Nguyen Minh Tam works carrying seafood to help her mother support her younger siblings' education. Photo: Ut Chuyen
Every morning, before the sun has even risen, the small villages of Kien Luong commune light up with the lights of boats and ships preparing to set sail. The sound of engines blends with the sound of the waves, creating the familiar rhythm of life in this coastal area. Amidst this bustling crowd, many children with sun-tanned skin quietly board the boats instead of carrying their schoolbags like their peers. For them, childhood is not associated with blackboards and chalk, but with the smell of fish, hands stained with seawater, and long nights adrift on the waves.
Nguyen Minh Tam (14 years old) had to drop out of school early to help his family make a living. Four years ago, his father died in a traffic accident. His mother struggled to make ends meet by doing various jobs to support the two brothers. As the eldest son, seeing his mother becoming increasingly thin from overwork, Tam decided to leave school in the 7th grade to work and help his mother, giving his younger brother the opportunity to continue his education.
Although only 14 years old, Tam looks much more mature than her peers. Her tanned face, calloused hands, and thoughtful eyes bear the marks of early life's struggles. She takes on all kinds of seasonal work, sometimes going out to sea on fishing boats, other times carrying seafood at the fish market, anything to earn extra income to help her mother. When asked about dropping out of school, Tam just smiles gently: "I miss school a lot, but seeing how hard my mother works, I want to work to ease her burden and ensure my younger siblings can get a proper education."
Mr. Truong Van Tuan (Tam's uncle), who has supported and cared for the two siblings for many years, emotionally recounted: "When Tam was still in school, all the burdens fell on his mother's shoulders. Sometimes, when they were in dire straits, she had to ask for an advance on her salary to cover the children's living and school expenses. Seeing his mother ill, he insisted on quitting school to work and help his mother raise his younger sibling."
Nguyen Minh Tam, a resident of Kien Luong commune, works carrying seafood to help her mother support her younger siblings' education. Photo: Ut Chuyen
In a coastal area of Tan Thanh commune, ten-year-old Nguyen Long Em left school early. While many of his peers were carefree about their studies, Long Em was accustomed to wading through the muddy seashore to catch mudskippers to earn money to help his family. His mother sold lottery tickets, and his father went fishing far offshore; their difficult life meant that his childhood was more closely tied to the muddy alluvial plains.
In the scorching midday sun, Long Em still hunched over on the mudflats, his whole body covered in mud. On lucky days when he catches a lot of fish, he can sell them and earn about 40,000-50,000 dong, helping his mother buy rice for the family's meals. When asked about his future dreams, Long Em innocently replied: "When I grow up, I want to go to sea to earn money to support my parents. I know the fishing profession is hard and dangerous, but only by going to sea can I earn money." The naive answer of a 10-year-old child touches the hearts of those who hear it. At an age when he should only know about childish games, he already carries within him the worries of making ends meet and the longing to help his parents.
Mr. Nguyen Hung Nghi, Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of Tan Thanh commune, said that currently there are 117 children in the commune who have dropped out of school to earn a living. The majority come from disadvantaged families, with parents working in the precarious fishing industry, forcing them to leave school early. “Many children do all kinds of jobs such as selling lottery tickets, searching for clams and oysters, mending fishing nets, assisting on fishing boats, or collecting seafood along the coast. Behind these numbers are many heartbreaking stories,” Mr. Nghi shared.
As evening falls, the boats return with holds full of fish and shrimp. Along the docks, children busily carry, sort, and classify seafood under the hazy yellow lights in the sea breeze. These coastal children grow up with the salty taste of the ocean, more accustomed to the hardships of making a living than to the sound of school bells. What they need most is not just a full meal, but also the opportunity to continue their education, so that their childhood dreams are not left unfulfilled amidst the vast ocean.
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/tuoi-tho-man-vi-bien-a486514.html
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