Hospital school opens a new year for children with cancer

The sound of a school drum echoed through Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital as children undergoing cancer treatment began a new school year inside the hospital.

The Hoa Huong Duong class opened its 2026-2027 school year on Sept. 4 under a program supporting children with serious illnesses. The event brought together Nguyễn Phước Lộc, deputy secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and chairman of the city’s Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, along with officials, hospital representatives and donors.

On the hospital’s fourth floor, dozens of young patients read, played and continued learning despite being unable to attend school with their peers. Ten-year-old Trịnh Thành Danh sang “The Marching Song” in the classroom. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2022, shortly before he was due to start first grade.

For more than four years, his mother, Phạm Thị Ngọc Hằng, has accompanied him through treatment. When Danh felt well enough, she took him to class so he could continue learning and meet other children. “I want to get better so I can go to school with my friends,” Danh said.

Another student, Vương Ngọc Thảo Quyên, was diagnosed with blood cancer at age four after developing a fever and losing the ability to stand. She learned to read one letter at a time in the hospital classroom. Teacher Nguyễn Thị Kim Xoàn, who has taught there for 12 years, said enrollment changes with the children’s health but currently stands at about 39 students. Founded on Sept. 4, 2009, the class has now spent 17 years helping young patients keep their hopes of returning to school alive.

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I want to get better so I can go to school with my friends.