Sitting in front of reporters at a reform school, Luu Bich Tram (character name has been changed) bowed her head, her hands clasped tightly together.
She spoke clearly, in a monotonous and somewhat calm tone. Tram told about dropping out of school, going to work early, about listening to friends' temptations and then falling. Everything was neatly arranged in the story, as if she was used to repeating her own story. But when mentioning her younger sister, that resilience burst out.
When talking to reporters, the character asked to address himself as "con".
I have a younger sister who is in 6th grade. She lives with my mother, so it's been a long time since I've seen her. There are nights when I'm in the room, I keep thinking if I didn't drop out of school in the past, didn't listen to my friends, maybe I could still go home now, still pick up my younger sister to go to school.
I don't want my younger sister to go down the same path as me later. I just hope she studies properly, lives a normal life, not like me, losing her own future...".
Tram bowed her head, tears fell down, tears broke out uncontrollably. That was a rare moment she revealed the weak soft tissue hidden very carefully behind the strong appearance of a girl born in 2010.
Tram's parents divorced early. In the early days, she lived with her mother, then moved in to live with her father. Once, they argued over a very small matter, Tram dropped out of school.
At that time, I thought very simply. I saw that no one at home understood me, friends invited me to go anywhere, invited me to do anything. I didn't think about the consequences. When I got into drugs and had to come here, I realized I was completely wrong.
Tram only entered the school in December 2025. The early days were a feeling of fear because of vague imaginations before: "I thought coming here would be very scary, I would be bullied. But after coming in, I saw that the teachers and friends were all interested and sharing. My father came to visit and even joked that'hasn't lost any weight yet', then encouraged me to try harder".
Sitting next to Tram was Le Ngoc Minh Tam (character name has been changed), 16 years old, from Dak Lak, speaking more slowly. Tam told a long story about his family in his story.
Since I was little, my parents divorced. I lived with my mother. After that, I went out with friends, and then I was invited to use stimulants. At first, I just thought I was playing for fun, but after using it a few times, I was discovered. Because I was not old enough, I was sent to a reformatory school to improve myself," Tam said.
Tam joined the school in August 2025. The early days were unfamiliar, but then she gradually got used to the routine. Sweeping the toilet in the morning, eating rice with the platoon, studying culture or sewing in the afternoon.
This year I am 16 years old but I am still studying in 7th grade. Actually, I don't feel disadvantaged. I think if I am slow, I will try to make up for it," the 16-year-old girl confided.
When mentioning his mother, Tam's voice suddenly dropped: "My mother has never visited, but my mother still sends postcards, calls, writes letters. I miss my mother so much. I regret it very much, I just think that if I hadn't gone out that day, hadn't been naive, I wouldn't have been away from my family like this.
The letters from her younger brother became the biggest motivation for Tam to change, after days of making her mother cry because of her.
If Tram and Tam have just started their journey at a reformatory school, then Le Ngoc Minh (character name has been changed), 16 years old, from Phu Tho, is about to complete his term. He entered the school from May 2024 and is only a few months away from returning.
Minh spoke slowly, thinking a lot before each answer.
My story is both pitiful and reprehensible. Pitiful because I don't have a complete family, reprehensible because I didn't listen to my grandparents, dropped out of school early and pushed myself onto the wrong path," Minh confided.
Minh's mother left when he was only 18 months old. His father went to work far away, Minh grew up with his grandparents. Without close supervision, he dropped out of school, went to work early and came into contact with bad people. According to the story, they invited Minh to use drugs. Because of lack of understanding, he got bogged down without realizing it.
When I first came here, I completely collapsed. I cry every day, unable to accept having to go to a reformatory school.
Minh clearly remembers the early days when he could not integrate, remembers the way teachers silently cared for and guided him, and even remembers the times his father came to visit.
Minh shared: "Dad said that I am against the law, against society, but I am still Dad's child. Dad just needs you to live decently.
Minh believes that he is luckier than many other friends when he still has grandparents, father, and people to wait for the day to return. And that is what forces him to try to overcome this period seriously.
Three children, three different stories, but all have in common the lack of family affection, being dragged away by bad friends and having to pay the price for their immaturity.
Here, between regular repetitive mornings and quiet classes, they are learning to live slower, more lingering, but in the right direction before returning to society.
