principals and experts have welcomed the return of in-person learning as schools in Hanoi prepare for a limited reopening. 

Students at senior high schools in Hanoi will return to school from December 6 after a long period of online learning due to COVID-19 impacts.

Schools in HCM City will reopen for 1st, 9th, and 12th grade pupils from December 13 for a two-week pilot period.

Students at high schools and vocational training centers in Hanoi are expected to head back to class on December 6 if the places have no new Covid-19 infections for two weeks.

Given that the COVID-19 vaccination for children goes on at an expected pace, high school students in Hanoi will be allowed to return to school in December.

The HCM City Department of Education and Training has recommended that schools should be reopened for fully vaccinated students from grades nine to 12 in COVID-19 low- and medium-risk areas on December 10.

Nguyen Thi Thu Cha, a worker at Nidec Vietnam Co. at the Sai Gon Hi-Tech Park in HCM City, had a decision to make: stay at home to take care of her children or return to work? But it was a no-brainer.

In a report answering National Assembly Deputies’ inquiries, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) affirmed the efficiency of online teaching and learning, and fairness in accessing learning conditions among regions.

The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Training have recommended that local authorities allow children to return to school, and not wait for vaccinations as vaccines are currently for children aged 12 and over.

The Ministry of Health has asked localities to review and instruct all schools to build flexible and safe COVID-19 prevention and control plans to allow children to go back to class.

Students of some grades in only Ba Vi district of Hanoi can go to school from November 8, according to the latest document signed by Hanoi Vice Chairman Chu Xuan Dung on November 6.

Schools in Hanoi's suburban districts and townships will reopen for in-person learning on November 8, according to the city's People's Committee.