Flood 'wipes out' border school, principal heartbroken

More than half a month has passed since the floods caused by storm No. 3 (storm Wipha), Tuoi Tre Online reporters returned to My Ly commune, Nghe An province - one of the localities that suffered the most damage when relief convoys are still heading to the people in the disaster area.

These days, while in many places across the country students are preparing for the new school year, in one place floods have swept away all the books and uniforms, and the entire school is submerged in mud.

My Ly 2 Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities is located in the border commune of My Ly - where natural conditions, economy and infrastructure are still extremely difficult.

The school's main campus is located in Xang Tren village, nearly 10km from the commune center and more than 75km from the district center.

After the flood, the road from the commune center to the school was severely damaged, making it impossible to walk or ride a motorbike. The only way to get to school was to take a boat upstream on the fast-flowing Nam Non River for more than an hour.

The whole school has 12 classes with 202 students, including 3 combined classes. In addition, the school also has 6 remote locations scattered along the Vietnam - Laos border, where travel conditions are very difficult, with teachers having to walk in many places.

The main school is located along the Nam Non River, where the ethnic minority children of My Ly Commune are taught to read and write. However, after just one night of flooding, the dormitory, kitchen, restrooms, playground, and teachers' quarters were swept away.

Mr. Tran Sy Ha - the school's principal - shared that many teachers have been attached to the village for decades, having experienced many natural disasters but have never witnessed such terrible devastation.

"The floodwaters rose so quickly on the night of July 22 that they completely submerged the rows of houses, swept away and buried most of the facilities, teaching equipment, and daily necessities of teachers and students. A few days later, looking back, I saw only mud covering almost everything, and bare empty spaces, which was heartbreaking," Mr. Ha said sadly.

In preparation for the new school year 2025-2026, all students at the main school will be transferred to the satellite school while waiting for the construction of the new school.