Difficulties surround a family in the mountainous region of Nghe An province, where three members suffer from serious illnesses due to Agent Orange exposure.

A difficult situation.

Crossing the small bridge leading to Thanh Phong village, Que Phong commune, few would guess that within the humble house nestled amidst the mountains lies a long story of illness and poverty that has lasted for many years. In the family of Mr. Vi Van Hoi and Ms. Lu Thi Thuan, three members suffer from tumors – a lasting consequence of Agent Orange exposure passed down through generations.

Both Mr. Hoi and Ms. Thuan were affected by their father's exposure to Agent Orange, resulting in tumors appearing on their hands, foreheads, and backs. This condition continued in their children's generation. Their eldest son has a large birthmark on his face, while their second son, Vi Xuan Phong, lives with a large, growing tumor on his face, causing him both physical and emotional pain.

The small house where the family lives was built with government assistance nearly two years ago. The roof provides shelter from the rain and sun, but it cannot completely protect them from the worries of illness that surround them. In that house, the greatest burden still rests on the future of their grandson, Vi Xuan Phong – a child with a tumor on his face, facing a long and uncertain journey of treatment ahead.

Long medical trips

For Vi Xuan Phong, childhood wasn't filled with full school days or carefree games like other children his age, but rather with endless journeys from his mountain village to hospitals at both lower and higher levels in search of treatment. A tumor appeared early on his face, growing larger over the years, causing pain and becoming a haunting presence in his daily life.

Phong has undergone three surgeries. Each operation required the family to pool their resources, borrow money, and then face the added anxiety of hearing the doctor announce that the tumor could not be completely cured in a single procedure. After each surgery, the tumor would shrink, but it would grow again within a few years, forcing the family into a vicious cycle of endless medical treatments.

The prolonged hospital stays made eating and daily life very difficult for Phong. After each surgery, he was often in pain, tired, and unable to eat normally. The large tumor on his face also made Phong feel different from his friends at an early age, and those curious stares unintentionally became a silent source of trauma that followed him throughout his childhood.

According to doctors, the tumor on Phong's face will require many more surgeries, and he will have to accept living with the disease for a long time, possibly for the rest of his life. This means Phong's treatment journey is still very long, while his family's resources and capabilities are gradually running out.

The economy is depleted due to disease.

Currently, in the small house in Thanh Phong village, only Thuan and her two children remain, relying on each other. Her husband and eldest son, despite also suffering from illness, have had to leave their hometown to work far away, hoping to earn a little extra money for Phong's future medical treatments. At home, Thuan spends her days gathering bamboo shoots in the forest and selling them at the market, carefully saving every penny to pay for her son's medicine and maintain a minimal standard of living.

Every time the topic of taking her child for another surgery comes up, the poor mother can't hide her anxiety. Even though the surgery costs are subsidized, the expenses for travel, accommodation, and long-term medication are far beyond the means of a family whose resources have dwindled after years of battling illness.