My wish...

(Baonghean) - Our trips to coastal areas, plains, and mountainous regions have helped us better understand the positive changes in child protection and care; the special attention given by the Party, the State, local authorities, and previous generations to children and teenagers. However, it has also made us more concerned about the small dreams of these children that have yet to come true...

Wandering like a shepherd.

Returning to the coastal town of Cua Lo this summer, we met eight-year-old Hoang Van Bong from Block 3, Nghi Thuy Ward. During the summer, Bong doesn't get to pursue his passions like playing soccer, flying kites, or swimming in the sea. Instead, he spends his days helping his grandmother and mother with extra work to earn money for school supplies and new clothes. This is his third year peeling shrimp for a local seafood processing plant. Each day of hard work earns him around 30-40 thousand dong. When asked if he's tired, Bong smiles and says, "It's fun, not tiring at all. I'm happy because I'm helping my parents and grandparents to ease their burden."

Behind that joy lie worries, desires, and wishes, especially when Bong sees her peers traveling with their parents, playing in the blue sea waves. “I wish my parents would stay home with me more, I wish I could eat meals with them every day. This June 1st, I want my parents to take me to the park, ride the Ferris wheel and electric cars, and buy me toys.” That simple dream is hard to realize for Bong. During the tourist season, Hoang Van Bong's parents are busy with their fishing and tourism business. Their arduous struggle for survival lasts from morning until late at night, so Bong's daily meals are rarely complete with all family members; her parents have inadvertently forgotten their child's dreams.

Having fun with the round ball.

The childhood world of many children in Vinh City is confined to a cycle of studying and learning. They long for their parents to take them to parks and amusement areas, yearning for vibrant summer days, swimming, flying kites in their hometowns, and playing soccer with friends. Ten-year-old Nguyen Van Minh, from Vinh Tan ward, spends his days at home, outside of extra classes. Minh's "summer world" is surrounded by concrete blocks; he plays marbles there, he plays soccer there. The gift Minh wishes for on International Children's Day is: "I wish my parents would let me go back to my hometown to play, to herd buffalo in the fields, fish, hunt birds, play soccer, and fly kites with my friends in the afternoon. My parents promised that if I get good grades, they'll let me go back to my hometown and travel, but that hasn't happened yet." The promise remains unfulfilled because Minh's parents haven't been able to arrange the time; Nguyen Van Minh's summer days are filled with English tutoring classes and math and Vietnamese lessons. The concept of "summer vacation" is gradually becoming unfamiliar to urban children...

During summer vacation, children in mountainous areas still have to go to the fields to help their parents. In those rare moments at home, 9-year-old Hap Thi Minh from Xop Chao village and her friends seek out large, shady trees to play pretend, picking wildflowers to assemble into their favorite shapes. Minh wishes: “I’m tired of eating sticky rice with boiled vegetables; I just want to eat sticky rice with dipping sauce – a sauce with more fish and meat.” Her older sister, Hap Thi Hoa (13 years old), hopes that more people will come and give her more books and newspapers to read, so she can learn about the outside world and discover things only found in the lowlands.

Late in the afternoon, on our way to the riverbank between hamlets 3 and 4 in Nam Tan commune, Nam Dan district, we met Mr. Nguyen Thanh Cuong and Mr. Quoc Dan building swings for the children to play on. Mr. Cuong shared his story: “Life is still difficult, and the children lack playgrounds. We thought we should do something more to provide them with suitable recreational activities during the summer.”... The thoughts and actions of Mr. Cuong and Mr. Quoc Dan are truly commendable. Let's listen to what children say, share their simple dreams, and give them care and love so that they can develop comprehensively, both mentally and physically.

Thanh Son - Dinh Nguyet