Vietnam’s People’s Public Security Cultural School III Becomes a Second Home for Thousands of Disadvantaged Students

For many of the 1,000 students at People’s Public Security Cultural School III in Can Tho, the boarding school is becoming more than a place to study. It is becoming a second home.

The school, which belongs to the Can Tho city police, held its opening ceremony on September 5 for its first intake. In preparing for the academic year, it built its organization, recruited teachers and staff, developed the curriculum and equipped its facilities and boarding environment. Student recruitment remained the central task because the school’s educational work is built around the children.

Behind the figure of 1,000 students are 1,000 different circumstances and hopes. Many come from families with severe financial and emotional hardship and need a safe, disciplined and caring environment. Lâm Thị Tiên, a fifth-grade student, is orphaned and had been living with her 95-year-old grandmother. Before entering the school, Tiên cooked for her grandmother, who depended on limited support and food assistance. Her uncle now cares for the grandmother while Tiên attends the boarding school.

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When they first arrived, they were not used to the routine, so they often stayed awake and could not keep quiet. The teachers comforted them, saying, ‘Go to sleep, children. Family members will visit at the weekend.’ One child then asked, ‘Teacher, I am an orphan. Will anyone visit me?’

Teacher Tran Bich Thien said many children arrived with only two worn-out sets of clothes and few personal items. During the first nights, some struggled to follow the school routine. One child asked whether anyone would visit because the child was an orphan, Thien recalled.

The school also brought together brothers Trương Trần Kim Gia Bảo and Trương Trần Kim Gia Tín. Their mother died from heart disease and their father died during the COVID-19 pandemic. They had been living with their elderly grandmother. In the early days at school, Gia Bảo often gave his food to his younger brother and asked teachers to sleep in the same room to look after him. The school arranged for the brothers to share a room. Gia Bảo said he was gradually less sad and felt cared for by the teachers.

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Now I am gradually getting used to it and feel less sad than when I first arrived, and my younger brother is nearby. The teachers also care for me very much.