Heartwarming Tet gifts for teachers in Nghe An

Motivation to strive

After a 13-year wait, this year teacher Pham Thi Thu Huong - a teacher at Nhon Mai Ethnic Boarding Junior High School, Nhon Mai commune - received the good news that her student Kha Ngoc Ha (class 9A) won the Encouragement Award in Literature at the competition.Provincial Excellent Student ExaminationThis student is also the only one from the school to win an award in this year's competition.

Ms. Huong shared that, having continuously coached the team for eight years, there were many seasons when both she and her students felt regret because the students were only 0.1 to 0.2 points away from winning an award. Therefore, although this year's results are still quite modest compared to many other schools, for her and her students at this border school, the achievement is very precious.

In addition to this achievement, during the 2025 10th grade entrance exam season, teacher Pham Thi Thu Huong played a crucial role in raising the school's overall Literature score to 6.65 points, a significant improvement compared to previous years and ranking third in the entire Tuong Duong district (formerly), only behind the District Boarding School and the Town Secondary School.

With two outstanding achievements, during the Lunar New Year of 2026, teacher Pham Thi Thu Huong was the only teacher at Nhon Mai Ethnic Boarding Junior High School to receive an extraordinary reward under Decree 73, totaling 15.5 million VND.

The female teacher also said that after more than 20 years away from home, working in a remote border commune with her children, she and her colleagues had never thought about Tet gifts and were not upset if teachers were at a disadvantage compared to other jobs. Therefore, the feeling of receiving early Tet gifts from the State for teachers this year brought a very special emotion.

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Even without Tet gifts, we still give our best. But if we receive praise, it gives us more motivation to try harder.

Ms. Pham Thi Thu Huong - teacher at Nhon Mai Ethnic Boarding Junior High School

Even more remarkably, this Tet holiday, teacher Bui Van Phuong (Huu Khuong Ethnic Boarding Junior High School, Huu Khuong commune) - Ms. Huong's husband - also received a reward of 13 million VND according to Decree 73 for his outstanding teaching achievements.

Their love for their students, their passion and enthusiasm for their profession, helped them overcome hardships and forget the difficulties of being far from home and their children while working in remote, mountainous areas.

Throughout the province, this is also the second year that teachers in Nghe An have received bonuses according to Government Decree 73, with various bonus levels depending on the level of task completion. In the context of many years without Tet bonuses for teachers, Decree 73 is especially significant as it promptly recognizes the efforts and contributions of the teaching staff with specific and practical rewards.

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“This year, our school is giving each teacher a Tet gift of 1 million VND. In addition, all teachers will also receive bonuses according to Decree 73, with three bonus levels ranging from over 10 to 12 million VND.”

This early Tet gift not only contributes to improving living conditions but also motivates teachers to stay committed to their schools and villages, enhancing the quality of education in remote border areas.”

Teacher Nguyen Ngoc Tan - Principal of Nhon Mai Ethnic Boarding Junior High School

Together and share

"Spring of Love - Tet of Reunion" was the theme of the New Year's celebration program organized by Do Luong High School. In addition to making banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes), a campfire night, and group games, the school provided over 200 gift packages to students and teachers in difficult circumstances.

According to Mr. Tran Trung, the school principal, all the gifts were collected by the school from benefactors, former students, and partly from contributions by teachers.

At Nghi Loc 5 High School, Principal Nguyen Anh Duong stated that from 2025 onwards, public educational institutions will no longer have trade unions, making it more difficult to care for the well-being of teachers. In response to this, the school has established a Welfare Committee chaired by the Principal. The operating fund is raised from legal sources and contributions from staff and teachers.

Although the funds are not large, the Welfare Committee's activities help to care for the lives of teachers and staff, demonstrating the spirit of solidarity, sharing, and mutual support within the school community: "This year, we have allocated many gifts for teachers, students, and children of staff and employees in difficult circumstances. The support is not large, but it is a timely sharing, showing the solidarity of the school community," Mr. Duong emphasized.

In the days leading up to the 2026 Lunar New Year, many delegations from the Department visited schools in the mountainous communes of Nghe An province to extend New Year greetings and present gifts to teachers and students in difficult circumstances.

The family of teacher Vi Thi Ngan Nga (born in 1994, Lang Khe Primary School) recently experienced a heartbreaking tragedy when her eldest child, a third-grade student, died in an accident. Her home is in Tam Quang commune, a distance of over 40 km each day for commuting, but she has persevered through this grief, balancing caring for her young child with her work at home and school. “After graduating from teacher training college, I worked under contract for three years before being officially employed. Currently, my salary, including professional allowances, is about 9 million VND per month. My husband is far away, so my child and I try to be frugal to cover our living expenses,” she confided.

Ms. Nga also shared that this year, she performed her duties well and received a bonus of nearly 9 million VND according to Decree 73. The school also saved from its regular budget to give gifts to teachers. In the last days of the old year, preparing to welcome the Lunar New Year of the Horse, she was also one of four teachers at the school to receive Tet gifts from the Department of Education and Training. "The Tet gift is a great encouragement for teachers in the highlands; I feel very warm," Ms. Ngan Nga added.

Mr. Nguyen Thai Ha, Principal of Lang Khe Primary School, also expressed his gratitude for the attention from all levels and sectors, considering it a great source of encouragement for the teaching staff to work with peace of mind, helping teachers forget the hardships and difficulties and giving them the motivation to complete their tasks well.

Visiting schools directly to extend New Year greetings also conveys feelings of affection and sharing to schools, teachers, and students in mountainous and highland areas. Although teaching and learning conditions are still difficult, above all is the sense of responsibility and dedication of the teachers to the cause of educating future generations.

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"I hope that this small gift will further motivate teachers and students in the mountainous region to enter the new year with renewed faith and determination, and to successfully fulfill their duties," the head of the Education sector expressed.

Mr. Nguyen Van Khoa - Director of the Department of Education and Training