Students during the flood

People were restless and anxious as the rain poured down relentlessly. After a long, dreary night, the rain blanketed the roads and fields. Water crept onto the yards, gradually encroaching and submerging everything, soaking all the belongings. Roads were cut off, markets ceased operations, and schools were deserted.

Drying wet books and documents at Le Van Tam Secondary School, Phu Mo commune. Photo: Ho Nhu

Drying wet books and documents at Le Van Tam Secondary School, Phu Mo commune, after typhoon No. 13. Photo: Ho Nhu

Like a small bird lost in thought on a rainy afternoon, my heart heavy with unspoken feelings, my feet yearning to dance but forced to sit and watch the rain fall. How incredibly sad it is for students during these flood days! The longing for school, for teachers and friends, is ever-present. I remember the gentle lessons with dear friends; the teachers' gentle reminders whenever I made mistakes. I remember the mischievous antics of my friends, the sunny schoolyard, the boisterous play and laughter during recess.

The rain has stopped, but the floodwaters are still there, showing no sign of receding. During the flood, students still spend their time at home with their books and a few brief phone calls with friends far away. It is during these days of "isolation" that we truly appreciate the value of each day we get to go to school, to meet our teachers and friends.

Then the rain gradually stopped, and the floodwaters slowly receded. The students happily skipped back to school. But that joy was mixed with a touch of sadness when they saw some students missing from the classroom, when they heard news that someone's loved one had been swept away by the flood, and when they saw that a friend's family was still struggling and unable to return to school.

In the first few days back at school, the scene of devastation that unfolded before everyone's eyes was heartbreaking. The classrooms still smelled of mud and dirt, the walls were wet with floodwater, and the floors were slippery and muddy. The desks and chairs were soaked in mud, warped and distorted. Textbooks and exercise books hung on the damp teacher's desk, their pages wrinkled and the writing smudged...

Teachers and students cleaned together. The students' young hands held brooms and buckets of water as they helped their teachers clean every corner of the classroom. Everyone was covered in mud, but they still tried their best to work.

Gradually, day by day, the school regained its cleanliness and order. The laughter and chatter of students echoed across the schoolyard once again. Those difficulties served as a lesson in unity, in the bond between teachers and students, and among friends—things that nothing could ever erase.

In the days following the flood, the students matured. We learned to cherish every day we could still sit in class, hold a dry book in our hands, and listen to our teachers' voices. We understood that school life is not just about books and lessons, but also about unforgettable memories, including the sad memories of that flood season.

We firmly believe that after the rain comes sunshine, the flood will recede, and our students will continue their journey in search of knowledge, stronger and more mature.