Lam Dong province of Vietnam and Mondulkiri province of Cambodia share a common border. Due to economic hardship, many Cambodian students living in border areas near Lam Dong face the risk of dropping out of school.
Cross-border compassion
In a modest wooden house on a hillside in Dak Dam commune, Ou Reang district, Mondulkiri province, Khovin Psophoan, an eighth grader at Dak Dam Secondary School, expressed great joy when officers and soldiers from the Lam Dong Provincial Border Guard force visited and presented gifts. He is one of the 12 Cambodian students currently supported under the program.
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Lam Dong border guards present gifts to Cambodian students at the beginning of the school year. |
Khovin Psophoan’s landless family faces severe poverty. To support his parents and buy school supplies, Khovin balances classes with manual labor. During the COVID-19 pandemic, rising costs nearly forced his parents to withdraw him from school.
Fortunately, officers from the Lam Dong Provincial Border Guard provided monthly scholarships and essential aid, allowing Khovin to continue his education. In their modest home, Khovin and his mother expressed deep gratitude to the Vietnamese guards.
Speaking simple Vietnamese, Khovin shared: “My family was very poor, and I was often sick, so I almost had to stop studying. Thanks to the help from the Lam Dong Provincial Border Guard force, I can go back to school.”
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Lam Dong Border Guard officers visit and present gifts to the family of Khovin Psophoan. |
He promised to study hard to become a teacher and return to his village to help other poor children like him continue their education.
Cha Phonlen, Khovin Psophoan’s mother, emotionally shared that the timely support from the Lam Dong Provincial Border Guard force had rekindled hope for her entire family.
Spreading friendship
The Lam Dong Provincial Border Guard currently supports 12 Cambodian students from Dak Dam and Bou Sra communes, Mondulkiri province. These disadvantaged or orphaned students, grades 4 to 9, receive monthly scholarships of VND 500,000 until high school graduation, funded by voluntary contributions from officers and soldiers.
Bunthuon Chansi, a teacher at Dak Dam Secondary School, noted that support from Vietnamese border guards and local authorities has helped many students return to school and succeed. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the force maintained border meetings to deliver scholarships and encourage the students.
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Lam Dong Border Guard officers and Cambodian students |
Senior Colonel Tran Viet Hung, Political Commissar of the Lam Dong Provincial Border Guard Command, stated that the program’s success depends on close coordination with Cambodian authorities, schools, and families, alongside regular monitoring.
The initiative has yielded encouraging results: two Cambodian students have graduated high school, one now attending Hun Sen University, while others excel in primary and secondary education. Through compassion and responsibility, Vietnamese border guards are fostering academic opportunities for disadvantaged youth while strengthening the Vietnam-Cambodia friendship.
Translated by Chung Anh