Students from flood-hit areas studying in Dong Nai urgently need support

The 2025 storm and flood season has caused severe damage to both lives and property, particularly affecting residents in several South Central and Central Highlands provinces. Many students from disaster-hit provinces who are studying in Dong Nai have also been affected, with some even facing the risk of dropping out, as their families suddenly fell into financial hardship after the storms and floods.

Dang Dai Hung, Chairman of the Lac Hong University Trade Union, provides support to students from areas affected by natural disasters, storms, and floods. Photo: Cong Nghia

During the recent historic floods in several South Central and Central Highlands provinces, student Phan Tan Phu (residing in Hoa My commune, Dak Lak province), who is currently studying at Lac Hong University (Tran Bien ward, Dong Nai province), tragically lost both his parents. This challenge was an overwhelming shock for Phu, as well as for his older brother and younger sibling, who are both still in school.

Difficulties surround students from flood-hit areas

Student Phan Tan Phu shared: After the big flood hit Hoa My commune, hearing the news of his parents' death, he asked for a leave of absence from school to return home to arrange their funerals. When his parents suddenly passed away, he didn't know what would happen to his studies, as for a long time, the tuition fees, living expenses, and monthly rent for the two brothers studying at universities in Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City had been mainly provided by their parents. Moreover, if he continued to study, his youngest sibling, who is only in 5th grade this year, would have no one to take care of their meals and studies.

Dong Nai supports many students from flood-hit areas

During the intensified support effort for Dak Lak province to overcome the consequences of natural disasters, storms, and floods, the Dong Nai provincial delegation visited and provided support to many families with children studying in Dong Nai. In particular, Phan Tan Phu, a student at Lac Hong University from Hoa My commune, who lost his parents in the flood, received the highest support of over 30 million VND. The Department of Education and Training of Dong Nai province proposed that universities and colleges in the province strengthen their review and implement appropriate support policies for out-of-province students affected by natural disasters, storms, and floods.

Meanwhile, student Nguyen Thi Ngan (residing in Hoa Thinh commune, Dak Lak province), a first-year student at Lac Hong University, said the recent major flood destroyed her family's house. Many of their belongings were swept away, causing their already struggling family to fall into even greater hardship. After the flood, she received 2 million VND from the school to help with living expenses, but the days ahead will be difficult, as the flood caused severe damage to her family.

At the same time, student Pham Thi Thanh Nhi, who is studying at the  Vietnam National University of Forestry – Dong Nai  (Trang Bom commune, Dong Nai province), stated that her home is in Quy Nhon Dong ward (Gia Lai province). During the recent historic flood, her family suffered severe losses. Their house was submerged up to the roof, and all their household belongings were damaged. Since the flood, she has not been able to return home to visit her parents, which has only added to her worry. To afford her studies in the coming days, she said that in addition to attending school, she will have to find a part-time job to cover her living expenses and continue her education.

Pham Van Manh (residing in Son Thanh commune, Dak Lak province) said: His family has a child in their second year at Dong Nai Technology University (Trang Dai ward, Dong Nai province). In addition to the tuition fees borrowed from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies – Dak Lak Branch (VBSP Dak Lak), he and his wife send their child an extra 4 million VND each month to cover expenses such as rent, food, and transportation. In the coming months, he is unsure where he will find the money to send, so he is quite worried...

Many students need support

Universities and colleges in Dong Nai currently have a relatively large proportion of out-of-province students from the Central and Central Highlands provinces, with the highest proportion still being students from the provinces of Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Lam Dong, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, and Quang Tri. This year's storm and flood season, there are many students whose families have suffered damage to their homes and property, and some unfortunate students have lost loved ones, with some cases losing both parents. Therefore, the lives of these students, which were already difficult, have become even more challenging, and the risk of them dropping out of school is very high.

More than ever, with a spirit of help and sharing, students desperately need support from schools and landlords. Associate Professor Dr. Lam Thanh Hien, Rector of Lac Hong University, said: To date, the school has approved the first batch of support for nearly 300 lecturers and students whose families were affected by the recent historic floods in some provinces in the Southern Central Coast and Central Highlands. The support amount for students is 2 million VND/person, and for lecturers, it is 5 million VND/person. In addition, the school supports students and lecturers from Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and Quang Tri provinces who are studying and working at the school and were affected by floods with a similar amount. The application process is straightforward; students only need to provide accurate information about their situation, and the school will approve it.

Meanwhile, student Le Van Thanh (from Diem Dien commune, Khanh Hoa province), who is studying at Dong Nai Technology University, said: "For the past month, my family hasn't been able to send me money to cover living expenses, so I have to work extra in the evenings on weekdays to support myself while waiting for my parents to recover from the flood damage. Fortunately, my landlord in Quarter 5, Trang Dai Ward, was kind enough to give me one month of free rent."

Dang Thi Hoa, who operates a student rental business in Tran Bien ward, said her family's rental rooms are primarily leased by students from Lac Hong University. Among them, some were severely affected by the recent natural disasters and floods. For this reason, Hoa's family is considering allowing students in particularly challenging circumstances to defer or be exempted from rent for November and December. Hoa shared: "Many students from the Central and Central Highlands provinces come here to attend university. Although their circumstances are poor, they are very diligent. I am willing to help contribute to sharing with the students' families so they can quickly stabilize their lives and studies."

By Cong Nghia –Translated by Mai Nga, Minho