"I'm very happy to be back at school"
On the inauguration day of the new Lang Nu Village, Ha Khanh Ngan and Hoang Gia Han (both 3 years old) wore traditional Muong ethnic costumes to participate in a cultural performance. They are the two youngest children of the village who miraculously survived the deadly flood. From now on, they will attend the new nursery school located within the resettlement area.
When picking up their children after school, many parents are unable to hide their joy at hearing their children’s clear laughter and singing. As for the teachers here, they arrive early and leave late every day to guide the children in cultural activities and decorate the classrooms to make them as beautiful as possible.
"Seeing the children having proper meals, sleeping well, and laughing happily when they come to school is the greatest happiness for us," said teacher Mai Hong Nhung.
These days at Phuc Khanh 1 Primary and Secondary School, the playground is bustling with children running and playing, the school drum echoes, and the sounds of children reading aloud fill the air. After the storm, all 120 pupils of Lang Nu Village were moved to board at the school.
"Currently, attendance is consistently good, and the children’s spirits have stabilised. Every week, the school organises activities to engage the students. Some good news is that Thu Hoai (Grade 9) from Lang Nu Village won a consolation prize in geography at the recent district-level excellent student competition. Meanwhile, Mai Lan (Grade 9), who was swept away by the flood and had dozens of stitches in her leg and was treated at the provincial hospital, still enthusiastically participates in the school’s dance team," Hoang Thi Mai Hoa, the school’s deputy principal, shared joyfully.
Hoang Thi Sen, form teacher for Grade 6, showed me an essay by a special student from Lang Nu Village. This was Mong Hoang Thao Ngoc, who underwent a "life-and-death battle" lasting 50 days at Bach Mai Hospital’s ICU due to septic shock, multiple organ failure, respiratory failure and severe pneumonia caused by drowning and inhaling mud.
Back at school, in her essay about her experiences, Thao Ngoc mentioned the terrible flood that buried her in thick mud. She wrote about the days of treatment in isolation rooms full of machinery, where doctors devotedly cared for her. When she returned to Lang Nu Village, she couldn’t see her old village, her grandparents, nor her uncle and aunt. Returning to school, she couldn’t see many of her friends. "I’m very happy to be back at school with my friends!" — this concluding sentence of the essay moved teacher Sen to tears.
Deputy Principal Hoang Thi Mai Hoa also said: "For the students who have returned to school, we try to make up for the knowledge gaps from their time away. Along with this, maintaining the children’s psychological stability is crucial. All teachers in the school show boundless love for their students, especially those who lost family members and homes in the village. Everyone is concerned with finding ways to help these future green shoots reintegrate into life after the tragedy."
The appointment
Among those visiting the newly inaugurated Lang Nu Village, there was a special guest, namely Nguyen Khang, Headmaster of Marie Curie School in Hanoi. Right after the flash flood swept away the village and the lives of many children, Khang was deeply distressed and wept multiple times. From his heart, he wanted to do something to help these unfortunate children: "I am a teacher. Seeing the situation of Lang Nu residents, I thought about helping all the children continue their education, with none having to drop out." So he decided that Marie Curie School would support these children’s education until they turn 18 by providing 3 million VND per month for each child, transferred directly to their parents or guardians.
"We visited every home, every school in Lang Nu and even the hospitals. So many children were lost, very few remain, it’s heartbreaking. Only 22 children from the entire village are left, including 12 girls and 10 boys. The youngest is 3 years old and the oldest is 17 years old. I decided to support all of them and become their "grandfather". I’m elderly now but I hope to live a bit longer to see them grow up," shared Khang.
This time, the 75-year-old teacher, small in stature, battling the cold weather and occasional coughs, came directly to Lang Nu to witness firsthand how the children who now call him "grandfather" are living and studying. In the new Lang Nu Village, he visited the home of two orphaned brothers, Hoang Xuan Phuc and Hoang Gia Bao, who lost both their parents to the devastating flood. At their new house, Khang called out: "Where’s Bao? Come let grandfather see you", and the boy ran to hug him, settling comfortably in his lap to chat as if they had known each other for ages. He examined Bao’s head wounds and asked: "Does this still hurt?" Bao shook his head: "No!" then promptly rolled up his trousers to show off the hand-sized scar that was healing on his thigh. The intimate conversation between the grandfather and the grandson in the house was like a warming fire in the room. The teacher turned to Bao’s grandmother Hoang Thi Hien: "If you permit us to become family, I wish to support them until they're 18." In tears, Hien said: "Yes, please! Thank you for taking care of them."
A warm and touching meeting between "grandfather" Nguyen Xuan Khang and his 22 adopted grandchildren took place at the new campus of Phuc Khanh 1 Primary and Secondary School. "On this visit to Lang Nu, I want to take a commemorative photo of our 23-member family. And in 15 years, when the two youngest children here, Gia Han and Khanh Ngan, turn 18, I hope to welcome all the children to Hanoi to take another photo with all 23 of us," said Khang.
On this trip, the "grandfather" brought a box containing "the promise between grandfather and grandchildren" inscribed with the words "Grandfather will stay healthy, grandchildren will study hard." Speaking to his "grandchildren", Khang said: "Since gaining 22 more grandchildren, I’ve become more conscious about my health, eating a bit more. Though I know maintaining health isn’t easy, I want to strive to be present in our group photo 15 years from now when they have all grown up."
At Lang Nu Village, amidst everyone’s emotion, the grandfather and his grandchildren signed the promise. The two youngest children who couldn’t write yet made their mark alongside their parents.
Pham Duc Vinh, Headmaster of Phuc Khanh 1 Primary and Secondary School shared: "Mr Khang is one of many people who have helped Lang Nu residents and pupils. But his help is very special, he doesn’t just provide material support but also shows great affection for the children. One could say it’s deeper than blood relations, shown through his attentiveness and noble gestures. Hopefully, this affection will help the orphaned children have a solid foundation. They will continue to dream of becoming good people who live decently and help others in times of need."
At the old village, residents have set aside a special area to preserve artefacts from the deadly flash flood. There are broken pink bicycles, teddy bears, pretty little sandals, and mud-buried school bags with burst clasps belonging to Lang Nu Village’s children. Some of these children have gone forever, moving viewers to tears. Now, Lang Nu Village has been reborn, with clear laughter and eager eyes of children at the new schools like vigorous green shoots in an area once ravaged by fierce storms.
Today’s Lang Nu Village, under blue skies and filled with children’s cheerful voices, continues to write its story of mutual care, resilience and aspirations for the future.
