The man reason I play games is when my friends are online. Yep, actually most of the time. Since the place I live at is further from my friends' which the only moments I could meet them is at school or at extra classes, sometimes at the mal and often at the football field. Still, to see the boys and having fun times with them more often, we play online games such as Roblox or Minecraft in every weekend. Meeting my friends more often did benefits my mental health problems and became a solid solution for myself.

After all, who would not like to have some fun time with their friends after a long week?

There’s something magical about diving into story and forgetting the world about me. Lately, I’ve been drawn to historical fiction because it feels like time travel. Nothing clears my head better than evening walk. The fresh air, the sound of leaves and watching the sky change colors is therapeutic. I’ve been trying watercolor painting. Even though I’m not perfect at it, I love how calm calming it feels.

What I’ve learned is that free time fun doesn’t have to be grand or expensive. It’s about finding small sparks of happiness that keep you inspired for the weekend. Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this post, don’t forget to subscribe for more little life musings.

Writer: Pham Kim Ngan
Photos by: Pham Kim Ngan

On weekends, I usually wake up early and go cycling. Breathing the fresh morning air makes me feel energetic and ready for the day. One of my favorite activities is playing basketball with my friends. It’s not only fun but also a great way to build teamwork and improve my skills. Besides sports, I sometimes go shopping or hang out with friends, which helps me feel connected and happy. When I want to rest, I enjoy watching sports matches on TV and cheering for my favorite teams.

These activities help me stay healthy, reduce stress, and enjoy quality time with the people I love. For me, weekends are not just about relaxing—they are about living an active and balanced life.

Writer: Vu Khai Minh

Photos by: Vu Khai Minh

Vietnam has experienced wars for decades. Back in 1945, a man named Ho Chi Minh was like the leader of Vietnam. On September 2nd, 1945, he read the Declaration of Independence at Ba Dinh Square and finally drove French forces from the country. After that, Vietnam gained independence from the Indochinese government. That day, 2nd September, is remembered as Vietnam’s Independence Day.

But the peace was not so short-lived. Later, Vietnam had to face political support for Ngo Dinh Diem, who was the leader of the South Vietnamese government. The country was still divided into two. Vietnamese people continued to fight with heroic spirit, even though many plans had failed. They bravely stood together until North Vietnam defeated the South, leading to reunification of the country on April 30th, 1975. That marked 30 years of national struggle.

Although Vietnam had gone through immense trauma from war, today it is a peaceful country growing rapidly. The national spirit of the people is among the highest in the world. Every year, on the 2nd of September, Vietnam celebrates National Day by holding a parade. There is always a lot of joy, music, and patriotic spirit, and the event reminds people about the history, the Vietnamese warriors, and the value of peace.

Written on September 4th, 2025
By Hai Dang

Me too. But after joining our school’s Sports Week and going through many stressful competitions, I have change my mind.

Firstly, we should understand what sport really means and what benefits it brings. Sport has many positive effects on our physical health and also helps us develop useful skills, like communication or teamwork. In my opinion, sport also teaches us moral lessons that are important for growing up. Through sports, we learn how to stay calm, adapt to different situations, and avoid unnecessary conflicts. Besides, playing sports helps create a healthy daily routine and improves our stamina. Based on my own experience, students can also improve their ability to observe and listen after matches.

Incondusion, I believe that sport is a really fundamental school subject, it's keep selves mentally and physically fit. So what about you, do you have a favorite sport, what benefits does it bring to you? Please share with me in the comments section.

Hello, I’m Minh, an ordinary high-school student beside one thing, which is quite weird that I’m addicted to video games or i should say I’m obsessed with it and I’ll say the reasons behind.

Video games somehow invokes my interest and curiosity. When playing open-world games, I’ll be able to interact with things, even animals and the world itself, which satisfies my craving for the new world in real life as I love traveling to places that i have never been to.

Another reason why I’m obsessed with this activity is because i can actually earn some money from it. Some games contain real life-valued money items I can sell for cash or buying them and wait for its price to rise and sell them for profit. With this money, i could pay for my rental as I’m currently living alone in an apartment.

Personally, I find that video games is not for entertainment purpose only but a creative way to find my own hidden emotions and an unexpected way to earn money for myself.

Right now, my weekends look a bit different. I still try to sleep in, but not too much since I usually have homework or English plans. After breakfast, I spend some time on studying English because it helps me stay focused and prepare better for the IELTS test next year. In the afternoon, I like to give myself a break – meeting friends, going to the gym, or simply lying on my bed. Evenings are usually quieter since I often prepare my bag, get ready for Monday, and try to go to bed earlier to have enough sleep.

