Their families live in Sub-district 181, a village 15 kilometers away.

To stay in school, Nu and her four younger siblings must leave home, rent a room near the commune center and look after each other.

Their room is about 10 square meters in size and costs VND400,000-600,000 (US$15.21-22.82) a month. There is no furnishing inside, only schoolbags and plastic sacks of clothes hanging on nails. In the middle of the room is a rusted mini gas stove where Nu cooks simple dinners, usually wild vegetables and fried eggs.

"This season the wind has been cutting through cracks in the walls, and we have to huddle together at night to keep warm," Nu says as she divides rice into bowls.

Her youngest sister, aged five, struggles to hold a spoon steady, and grains scatter on the floor.

Boarding house for Hmong children in Lieng Hung village in Lam Dong Province’s Dam Rong 2 Commune, Dec. 30, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Nga Thanh

Children like Nu must leave their village as early as kindergarten age to attend school.

She first shared a place with older girls at the age of five. When she reached secondary school, her mother rented a separate room and entrusted her with her four younger siblings.

Her work begins when school ends. She cooks, does laundry and supervises homework.

By 7 p.m. the boarding area switches off its lights to save electricity. The landlord lives elsewhere, leaving the children to manage on their own in the isolated valley.

Sub-district 181, where Nu's family lives, has more than 160 families with 800 members, all Hmong.

According to Thao Van Phu, head of the sub-district, the place is 15 km by forest road from the commune and has no electricity, phone signal or school.

Thus, more than 200 preschool and primary students are forced to rent rooms near the commune to study, he says.

"Many parents are worried about the safety of their children being alone, and some families have their children drop out of school because they cannot afford to rent a place."

Ma Thi Chu, 31, Nu’s mother, says, in the beginning, she and her husband would lay awake all night worrying.

To ensure their children get education, she and other parents regularly provide them with food, mainly eggs and vegetables that can be stored for a long time.

"Some families even teach their children how to grow their own vegetables and raise chickens right in the boarding area so that they don't go hungry," Chu says.

The family earns around VND60-70 million a year from farming.

"We hope our children can escape the poverty that has plagued our generation," Chu says.

On weekends she and her husband take turns traveling the forest road to bring their children home.

During the rainy season mud and landslides sometimes prevent a reunion for months.

"Sometimes they miss us so much they try to walk home through the forest," Chu says.

Giang Xia Mua (in white) and his wife visit their four children at a rented room in Lieng Hung village, Dam Rong 2 Commune, Lam Dong Province, Dec. 30, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Nga Thanh

Sharing the same concerns is Giang Xia Mua, 43, who has four children living in rented accommodation.

His youngest, four years old, depends on older siblings for daily care.

"Being away from their parents, the little ones have to mature early," he says. "They cook for themselves and look after each other."

His greatest wish is for a school in the village so that his family can be reunited and the financial burden is reduced.

According to its principal, Hai Yen, Lieng Sronh Primary School, Dam Rong 2 Commune, has nearly 1,000 students in several campuses located far apart, 134 from Sub-district 181, who have to rent accommodation to attend classes.

The school lacks the funding and facilities to build boarding houses, but keeps a list to monitor students living by themselves, and teachers regularly visit and check on them, she says.

"Sometimes, when there is good food at school, teachers set aside some to take to the children. They are too young to be living away from their families."

Truong Van Sang, chairman of the Dam Rong 2 Commune People’s Committee, says the rugged terrain and a scattered population remain major obstacles to infrastructure development.

While areas such as Tay Son and Sub-district 179 already have schools, Sub-district 181 still lacks basic infrastructure due to its particularly difficult conditions, he says.

But commune authorities have prioritized investment in roads and schools for the area in 2026-30, he adds.

Vang Thi Ha, 11, tends a small vegetable patch she has outside her rented room in Lieng Hung village, Dam Rong 2 Commune, Lam Dong Province. Photo by VnExpress/Nga Thanh

Late in the afternoon Vang Thi Ha, 11, takes time to tend a small vegetable garden in front of her rented room, do laundry and prepare meals for her three younger siblings.

Away from home, without phone signals to call her parents, she looks forward to weekends.

"I miss my parents when I’m away," the little girl says.

"But I like going to school and seeing my friends and teachers. I just wish there was a school in our village so that my parents wouldn’t have to worry about rent."

Hmong children in the boarding area of Lieng Hung village, Dam Rong 2 Commune, Lam Dong Province, play in the yard in front of their house. Video by VnExpress/Nga Thanh

To improve teaching and learning conditions for teachers and students in Dam Rong 2 commune, Lam Dong province, Hope Foundation continues to accept donations for the Schools of Sunshine program. Another contribution from the community means another ray of light sent to future generations of the country. Click here for further information on the program.