The “Adopted Children of Điện Biên Police” initiative has evolved into a warm communal roof where children from differing homelands converge, share, learn, and grow within an embrace of affection. From these unassuming foundations, tender aspirations are cherished and given wings, while the enduring solidarity, close bonds, and exceptional friendship between Việt Nam and Laos are cultivated from today’s young sprouts.

Part I: Sharing a shelter, connecting affection

Some arrived at the shelter carrying childhoods marked by severe privation; others departed their native soil bearing profound longing for their families and beloved homeland of Laos. Yet beneath this shared roof, disparities in circumstance and origin are steadily bridged by the warm, protective embrace of their second fathers. The “Adopted Children of Điện Biên Police” model not only opens a sanctuary where disadvantaged Vietnamese youngsters receive care, schooling, and personal growth, but also sows seeds of affection, helping consolidate the unique solidarity and friendship linking the public security forces of Việt Nam and Laos.

A special milestone

Initial steps were hesitant upon first stepping into the new home, and youthful eyes reflected a mixture of excitement and bewilderment. Yet within the embrace of police fathers at the Nhân Ái - Hữu Nghị Shelter, distances dissolved. A communal meal, a gentle inquiry - these unpretentious gestures coalesce into domestic warmth, allowing children of differing origins to study, share, and mature side by side.

August 21, 2025, became an extraordinary milestone for 40 Vietnamese and Lao children as they gathered under one roof, where love, shelter, and aspirations are nurtured daily. Among them, 12 are international students hailing from the northern Lao provinces, while 28 face exceptional hardships across Mường Nhé and former Nậm Pồ districts. Continuing this journey, the provincial Police Department received an additional 10 children, raising the total to 50 youngsters being nurtured, educated, and accompanied along their path toward the future.

A Nụ Sin Hương Mi Xay, from Sẻn Li village, Phoukhoune district, Luang Prabang province (Laos), shared that traveling to Việt Nam to study represents a pivotal milestone in his life. Arriving at the shelter on the first day, he felt both delighted and unfamiliar, but the warm reception and sincere affection of the police officers made him feel welcomed and close. He recognized that he had gained another loving family and a place giving wings to his ambitions.

To ensure children enjoy stable accommodations, complete living conditions, and a safe, healthy educational environment, the Điện Biên provincial Police Department established a rigorous, scientific management mechanism, forming a Steering Committee and a Management Board with specific responsibilities assigned to each unit and individual. Concurrently, the provincial Police coordinate closely with families, schools, local authorities, and the Public Security departments of northern Lao provinces across every stage, from screening and intake to oversight, care, and education.

Simultaneously, dormitories, classrooms, computer labs, medical rooms, dining halls, kitchen facilities, recreational grounds, and living amenities received synchronized investment, guaranteeing conditions for academic study, rest, recreation, and healthcare. Every space is arranged rationally to deliver a safe, clean, and convenient environment, reassuring children as they study, train, and adapt to their new routine.

Senior Colonel Đỗ Ngọc Minh, Deputy Director of the Điện Biên provincial Police Department, stated that receiving and raising the children is not merely an official duty, but embodies the affection and dedication of the Điện Biên Police toward the younger generation. The force hopes each child gains a stable home and a dependable anchor to study with peace of mind and mature into knowledgeable, resilient individuals who will contribute to building their homelands.

This new home, backed by the dedicated care and guidance of adoptive police fathers, provides an anchor for Vietnamese and Lao children to learn securely, nurture their ambitions, and step steadily toward a brighter tomorrow.

Cherishing every meal and resting hour

Hailing from remote frontier communes such as Sín Thầu, Mường Nhé, and Nà Hỳ, children entering the Nhân Ái - Hữu Nghị Shelter as adopted wards brought their own unique life stories.

Standing small amid the group, young Vàng A Dơ (born in 2014) had a slender frame and shy, hesitant eyes. Dơ belongs to the Hmông ethnic group, originating from Húi To 2 village, Mường Nhé commune. Orphaned of his mother at infancy and subsequently losing his father, he is the youngest of six siblings who leaned upon his elder brother for survival. Deprived of parental warmth from early childhood, Dơ virtually grew up wild amid mountain forests, his youth spent enduring sun and wind across steep hillsides, tending buffalo and weeding fields from an early age.

During his initial days at the shelter, the young boy sat alone in corners with tear-filled eyes, retreating into timidity and deep sorrow. Through patient comforting and gentle encouragement from police fathers, he gradually opened up, bonded with peers, and reclaimed his childhood smile. “Coming to the shelter, the officers look after my every meal and bedtime. I receive full meals, attend school, and play with friends. I feel very happy and consider this place my own family,” Dơ expressed.

For Sèng A Phon Sạ Tít Xay (born in 2015), from Hôm Súc village, May district, Phongsaly province, leaving his parents’ arms during those initial days meant frequent tears from homesickness. “At those times, the police officers acted just like fathers, gently soothing, encouraging, and caring for me so my homesickness eased and I adapted step by step to our communal life,” Sèng A Phon Sạ Tít Xay shared.

First Lieutenant Lường Văn Phóng, directly responsible for managing and caring for the children, noted that arriving in a foreign land far from home, young children inevitably feel disoriented and miss their parents. The officers dedicate substantial time to conversing, comforting, and looking after them. Seeing the children adjust to routines, smile, and play together brings profound emotion. The overarching desire is for them to feel unconditional affection and warmth, embracing the shelter as a genuine second home.

To ensure children mature within comprehensive care from meals to sleep, healthcare and physical development receive rigorous attention. Every morning at dawn, two kitchen staff members light the hearth, selecting fresh provisions and preparing balanced meals suited to growing bodies. With a daily meal stipend of VND 85,000 per child divided across three meals, nutritional portions are calculated carefully to support critical developmental stages. Menus are rotated flexibly day by day and meal by meal, ensuring food is both nourishing and flavorful, transforming dining into comforting interludes that reinforce a sense of familial warmth.

This affectionate home is steadily becoming a place where children leave behind initial hesitations, soothe homesickness, and discover childhood joy. There, extraordinary adoptive fathers quietly attend to each meal and rest hour, sharing and walking alongside them daily. That unspoken love is nurturing and elevating the young sprouts at the Nhân Ái - Hữu Nghị Shelter, giving them a sturdy foundation on their path to adulthood.