The school ignites dreams.

Vinh Dinh High School in Quang Tri province was established in 2003. It is a school located in a remote rural area, with students mainly coming from farming families.

Báo Thanh niên•18/08/2025

Where the wind never stops blowing

In its first year, the school had only 200 students, divided into 4 classes. At that time, facilities were extremely lacking. The small school had no surrounding fence; all around were vast fields. The schoolyard was covered in dust, and every gust of wind stirred up clouds of dust. During the rainy season, the old corrugated iron roofs were insufficient, causing water to leak into the classrooms. In the dry season, the heat was stifling. However, what concerned the teachers most were the young students growing up in this barren land, coming to school with the baggage of scarcity. Each of their stories was like a somber note in the symphony of a life full of storms.

Le Van Duy, from Trieu Tai commune, is a 10th-grade student, but he's not even as tall as an adult's shoulder. Despite his small stature, Duy knows how to light a fire, chop wood, cut vegetables, and raise chickens. His father died early, and his mother left when he was six, never to be heard from again. He lives with his paternal grandparents. His grandfather suffered a stroke and is bedridden; only his grandmother, though elderly and frail, diligently gathers bundles of vegetables to sell at the market each day. Every afternoon after school, Duy rushes home to help his grandparents with cooking, washing dishes, and cleaning. Once, his homeroom teacher visited. On the table were only a bowl of white rice, boiled vegetables, and a bowl of pickled eggplant. His grandfather lay on a rickety bamboo bed, his eyes cloudy and teary. Duy didn't say much. He just quietly worked, quietly studied, and quietly grew up like a wild plant sprouting on a cliff. Some days, he comes to class in a faded white shirt, the seams no longer intact.

Visiting Phuong Linh's family in Trieu Son, the teachers' hearts ached. On the barren sandy land stood a dilapidated, rickety house. The walls were unpainted, the doors were made of old corrugated iron, and there were no valuable possessions. Since she was three months old, she had lived with her grandmother, over 70 years old, her figure hunched over like an old bamboo bed. Linh was quiet, often sitting silently in the corner of the classroom, diligently working alone. Her eyes were always brimming with tears; even a casual question would make her cry. One day, when her grandmother was ill, she arrived late to class, sitting in the back row, her shirt still stained with mud that hadn't been washed yet.

Duy and Linh are just two of countless quiet lives under the roof of Vinh Dinh school. Behind each life lies a heartbreaking story. Like wildflowers in a land constantly battered by wind, these children are nurturing their dreams through every page of their books, every stroke of their pen, every day they go to school.

Mái trường thắp sáng những ước mơ - Ảnh 2. — Students sell bouquets of flowers during holidays to raise funds for the "Lighting Up Dreams" program.

The journey to ignite dreams

Concerned about the difficulties faced by students, the "Lighting Up the Dreams of Vinh Dinh Youth" fund was established in 2013. Establishing a scholarship fund was not just an idea, but a challenging journey. Without major sponsors or a regular budget, everything started from scratch. The teachers and students of Vinh Dinh High School chose to begin this journey with their own hands.

Since its inception, the fund has primarily been raised through the generosity of the school's staff and teachers. Gradually, these small acts touched the hearts of the community. Parents, former students, and local residents, upon learning about the fund, began to offer support. Some donated fabric sets, others brought books and notebooks, and some silently transferred a few hundred thousand dong without leaving their names. These pieces of love thus came together to form a large, warm carpet stretching along the path to school for underprivileged students.

Mái trường thắp sáng những ước mơ - Ảnh 3.

Mái trường thắp sáng những ước mơ - Ảnh 4.

Students raise funds in piggy banks for the "Lighting Up Dreams" program.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY VINH DINH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT UNION

But every journey has its twists and turns. Even with its widespread reach, the scholarship fund always faces the constant question: How to sustain it in the long term? During years of storms, crop failures, pandemics, and economic hardship, the amount of money raised fell short of expectations, to the point where the school considered giving up. Undeterred by the difficulties, the school's student union began developing fundraising plans through diverse experiential activities: selling lucky money envelopes during Tet (Lunar New Year), selling flowers for fundraising on holidays, organizing stalls at rural fairs, saving money in piggy banks, and setting up souvenir shops… The lucky money envelopes displayed at the school gate, each bouquet of flowers meticulously arranged, each souvenir carefully designed, each coin collected in the piggy bank… are testaments to the tireless efforts of both teachers and students at Vinh Dinh High School.

In particular, every Sunday morning, teachers and Youth Union members gather at the coffee shop. Not for entertainment or conversation, but by putting on aprons, rolling up their sleeves, and working as parking attendants and servers. Each cup of coffee brewed, each table wiped, each smile offered to a customer... ignites in the hearts of the students a simple truth: they are contributing to ensuring someone doesn't drop out of school due to lack of tuition fees. The profits from selling coffee are respectfully placed by the owner into a wooden box inscribed with the words: "Entrust your faith, receive your dreams."

Mái trường thắp sáng những ước mơ - Ảnh 5. — The green house model involves collecting plastic and paper waste to sell and raise funds.

Beyond traditional fundraising activities, the school cleverly integrates environmental protection messages into every small action. A special plan was born: collecting recyclable materials for fundraising. After each school day, party, sports event, or cultural performance, scraps of paper, plastic bottles, soda cans, etc., are no longer discarded waste, but become "treasures" diligently collected and sorted by the students. Heavy sacks of recyclable materials are then sold, contributing precious money to the "Lighting Up Dreams" fund. This small journey instills in the children profound lessons about the meaning of labor, sharing, saving, and above all, responsibility towards their environment. It is through these seemingly simple things that they are silently kindling the warm flame of love and hope.

Impressive numbers

From its humble beginnings, Vinh Dinh High School's fundraising journey has quietly grown over the years, creating a compassionate path that brings hope to hundreds of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Mái trường thắp sáng những ước mơ - Ảnh 6. — Teacher representatives and the school's student union visited the home of the scholarship recipient.

After 13 years of persistent effort, the program has raised over 1 billion VND, a significant amount for a school in a purely agricultural rural area. Thanks to this valuable fund, more than 700 scholarships have been awarded to underprivileged students. In addition, hundreds of practical gifts such as books, bicycles, and warm clothes have reached those in need. Importantly, the program has become a bridge connecting many philanthropists across the country, proactively identifying cases requiring urgent assistance, from dilapidated houses during storms and floods to the flickering light of a mother's study lamp by her sickbed. Each time this happens, the entire community joins hands to support these children so that their education is not interrupted.

Mái trường thắp sáng những ước mơ - Ảnh 7. — Representatives from the school administration and the Student Union visited the home of the scholarship recipient.

"Lighting Up Dreams" is not just a support program, but has become a beautiful symbol of love and community strength in education . From a small school in the countryside of Quang Tri, that light continues to spread, warm and enduring. Looking back on the journey, Vinh Dinh High School can be proud of a humble and miraculous path – a journey that has written the most beautiful chapters of life with compassion.