Border villages in Lai Chau are changing day by day (Photo: Khac Kien/VOV)

More than 10 years ago, leaving Phu Tho for Lai Chau, young teacher Nguyen Thi Thu Ha carried with her a simple dream of teaching children to dance, sing, and write their very first letters. After a decade in the mountains, most recently as a teacher at preschools C5–C7 under Ban Lang Kindergarten in the border commune of Khong Lao, her homesickness has been replaced by a deep affection for her pupils, whose innocent eyes and tiny hands tugging at her blouse gave her the strength to persevere through hardship.

Young teacher Nguyen Thi Thu Ha and her pupils in the border area of Ban Lang. (Photo: Khac Kien/VOV)

Ha said: “When I first came to Lai Chau, facilities were poor and the roads were extremely rough. During my first year here, a path to school hadn’t been built yet, and I had to walk a very long, muddy, slippery distance. My husband and children were back home, and my eldest was still little. What kept me going and what keeps me here is the innocence in the children’s eyes. Despite their difficult learning conditions and the many things they lack, they’re eager to learn, well-behaved, and they truly love their teachers.”

Teacher Pham Thi Yen and other teachers in Hua Bum always try their best to help local children enjoy their time at school (Photo: Khac Kien/VOV)

Many teachers from lowland provinces have also chosen to work in Lai Chau’s border communes. They come for different reasons, but most decide to stay out of love for their students and this land. Pham Thi Yen from Ninh Binh province is now a teacher at Hua Bum Boarding Primary and Lower Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities.

Yen said: “I used to teach in Hanoi. When I came here, I saw how much the students lacked. Their living conditions are completely different from those in the lowlands, and I felt such compassion for them. Most of the children here are from ethnic minority groups, and their families are very poor. They come to school in the morning, but in the afternoon they must return home to help their parents in the fields. They don’t have much time to care for themselves or fully focus on their studies.”

Understanding their students’ struggles, teacher Yen and her colleagues have always looked for ways to help the children love their school and overcome difficulties. Under humble school roofs in remote villages, the light of knowledge continues to shine each day.

Teachers like Ha, Yen, and thousands of others are tirelessly “sowing knowledge” along the borderlands, bringing education, hope, and a brighter future to local children.