PHOTO: TEACHER PROVIDED

A handwritten letter full of love

BMH, a 12th grade student at Hermann Gmeiner High School in Dalat, currently living in the SOS Children's Village in Dalat, has been following the news about the damage caused by storm No. 3 in the northern provinces over the past few days. Feeling sorry for what his fellow countrymen are going through, H. took out a portion of the scholarship he had just received at the beginning of the year and gave it to his homeroom teacher along with a heartfelt letter, asking her to send it to someone in need on his behalf.

H.'s letter had a solemn image of the national flag on top, and a donation of 500,000 VND attached. Below, the male student shared his sympathy for the difficulties that the people of the North are going through, expressed his pride in being a son of Vietnam, and expressed his desire to become a small part of the great efforts of the whole nation. The full text of the letter from the student taking the natural science exam is as follows:

Dear Ms., in the past time, I have read articles, newspaper pages, and seen images of the people in the North during and after storm number 3. I feel the pain and loss of the people in the North, along with the difficulties and tears.

But because of those difficulties, I love the land where I was born even more, I see love, solidarity, sharing, helping - a Vietnamese spirit. That is the big car protecting the small car from the storm, that is the soldier helping the people, that is each citizen turning towards the Fatherland.

As a Vietnamese, I want to contribute a part to the North. Although the amount is not much, I hope I can help many people.

Because we are Vietnamese.

PHOTO: TEACHER PROVIDED

After reading the letter, H.'s homeroom teacher shared it on her personal page to inspire action and the story immediately received many compliments. "I didn't know she shared the letter with everyone. At that time, I just thought that even though I was poor, the place where I lived was still sunny and I could still go to school, so I wanted to help those who were in more difficult circumstances," H. shared with Thanh Nien this afternoon, September 13.

H. said that in recent years, he has often donated to charity activities such as the Central region floods or the Lunar New Year, but only at the level of 20,000-30,000 VND. This is the first time the male student has donated an amount in the hundreds, because he thinks he "needs to do more because the consequences are too severe". "We are compatriots, whatever we can share, we will share, no matter how much. The important thing is that it comes from the heart", H. said.

A shining example of study and social activities

As the person who spread the above story of charity, the head teacher of MH informed that the incident happened two days ago, on September 11. She said that after the end of class, H. proactively sought her out and gave her a piece of paper, saying that it was a small amount of money that he wanted her to send to his compatriots in the North, even though the school had not yet launched a donation campaign. "After reading the letter, I was extremely moved. My students are so affectionate," the head teacher confided.

"In recent years, due to the impact of Covid-19, the lives of the children at SOS Children's Villages have had to be more frugal than before. I thought H.'s contribution of 50,000-100,000 was too much, but I didn't expect him to donate up to 500,000, an amount that many adults would have to consider. For a child with such difficult circumstances, this is a huge amount of money, also showing extremely precious and admirable affection," the female teacher confided.

According to the homeroom teacher, H. is a shining example for his classmates to follow, not only in terms of kindness. He is currently the class monitor in charge of class activities, has received third prize in the provincial math competition, and has been honored as an outstanding young person for the period 2018 - 2023. H. also attends forums on children's rights from the provincial, national to international levels abroad, participates in research and activities organized by the school and the province.

The head teacher added that Hermann Gmeiner High School in Da Lat has launched a fundraising campaign to support flood victims since yesterday, September 12, and H.'s heart will join that of all other teachers, parents, and students to send to the northern provinces in the near future.

It is known that at the beginning of the new school year, H. was awarded a number of scholarships with a total value of 6.5 million VND due to her excellent achievements. She saved most of the money and put it in a piggy bank to prepare for her upcoming university, keeping only a portion for necessary occasions. Meanwhile, H.'s homeroom teacher also regularly sent items and gifts to her friends at the SOS Children's Village in Dalat.

MH and her homeroom teacher both did not want to reveal their identities, saying that the above story is just one of many examples that are still wholeheartedly supporting our compatriots in the North. And in recent days, the entire education sector has also continuously mobilized support for compatriots affected by storm No. 3, from piggy banks, books to cash from students, parents, teachers, officials, education enterprises...

"Any support, from notebooks, books, cash, personal items... at this time is very much appreciated. Support activities can be sent to the Vietnam Education Trade Union or directly to the localities, schools, families of teachers and students who have suffered losses due to storms and floods," Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son shared, adding that even if the students support 1,000 VND or a pen, it is still very necessary.