Teacher Đinh Lệ Thu (first from left) visits local families to persuade parents to send their children to school. VNA/VNS Photo Minh Đức

HÀ NỘI — In the quiet mountains of Quảng Ninh Province, teacher Đinh Lệ Thu has spent 17 years nurturing young minds at Bảy Cửa School in Đường Hoa Commune, turning hardship into a lifelong mission of love and learning.

Born and raised in the commune, Thu returned after graduating from teachers’ college to work at Đường Hoa Primary School, the very place where she once sat as a student. The school, tucked deep in the highlands with poor roads and modest facilities, has never dampened her spirit. To her, teaching in her hometown is both an honour and a joy.

Over the years, Thu has encountered countless pupils facing adversity. Among them was Chíu Thị Thu Duyên, a girl who lost her father early and lived with her frail grandmother while her mother worked far from home. Withdrawn and often absent from class, Duyên found in Thu not only a teacher but also a guardian. Every morning, Thu would walk to Duyên’s house, take her hand and lead her to school. They often shared simple meals in the classroom.

Now in fourth grade, Duyên is diligent, confident and excelling in her studies. Watching her transformation, Thu feels every struggle has been worthwhile.

“Each student has left a mark on my teaching journey,” she said. “Some memories are joyful, others full of tears.”

Thu recalls one of her former pupils, Chíu Gì Linh, a Dao ethnic student she taught in fifth grade.

“Her family had three children. Their father worked far away and their mother left home after giving birth to the youngest. The children had to care for each other in poverty,” she said.

“I felt heartbroken. Sometimes, I went with other students to clean their house, cook for them, bring food and report the case to the school and local authorities for support.”

Years later, Linh is married but still calls Thu mother. 

“She tells me that during those lonely years, I was her second mother,” Thu said.

People often say teachers are seed sowers, but for Thu, the seeds she plants are not just words and lessons. They are seeds of kindness and compassion that help her students grow through love.

Teaching in the mountains demands endless patience. Many of her first graders arrive unable to speak Vietnamese, responding only with silence. Thu teaches them word by word through songs and games until they find their voices.

“Just hearing a student speak one Vietnamese sentence makes me forget all fatigue,” she said.

Her dedication has earned her several commendations, including Certificates of Merit from the Quảng Ninh Provincial People’s Committee and recognition from the Prime Minister. Yet, for Thu, the brightest reward is the joy on her students’ faces each morning.

“The most important thing is to keep faith and love for the profession,” she said. “To be a good teacher, a teacher must have a good heart and live in a way that inspires their students.”

Keeping fire

Teacher Nguyễn Thị Thu Hà at Bản Lang Kindergarten in Lai Châu Province. VNA/VNS Photo Hạnh Quyên

When Nguyễn Thị Thu Hà received her teaching assignment in the northern mountainous province of Lai Châu, her first daughter was just over a year old. 

Due to her circumstances, she had to leave her baby with her grandparents and travel alone to her new post.

“Every evening I cried from missing my baby,” Hà said. “Sometimes I could hear her crying over the phone, and my heart broke. But each morning, I wiped away my tears and went to class with my students.”

Bản Lang Kindergarten, where she works, is located in a border area of extreme hardship.

Facing rough and winding roads and the freezing cold of winter, she not only teaches others but also learns to adapt to mountain life.

“Some days, I had to walk nearly two hours to reach the distant school. There were times I slipped and fell, breaking the mudguard of my motorbike, tearing my raincoat, bruising my body. I wanted to give up," she said.

“But when I saw my students waiting for me in the schoolyard and their parents smiling to greet me, all the fatigue disappeared. It is their love and warmth that keep me here,” she said.

When her daughter turned three, Hà brought the child to live with her just as she became pregnant with her second child.

Rain or shine, she carried her daughter on her back to class.

Her husband was also stationed in Lai Châu, but 50km away, so she had to manage everything on her own.

In her second year, she was assigned to another school located in the most remote and difficult area of the commune. 

The muddy, steep paths forced her to walk long stretches. Those years, though hard, built her resilience and strengthened her passion for teaching.

“The parents here are very warm-hearted. They always care about us and lend a helping hand. Encouragement from school leaders and colleagues gave me more motivation to stay and contribute,” she said.

Despite the lack of teaching materials, Hà always finds ways to make learning joyful and creative.

In a place where teaching aids are a luxury, she and her colleagues use whatever is available - from bamboo, corn husks, plastic bottles and cardboard - to craft toys and tools for class.

“In these border villages, resources are scarce and most parents are ethnic minorities. So we make our own materials. It’s economical, connects children to nature and fosters creativity,” she said.

For Hà, the greatest joy in teaching lies not in certificates or awards but in the pure smiles of highland children.

Among millions of teachers silently sowing knowledge in remote regions, not all are known, especially preschool teachers who quietly nurture countless young dreams.

In 2025, teachers Đinh Lệ Thu and Nguyễn Thị Thu Hà are among 80 educators honoured in the Sharing with Teachers programme, jointly organised by the Vietnam Youth Federation, the Ministry of Education and Training and the Thiên Long Group. VNS