The image of the chapped hands of an 8-year-old boy in the highlands makes millions of people choke up.

On December 1, social media went viral with a post about a child’s hands with dark, cracked skin, completely different from the white, “bamboo shoot” hands commonly seen in children. After just under 24 hours on Tiktok, the video quickly attracted nearly 1 million views and more than 100,000 interactions.

The information then spread to many channels on Facebook and received millions of likes, comments, and shares. The comments expressed the emotion and sympathy of the online community when they learned that the rough black hands turned out to be those of an 8-year-old boy, a 3rd grader.

" The reason why a highlander like me wants to bring the letters back to the village is because of images like this," a teacher commented. Another account wrote: "The more you love people, the more you love your job. We will have to try really hard ." Nickname "Thảo cherry" sadly said: "I feel so sorry for her, I just hope the teachers can care and help her more! Looking at the sleeves of the shirt she wears really makes adults like me choke up."

Many people proactively asked for information about the boy with hands like those of an old man, hoping to send him books, clothes and necessary items to support his learning journey.

The photo of Dao’s calloused hands, which had been used to catch crabs and fish, tracing each letter on a book page, spread on social media and touched many people. (Photo: NVCC)

The boy's name is Mua A Dao, a student of class 3A8 at Muong Chien school, Ngoc Chien Primary School, Muong Lai commune, Son La province.

Seeing her student's chapped hands, teacher Lo Thi Nhung (born 2001) - Homeroom Teacher of class 3A8 felt sympathy for her student's deprived life, so she shared the image on her personal TikTok channel. Behind those hands is the story of Dao's extremely difficult circumstances.

"My father, Mr. Mua A Vang, has completely lost his ability to work; my mother has not been home for the past two years. It can be said that I am the pillar of the family," Ms. Nhung confided.

Dao’s older sister dropped out of school to stay home and herd buffalo, her older brother is disabled, and her youngest brother is still very young. Every day, Dao often goes out to catch crabs, fish, snails, and do household chores, causing her hands to become black, calloused, and cracked, unlike the hands of children her age.

Due to difficult family circumstances, Dao was often absent from classes at the beginning of this year and had long breaks. Teacher Nhung visited her home, encouraged her to return to school and provided her with books and necessary school supplies.

Receiving visits, encouragement and support from Ms. Nhung, Dao decided to return to school. Dao's house is 4 km from the school, and she still walks to class every day.

Ms. Nhung added that Dao is a quiet and understanding boy. He rarely talks about his family situation and often chooses to hide all his difficulties. Once, Dao went fishing and fell, causing his leg to hurt for many days, but he remained silent and did not complain like other children his age.

"It was only when my classmates told me what happened that I learned about it and took the initiative to talk to her to better understand the problems Dao was going through," Ms. Nhung shared.

Teacher Nhung takes care of and applies moisturizer to Dao's small but tired hands (Photo taken on December 3).

Muong Chien school is one of 11 schools belonging to Ngoc Chien Primary School, where 1,155 students are studying. Most of them come from families with especially difficult circumstances and lack basic conditions. Many children do not have complete parents, have to live with grandparents or relatives, some even become the pillars of the family, go to work at an early age.

Ms. Le Ha Thu - Vice Principal of Ngoc Chien Primary School said that due to limited living conditions, the situation of students dropping out of school happens frequently, so teachers have to constantly monitor, encourage and support them to maintain their studies. In addition to teaching duties, teachers also take on many other roles, from instructing personal hygiene skills to managing daily activities, ensuring students have enough clothes and minimum conditions to go to class.

“Teachers try to motivate students to come to school by all means, because only education and knowledge can change their lives ,” the Vice Principal emphasized.

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