Part 2: Special “adoptive fathers”

From daily meals and nocturnal slumbers to academic study and recreational play, each gesture of care has warmed the children’s youth, providing a reliable anchor for the green sprouts at the Nhân Ái - Hữu Nghị Shelter to grow up with confidence and fortitude, looking toward the horizon.

A special assignment

At 5:30 AM, while mist still drifts lightly across rooftops, rhythmic counting already resounds throughout the courtyard of the Nhân Ái - Hữu Nghị Shelter. In the lingering morning chill, small steps harmonize with the boots of police soldiers, arms and legs moving in steady cadence during morning exercises.

“I have grown used to life here. The officers are like second fathers, always close by to care for and guide us in the smallest things. They remind us of study hours and rest times, teach us self-care, and constantly encourage us whenever we feel homesick,” shared Vàng A Chung, from Nậm Chua 5 village, Nà Hỳ commune.

Lieutenant Colonel Vũ Văn Tuấn, Deputy Head of the Student Management Board, confided that most children here come from disadvantaged backgrounds, with many having suffered interruptions in their schooling, leading to initial feelings of self-doubt. The officers patiently guide each pen stroke, demonstrate arithmetic calculations, and coach correct Vietnamese pronunciation. Seeing notebooks grow neat, handwriting straighten, and the children gain confidence day by day represents their greatest reward.

Fulfilling this special assignment at the Nhân Ái - Hữu Nghị Shelter are 13 officers and soldiers from the Mobile Police Division under the Điện Biên provincial Police. Undertaking duties absent from tactical curricula, these servicemen have taken the initiative to learn, patiently observing each child’s mindset to dissolve language barriers, inferiority complexes, and initial awkwardness. Through genuine affection, these distinctive fathers have steadily become steadfast emotional anchors for the children under a shared roof.

Assigned to the shelter from its inception, First Lieutenant Nguyễn Duy Sơn, who directly manages and nurtures the children, vividly recalls those awkward initial days when he felt like an apprentice father. He smiled, admitting that at first he felt immensely clumsy. Being unmarried and having never cared for small children, he had to learn everything from preparing meals and overseeing bedtimes to comforting distressed pupils. When children wept from homesickness, he could only sit beside them, offering awkward inquiries and reassurance. Gradually, as the children adjusted, the officers also understood and loved them more deeply. When a child ran up calling his name and chattering happily, he felt an instinctive warmth and affection grow within him.

From seemingly minor daily details, the children adapted to structured routines, while young cadres and soldiers progressively grasped the essence of patience, tolerance, and adult responsibility when serving as pillars of support for children living far from home.

Fathers without wives raising a large family

In the early morning before urban streets awaken, visiting the Nhân Ái - Hữu Nghị Shelter reveals young men bustling about to prepare meal trays, iron clothes, and organize books for the children. Ahead of school hours, they offer gentle reminders and advice to each child. These unpretentious moments are deeply moving. Clad in police uniforms, young soldiers are quietly learning to be fathers, giving children love, protection, and responsibility with all their hearts.

“Seeing these children so young yet separated from family moves me deeply. As a soldier, beyond official duties, I want to do something so they feel the warmth of family. Seeing them joyful, healthy, and making daily progress makes our efforts truly worthwhile,” Private First Class Lò Thanh Tùng shared.

Never having married, they had never been called a father. Yet since receiving assignments at the Nhân Ái - Hữu Nghị Shelter, these young soldiers seem to have matured through assuming a singular role in life. Beside assigned duties, they have embraced an extended family composed of children from different homelands, far from their parents and in need of sheltering arms. In their police uniforms, they grow closer through daily inquiries, communal meals, study sessions, and casual conversations, quietly learning to be fathers through patience, tenderness, and dedication.

At the Nhân Ái - Hữu Nghị Shelter, six unmarried cadres and soldiers directly engage in caring for and raising the children. Being young themselves, the generational divide narrows, allowing officers to immerse themselves naturally in the innocent world of childhood. From recreational hours and simple stories to classroom study and daily routines, the soldiers serve simultaneously as fathers, older brothers, and close friends, always listening, sharing, and accompanying the young ones along their journey of growing up.

Private First Class Lường Văn Hoàn expressed that caring for the children means far more than joining a casual football match; it demands patient companionship through every meal, study hour, sleep routine, and daily chore. Guard duties and administrative management must be strictly maintained, and the shelter’s schedule preserved. Hence, the officers strike a balance, taking advantage of suitable intervals to play and converse with the children, then gently directing them back to their lessons, meals, and rest.

When night descends, the shelter settles into tranquility. Small dormitories close after a long day, with conversations and footsteps fading away. In the infirmary, young Second Lieutenant Lò Văn Toàn quietly maintains vigil beside Giàng Pê Tu, from Sam Lang village, Nà Hỳ commune, who is running a high fever. Under the late lamp light, traces of fatigue show on the young soldier’s face after an arduous day of duty, yet his gentle gaze never leaves the child drifting to sleep from exhaustion.

Second Lieutenant Lò Văn Toàn recalled sitting beside the child throughout the entire night with profound empathy. After applying compresses, monitoring temperature readings continuously, and encouraging the child to drink water, he realized that caring for these children daily makes affection blossom naturally. Whenever a child falls ill, the officers worry just as they would for family members.

“The officers here love us very much. Every morning they check in and guide us in everything. Whenever we feel homesick, they come over to comfort us. Having them beside us makes the shelter feel like our own family,” Giàng Pê Tu emotionally expressed.

Transcending the affection shared within the shelter, the devotion of these special adoptive fathers bridges all distances, serving as a conduit uniting Vietnamese and Lao hearts. Beneath one roof, disparities of language, customs, and geographical distances fade away, making room for fraternity and mutual sharing. From daily meals, words of encouragement, and protective embraces, seeds of Việt Nam - Laos friendship are sown, taking root quietly, flourishing through love, and enduring across generations.