first day of school without school drum sounds for young patients in Ho Chi Minh City

The pediatric ward hallway at Nhan Dan Gia Dinh Hospital transformed into a mini cinema and art class, bringing the spirit of the first day of school to young patients undergoing treatment who could not return to school.

Instead of eagerly preparing books for the first day of school, Kien, 11, has been hospitalized for two days, monitored for dengue fever. On the afternoon of 4/9, the boy sat at a table with other children, holding crayons to draw, receiving new school supplies, and chatting during the "Steadfast Steps - Accompanying Patients and Caregivers" program, themed "Healthy Children, Happy Family", organized by Nhan Dan Gia Dinh Hospital.

A cinema set up in the hospital corridor for the first day of school. *Photo: Minh Toan*

"I am very happy because today I got to draw and receive new school supplies," Kien said. The boy mentioned that he could not attend school due to his treatment, but the class held right at the hospital made him "feel as happy at the hospital as on a school day".

Replacing the usual hurried footsteps and sounds of patient calls, the Social Work Department staff arranged the corridor into a communal activity space. More than 10 young children and their parents gathered to watch homeland music videos, enjoy popcorn, and drinks. Medical staff gave each child a new set of school supplies, including notebooks and pens, and even offered haircuts for both patients and their relatives right in the ward.

The drawing space, named "Colors of Love", is part of a series of psychological support activities maintained by the department for nearly two years.

"Instead of grading or practicing drawing, the class provides a playground to help children relieve stress during their inpatient treatment regimen – a time when they must stay for monitoring and continuous medication in their hospital rooms instead of returning home," a hospital representative stated.

On the first day of school, while many schoolyards buzzed with children's voices, in the pediatric ward, special "students" also had their own back-to-school event in the hospital corridor. *Photo: Minh Toan*

Master Hoang Thi Bich Hanh, Deputy Head of the Social Work Department, noted that patient care requires medical staff to provide emotional support in addition to medical interventions, especially for young patients with long hospital stays. The mobile classroom and cinema model also shares the psychological burden with relatives who are constantly at the bedside for weeks.