Hy Vong (Hope School) in central Da Nang City received students arriving from 41 cities and provinces across the country in August 2022.
Completely funded by FPT Group, the charity school spreads over 181 hectares in the FPT City Da Nang urban area of Ngu Hanh Son District and is open to children of poor families that have lost both parents or one to Covid-19. It teaches from first to 12th grades.
A girl named Khanh Linh reads the school's rules before starting her new school year.
Every day, all students must get up at 5 a.m. for morning exercise before having breakfast at 6:30 and attending classes half an hour later. After finishing school in the afternoon, they will take part in several extracurricular activities. They must all go to bed at 9:30 p.m.
Every student must fold up their blankets after getting up.
As targeted by the school, elementary students must clean up their private space, secondary students take responsibilities for themselves while high-school students identify their career paths.
Seventh graders Nguyen Thanh Tung and Nguyen Tien Nhat play together after school. They used to attend the same school in Binh Duong Province that borders Ho Chi Minh City and both lost their mothers to Covid-19 last year.
They accidentally ran into each other at Hope School and are now best friends.
Students water the school's vegetable garden near the boarding house. The vegetables are used in their daily meals.
Volunteers from a barbershop in Da Nang give Hope School students a haircut. The school welcomes any charity work from outside to support its students.
Students have dinner at the school. Each student must clean up their trays after finishing their meals.
A bigger boy helps Le Van Quang (R), 6, clean up his tray.
Every night, students are allowed to use their smart phone for 30-45 minutes to talk to their families. For those that have yet to get a smartphone, their families can call them via their teachers.
Students practice a music performance to start the 2022-2023 academic year.
According to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused more than 4,400 children to lose parents. Of them, 193 have lost both.
Truong Gia Binh, chairman of FPT Group, decided last September to build a boarding school for such children. Funded by FPT and partners, the school covers the cost to raise all children until they finish high school.
Every year, the students can return to their families three times, with the school funding all costs. Their families can also visit them at the school.
