The pain of the families of three drowned students in Nghe An

Present at hamlet 3, Thanh Tuong commune, Thanh Chuong district, when the whole hamlet was waiting every hour, every minute, hoping that the rescue team would soon find the bodies of the students who drowned on the afternoon of June 23, an atmosphere of grief enveloped the small hamlet.

Most people put aside their daily work to focus on the unprecedented tragic drowning incident in this rural area, a drowning incident that took the lives of three students at the same time, including two who were preparing to take the National High School Exam.

Hoang's body was brought back on the Lam River dike.

At the house of Nguyen The Hoang (12 years old), Mr. Nguyen The Long - Hoang's father lay curled up on the bed, writhing in pain from the loss of his son. Mrs. Nguyen Thi Lieu - Hoang's mother lay crying in the middle of the house, screaming until her throat was hoarse: "Hoang, where are you? Come back to me, my son. I just want you, oh my god."

The brothers and neighbors present at Hoang's house at that time could not hold back their tears of regret for a good and studious son. Hoang was the youngest in a farming family of 5 brothers and sisters. His father was a construction worker. His mother worked as a rice cake maker. The family had 2 sons but Hoang's older brother was disabled since childhood.

Hoang's mother in pain of losing her son.

Hoang is smart, studious, and a student at Dong Tuong Secondary School. On the afternoon of June 23, Mr. Long went swimming in the river and invited his son to go with him, but Hoang did not go. However, he later listened to the advice of his brothers in the neighborhood and went swimming in the river, and then got into an accident.

According to Hoang's relatives, he did not know how to swim and apparently had never bathed in a river. Hoang was the youngest victim and also the last victim to be rescued of the three students who drowned in the Lam River. His body drifted all the way to Ro Bridge, nearly 9 km from the scene, and surfaced on the sandbank. It was not until late afternoon on June 24 that his body was found and the second funeral in the past two days of the people of Hamlet 3 took place that night.

The tragic situation of Tien's family

Not far from Hoang's house is the house of Nguyen Gia Tien (18 years old), a 12th grade student at Nguyen Canh Chan High School. In the 2-room house, next to the altar with incense smoke, are the heartbreaking cries of Mr. Nguyen Gia Sy and Mrs. Lieu Thi Minh.

Tien is the eldest child in a poor farming family, with two brothers. Before the National High School Exam, Tien hoped that after finishing the exam, if he graduated, he would work or learn a trade to earn money to help his family.

Mr. Sy said in tears: “For the past few weeks, he has been at home studying for the exam. Yesterday afternoon, after being invited by his friends in the neighborhood, he agreed to go swimming in the river. Tien rarely goes to the river and doesn’t know how to swim. When I got home from work, I heard people say he drowned. It was so heartbreaking…”

Luu Van Hau (18 years old) - Tien's cousin said: Yesterday, a few of us went swimming in the river. We saw Tien's group swimming offshore, where there was a deep creek. Everyone called and reminded us, but no one heard. Tien was the first victim to be rescued on the night of June 23. Tien's funeral took place on the morning of June 24 amid the tears of relatives and friends.

Like Tien, Nguyen Quang Thong (18 years old), a 12th grade student at Thanh Chuong 1 High School, passed away when the exam season was approaching, leaving behind painful and sorrowful exam notices. On the afternoon of June 23, after taking a nap in the same bed with his son, Mr. Nguyen Quang Suu - Thong's father got up to go to work, while Thong studied until late afternoon and then went swimming with his friends. Thong usually played soccer in the neighborhood yard, rarely going to the river. While he was cleaning the pig pen, he heard the villagers calling "Thong is drowning".

Holding his son's portrait, Mr. Suu cried bitterly: "Tomorrow, my son and I planned to go to the exam together, but he's gone. I miss you so much, my son..." Mrs. Hoang Thi Hai - Thong's mother could no longer cry, she sat silently at her son's desk, swallowing her tears.

Thong's mother cried her eyes out at her son's desk.

Thong is a studious person, and often comes home late from studying for exams. These past few days, he has been studying in groups, and sometimes when he comes home late, Mr. Suu still lies in a hammock waiting for his son. During this exam, he registered his wish to enter the Naval Academy, hoping to become a Navy soldier to help protect his homeland's seas and islands. But unfortunately, his dream did not come true.

Speaking about his student, teacher Nguyen Tien Thang - homeroom teacher of class 12C shared: "Thong was a diligent student, studying well in all subjects. His passing has left teachers, friends, school, and class with a huge mental shock and heartbreaking grief before the National High School Exam. I would like to share this pain with his family." Thong was the victim found on the morning of June 24, his body floating next to Nhot beach, nearly 1 km from the scene.

The exam notices were filled with sadness.

Thanks to the active coordination and search of the local police, military, and militia forces, after nearly a day of hard work, the bodies of the three drowned students were found and brought home. The peaceful small hamlet of Dinh Chu village held three funerals to send the unfortunate children of the village to their final resting place. They passed away at a very young age.

Mr. Le Van Dung - Head of Hamlet 3, Thanh Tuong Commune affirmed. “This is the most tragic drowning incident. The recent days of intense heat were also days of grief and sorrow for our entire hamlet. The children are no longer here, but the pain of summer drowning still lingers in this homeland.