Crossing the waves to school

When her three grandchildren were old enough to go to school, Mrs. Nguyen Thi The in Phuoc An A hamlet started her journey with a sampan, crossing nearly 6km of river every day to pick up and drop off her grandchildren, one in grade 1, one in grade 2 and one just starting kindergarten. Mrs. The also brought along her 10-month-old baby to look after. “I woke up at 3am to cook rice, prepare things, and bring 3 hammocks for the children to take a nap in the sampan camp. By the time school was over and I got home, the sun was already setting,” Mrs. The said. The children’s parents work as factory workers in Ho Chi Minh City, and she alone shouldered the burden of picking them up and taking care of their every meal and sleep. She did not know how to ride a motorbike, so the sampan became the only means of transport to take her and her grandchildren to school, regardless of rain or shine. “I can bear any hardship as long as the children can read and write. Seeing the children go to class makes me feel very at ease,” Mrs. The confided.

Students have lunch on the boat so they can continue class in the afternoon.

Also persistent on that journey is Ms. Dang Thi My Tien in Phuoc An A hamlet. For more than 4 years, every day she has woken up at 4 am, preparing food and water to bring along for her daughter to have lunch. The mother and daughter hang a hammock to rest right at the boat camp in front of the school gate. Every day, Ms. Tien spends about 30,000 VND on gas, just hoping that her daughter will not miss any class. For more than a year, she has been suffering from breast cancer, but has never let the illness stop her from taking her daughter to class. Her daughter, Nguyen Thi Nha Ky, has been an excellent student in grade 4 for three consecutive years. "I will try to study better so that in the future I can help my parents and my mother will suffer less," Ky said, her eyes shining with determination.

Not only Mrs. The's family or Ms. Tien's, but also about 60 other students of My Phuoc A Primary School (Phuoc An B and Phuoc Ninh locations) also cross the river to go to school every day. Among them, about 20 students of Phuoc An B location whose houses are along the canals and streams have to stay at noon at the boat camp to continue studying in the afternoon. Mr. Nguyen Van Hao, Principal of My Phuoc A Primary School, said that in the 2025-2026 school year, Phuoc An B location has 146 students, many of whom are in difficult circumstances, their parents work far away and leave them to their grandparents to take care of. Despite the long distance and the river crossing, the students still go to class regularly and many of them are excellent students and exemplary students. Every year, the school mobilizes benefactors to support learning tools for disadvantaged students, but resources are limited so they cannot meet all the needs.

The sampan trips that take students across the river are not only a means of transportation to school, but also carry many childhood dreams. To prevent those dreams from being shaken by the waves, the students need the cooperation and support from kind-hearted people. Each sharing will become a source of encouragement, helping students in the river region to be more confident on the journey to nurture their aspirations for a bright future.

My Phuoc A Primary School yard, Phuoc An B point is partially flooded.

Due to its location on low-lying land, the yard of My Phuoc A Primary School, Phuoc An B campus is often flooded during high tides or prolonged heavy rains. Teacher Nguyen Van Hao said that there were periods of flooding that lasted more than two months, although the school tried to use water pumps, but there was still no significant improvement. This situation not only forced physical education classes to be taught in the classroom, but also made it difficult for teachers and students to move around. The biggest concern is that if students often wade in dirty water, they are very susceptible to skin diseases, affecting their health and joy of going to school. Therefore, the school hopes to receive support to help teachers and students have a safer and more spacious teaching and learning environment.

Article and photos: QUOC KHA

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/vuot-song-nuoc-den-truong-a192405.html