On the morning of 3/8, 15-year-old Lanh, adopted son of the Cha Lo International Border Gate Patrol Station, was driven to school by border patrol officers to prepare for the opening ceremony. After over three hours and nearly 180 km through the forest, he arrived at the Provincial Ethnic Minority Boarding School in Dong Thuan ward.

Lanh's luggage consisted of a backpack with two new sets of clothes, blankets, and a few necessities, all prepared by the border patrol.

Ho Lanh prepares his clothes and books for school. Photo: Dac Thanh

Lanh is a member of the Bru - Van Kieu ethnic group from Ka Dinh village, Dan Hoa commune. His childhood was spent in the Truong Son mountain range, near the Lao border. His parents divorced when he was in first grade, and Lanh went to live with his maternal grandmother. In 4th grade, his mother remarried and went to Laos to work. Lanh's life was impoverished and lacked care.

In 8/2019, he was taken in by the Cha Lo International Border Gate Patrol Station. At the station, he exercised with the officers, took care of his personal hygiene, and attended school.

"Here, I have food, clothes, and a proper education. When it rains, the officers take me to and from school. I have it better than many of my peers," Lanh shared.

In secondary school, Lanh was transferred to the Y Leng task force, located over 500 m from the Dan Hoa Semi-Boarding Primary and Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities. The border patrol bought him a bicycle so he could get to school. Through his efforts, he passed the entrance exam to the Provincial Ethnic Minority Boarding School.

Ho Lanh is guided by border patrol officers in neatly folding his blankets. Photo: Dac Thanh

This new school year, Lanh will no longer live with the officers and will have to be more independent. He also dreams of entering the Border Guard Academy in three years.

"At the boarding school, I receive support for food, accommodation, and tuition, but the border patrol station still provides 500,000 VND per month," he said.

Also at the Cha Lo International Border Gate Patrol Station is 15-year-old Ho Cu Ba, of the Chut ethnic group, from Ta Leng village, Dan Hoa commune. He is now in 9th grade at the Dan Hoa Semi-Boarding Primary and Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities.

Ba explained that his mother experienced difficulties during his birth and was taken to the Viet Nam - Cuba Dong Hoi Friendship Hospital. Thanks to the dedicated doctors, he was born safely. "Grateful to those who helped, my parents named me Cu Ba," he recounted.

But misfortune soon struck. When Ba was in first grade, his father died in a traffic accident. By third grade, his mother had remarried. He lived in difficult circumstances, lacking the love of his parents.

Like Lanh, in 8/2019, he was taken in by the officers of the Cha Lo International Border Gate Patrol Station and cared for like their own child.

Ho Cu Ba at the Y Leng task force. Photo: Dac Thanh

From meals and sleep to new books, clothes, and shoes, the officers provided everything so he could confidently attend school. "I was so excited the day the officers brought me to the station. I live at the station, and on weekends, the officers take me to visit my mother," Ba said.

In his neat uniform, Ba said he will study hard to pursue his dream of going to university and majoring in business administration.

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Xuan Thanh, head of the Cha Lo International Border Gate Patrol Station, said they have purchased clothes, books, shoes, repaired bicycles, and equipped Lanh and Ba with basic skills to begin their new journey.

The Quang Tri Provincial Border Guard Command stated that there are currently 190 children adopted by border patrol stations across the province, with 44 living at the stations. The remaining 146 receive 500,000 VND per month until they finish 12th grade.

Dac Thanh