To be honest, balancing study and rest is not that easy. I try to make my weekend both chill and useful. A little bit of productivity mixed with some fun really helps me feel balanced. Whether it’s during the holidays or the school year, I believe keeping this balance is the key to staying motivated and happy.

Writer: Le Kim Ngan

Photos by: Le Kim Ngan

With my trainer’s help, I set a simple routine: four workout sessions a week—Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. At first, I worried this would steal my study time, but it actually helped me concentrate better. After a quick jog or workout, homework felt easier and faster to finish. On busy days, I just handle the most important assignments first, then treat myself with a short workout. Fitness turned from “extra work” into my best stress reliever.

Now I see that balance isn’t about doing everything perfectly. It’s about setting priorities and sticking to them. Studying gives me knowledge, exercising gives me strength—and together they keep me motivated. If you’re also struggling to juggle school and health, trust me: with a bit of planning, you can enjoy the best of both worlds.

When I finish studying and return home, I often enjoy time to myself. I used to go to bed, but I changed that. I used my time for other activities such as hanging out with friends, reading books, and walking with my dog. In addition, I would like to play games with my friend because I have a friend who is going abroad. We are in different time zones, so we can call a video and play a game in the afternoon, which makes me feel connected. Some day, I will go to the cafe shop and study with my friends. I think it is a perfect way to improve my skills and do my homework.

This pushed me into studying and suffering from stress. However, I also want to enjoy my time alone and find peace within myself. In the end, I believe balance is the key to both success and happiness.

I've been swimming for nearly a decade, and it's one of my favorite sports. The reason I got into it is from my parent, who signed me up for a swimming class when I was 6. I got hooked up to it at first glance because swimming was unexpectedly easy to learn; just swing your legs vertically while slowly propelling on the surface with your arms. Starting to get the hang of it, I got even more interested in swimming, so much that I invested plenty of time to learn more useful techniques. Now I feel proud that I spent my time on it,, which was completely worth it. Not only does it keep me fit, but it also keeps me safe from unexpected danger underwater.

Swimming is an incredible sport that can save many lives while keeping people healthy. I love swimming 🥀

To begin with, since I was a primary school student, my family and I went to Phu Tho stadium to watch a final match between Vietnam and Thailand badminton team. Then, this thrilling match impressed me a lot and motivated me strongly. For that reason, I decided to learn about badminton. Honestly, at first, I just played it for fun without paying much attention to techniques. However, when I became more skillful and quite master in this sport, I realised that it not only is a recreational activity but also plays a very significant role in enhancing both of my physical and mental health.

As an illustration, it is necessary to have flexibility, quick reflexes, and also stamina in order to play badminton effectively. In addition, during practical rounds, your hormones like dopamine would be released and help you be stronger as well as happier. Thanks to that, my stress is reduced, and I feel more energetic every day.

From those various benefits, I could enrich my mental and physical life. Moreover, I also improve my discipline, patience, and teamwork spirit through each match. Overall, personally, I believe that badminton facilitates me on a daily basis amazingly and will always be an indispensable part of my lifestyle.

My name is Khang, I’m 16 and I enjoy multiple leisure activities when I’m not studying. Although it is totally normal that most teenagers have peculiar hobbies based on their personality and interests, I took up a handful of “strange” hobbies that people my age don’t usually like.

Since I stay at school for half the day, the rest is spent on video games and video calls with my friend Alan. To escape my comfort zone, I took up cooking and drawing which I’ve never tried before. Despite constant failures – whenever I mess up a drawing or a dish I had dedicated my time to; I kept on trying because it makes me happy whatsoever. Recently, I’ve been looking forward to taking up game development and making music, as I love challenging hobbies in general, and because of how amazing it feels to be a creator.

While it is a common thing that people often adopt certain hobbies to enjoy during their free time, they may share ideas and similar hobbies, make new friends by having things in common, which I believe is perhaps the most important aspect when it comes to socializing and forming bonds with people around you.

First, to began, lets list out some activities students always do in school freetime. From my experiences, pupils often being active during school breaktimes. For instance, sporting, running or even rolling around. These are activities are often being done in groups or with friends. On the other side, there are other activities which are a bit less activenessly. Sleeping for example, is an activity which frequently prefered by pupils. For another instance, working with excercise is an activity that not much people choose. Now we see there a alot of things you can do in school lesure time. However, to be more flexibllity between class to class, I recommend we should be "ready".

"Ready" means preparing everything for nest subject. This action will keep you productive, activenessly. No more sleeps that lead to negative passive. No more uncontrolable situations when you cam back to class after playing around.

