Border guards carry children across streams to school on the opening day.

(Chinhphu.vn) - On the morning of September 5, at the border of Quang Tri province, crossing the Ta Leng stream, border soldiers carried and guided students from Cu Bai village (Huong Lap commune) to school in time for the opening ceremony of the new school year 2025-2026, bringing with them both joy and the dream of spreading knowledge in the highlands.

From 6:00 AM on September 5th, officers and soldiers of the Cu Bai Border Guard Station (Huong Lap Border Guard Post, under the Quang Tri Provincial Border Guard Command) fanned out to villages along the Vietnam-Laos border to assist students in getting to school for the opening ceremony of the 2024-2025 school year. - Photo: VGP/MT

In the two villages of Ta Pang and Cu Bai (Huong Lap commune), primary school students had to travel to Huong Lap Ethnic Minority Boarding Primary and Secondary School in the commune center for the opening ceremony. For children living with grandparents whose parents work far away, border guards used motorbikes to take them to school - Photo: VGP/MT

The path to school for these students is intertwined with year-round rushing streams, steep mountain slopes, and days of incessant jungle rain. Most of the children are from the Van Kieu ethnic minority, whose economic conditions are still very difficult. Many families rely on farming for their livelihood, struggling to even provide enough food, making their children's education a challenging endeavor. - Photo: VGP/MT

In Cu Bai village, the road to school crosses the Ta Leng stream, which had just experienced a major flood. Soldiers in green uniforms took turns carrying students across the stream so they could arrive in time for the opening ceremony - Photo: VGP/MT

Every school year begins, to be on time, the children have to wake up at dawn and follow slippery paths. Just one heavy rainstorm turns the Ta Leng stream into a barrier, blocking their way to class. In that moment, the green-uniformed backs of border guards replace the makeshift bamboo bridge, safely guiding the children across the stream. - Photo: VGP/MT

On their backs, the young faces of the Van Kieu ethnic minority children are carried - Photo: VGP/MT

Opening ceremony at Huong Lap Ethnic Boarding Primary and Secondary School - Photo: VGP/MT

Here, 99% of the students are from the Van Kieu ethnic group, with a total of 394 students in the primary and secondary school levels - Photo: VGP/MT

On the occasion of the opening of the new school year 2025-2026, in addition to carrying children to school, Huong Lap Border Guard Station also presented 9 gifts to students in the "Helping Children Go to School" Project and the "Border Guard Station's Adopted Children" Program, each worth 1.5 million VND. Two kindergartens in the area also received gifts worth 2 million VND. The total value of gifts is 15.5 million VND. Furthermore, the unit maintains a monthly support of 500,000 VND per child, contributing to further motivating them to confidently continue their education. - Photo: VGP/MT

Opening ceremony at Huong Viet Kindergarten - Photo: VGP/MT

Teachers, officers, soldiers, and ethnic minority students at the opening ceremony of Huong Lap Kindergarten - Photo: VGP/MT

Minh Trang

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/linh-bien-phong-cong-cac-em-nho-vuot-suoi-den-truong-trong-ngay-khai-giang-102250905091813548.htm