To summarize, in schoole breaks, you should be ready for the next class. Not just stop being passively but to keep the productive mind.

On weekends, I usually allow myself to sleep in, so I wake up at 9am. My brother loves swimming, so he always invites me to go swimming at the nearby swimming pool. After that, I rest and my mom will make pancakes or my favorite foods for breakfast. On weekends, I am very sleepy, so I need drinks like coffee, milk tea, etc.

So, my mom and I will go to our favorite cafe, Hide Out. I highly recommend it, so I hope you can come and try it if you have time. My family has the same hobby of playing golf for lunch every weekend, we will go golfing from 12pm to 3pm instead of resting. For dinner every weekend, my family will decide to eat outside. Our favorite restaurant is Sushi Tei, and you should definitely try it because the sushi here is amazing and the ingredients are fresh.

This routine is repeated every week because it is the best way to relieve stress and recharge for the next week. Furthermore, I love spending time with my family because it is a source of support and family bonding, so I try to spend as much time as possible.

Every week, I play football with my friends, and it has become a routine that keeps me active and energized. Running across the field, chasing the ball, fighting for possession, and scoring goals have all helped me build endurance, strength, and speed. It’s not just exercise, it’s a lifestyle that pushes me to improve every time I step onto the pitch.

Throughout my journey, I’ve had the chance to compete in different places, from small matches in my grandmother’s yard to bigger games at the city stadium. Along the way, I’ve even won a few awards, which only motivated me to keep going. The more I ran, the better I felt. The more I practiced dribbling, passing, and shooting, the more confident I became. Playing regularly with friends taught me the value of teamwork and decision-making, and staying consistent with the game has made football feel like second nature to me.

Football isn’t just a game to me, it’s a lifelong passion that keeps me healthy, happy, and motivated. If you share the same love for football, let me know. And if you want to play a match with me, drop a message below, I’d be more than happy to kick the ball around with you!

I have to say that, balancing school and sports is hard. Some day I feel like I'm sprinting from class to the field and then home to pile of homework. I definately that everyone are stucking with this so I make a decision to share tips on managing time between academic responsibilities and sports practice.

Time managment is really fundamentsl for high school students espeacially when they are playing sports also. Moreover, I would like to tell you that I was an old athlet and how I administrate my time. When I was in secondary school I was a swimming athlet, so I needed to spent hours for practice. That's mean I have to be use my time carefully. I've learned the hardway that if I don't stay organized, I'll end up pulling an all-nighter.

Nevertheless, my secret weapons? Just a simple to-do list. I break big assignments into smaller tasks and try to spread them out through the week. I also set the time limits like "45 minutes for this essaay, then I'm done" That helps me stay focused instead of spending hours procrastinate

So that's is my tips, I would like to make sure that is helping for high school students

Well, it wasn't always easy. There were days when I felt like I had to choose between finishing a homework assignments or going to practice. But overtime, I realised that I didn't have to give up one of the other. I just to be smarter with my schedule. Every night, I look at what's coming during the week, assignments, tests and training sessions. I try to finish homework early, sports actually make me better at school. When I move body, I feel more focuse latter. It also helps me deal with stress. I've found that even short workouts or practices clear my a head and give energy to get back to study.

Balancing school and sports isn't about being perfect - it's about being consistent. For me, it's a mix a good habits, smart planning and the occasional power anp

When I was in grade 8, I faced a very heavy study schedule that made me stressed and disappointed, especially since I did not have much support at that time. Meanwhile, many of my classmates often went to the basketball court to play together and prepare for tournaments. At first, I did not join, as I had never really played sports, especially competitive ones. However, once I decided to try basketball, I discovered that I had some ability in it. I chose to follow this path, invested effort, and eventually developed a real passion for it.

Practicing basketball regularly required some financial investment, such as protective bands and especially shoes—three pairs of which cost me nearly ten million VND. Yet this investment felt worthwhile, because good equipment gave me confidence and allowed me to train effectively.

What makes basketball so helpful for mental well-being is its demand for concentration. While playing, I have to focus on dribbling, passing, defending, and scoring. This mental focus creates a healthy distraction, giving me a break from stressful thoughts. For the duration of the game, the only thing that matters is the ball and the court. Moreover, competing in tournaments allows me to shine, feel proud of my achievements, and strengthen my confidence.

In the end, focusing on a sport is not simply about physical exercise. It becomes a form of therapy that combines movement, concentration, and social connection. Basketball, for me, has been a powerful tool to reduce stress, uplift my spirit, and improve my overall well-being.