Most Dangerous Ways To School | VIETNAM | Free Documentary

the boat moves from the dark into the light it's time for hardworking women to start coming out to the river the first passengers are two boys and a father on his way to work passenger capacity is 11 people Le but more can fit in 11-year-old toan who's in fifth grade quickly boards so she won't be [Music] late the boat stops at each house to get passengers the next passenger is toan's best friend mien did you do all the math homework yeah I did everything until exercise 4 and you did you also do the reading comprehension the poem I [Music] did we never went to school like this but these kids take a boat to [Music] school the long narrow River seems endless what kind of world lies at the end of [Music] it this is a Countryside Village near zort Trang a town in southern Vietnam the school is in sight but they need to take a boat to get to school boats that left at dawn now arrive at their last stop it's the largest Elementary School along the me River know will and and toan is the fifth grade class president fifth grade is the highest level of Elementary School in Vietnam English is an important subject in Vietnam it's taught starting in the third grade toan wants to be good at this subject and last your hand last in your country the economy of Vietnam is growing rapidly so English will become more important in big cities kids learn English starting in the kindergarten private education is becoming more prominent than public education just like in South [Applause] [Music] Korea in Vietnam hoi Min is known as Uncle H Vietnam was fighting the USA back then but now English is booming what a huge change toan is growing up amidst a sea of change what kind of place will Vietnam be when toan and her friends are all grown [Applause] up see you later morning morning classes finish at 11:00 a.m. the way back home on the river here the river is the [Music] [Music] road there are houses everywhere along the river they're all fully exposed with everything in view [Music] a supermarket floats along the river carrying groceries and local gossip people pay for goods and also exchange information the river flows along luscious Plains in southern [Music] Vietnam the parents have to work along the river to provide for their [Music] families they also keep Livestock on the river [Music] a seasoned farmer takes ducks to the river in the morning and brings them back home in the [Music] evening this Bountiful River feeds so many toan's father an upstanding man has called his friends together it's toan's job to run errands when she gets home from school she does household chores her parents are out working most of the time [Music] our daughter is very kind she helps with the cause and cares about our [Music] health she often brings us shaved eyes sets the table and calls us to eat toan's parents don't own land so nowadays they peel rice straw they grow three different crops per year here rice straw is laid out and then burned to make fertilizer each person makes 10,000 dong about $4.50 there are three including her brother so that's $13.50 her brother quits school three years ago and works as much as an adult I went to school until sixth form what about now I quit school now why to help my mom I did ask him I even tried begging him to go to school but he says that he prefers to work I would like our daughter to do well in school because that way she can get a good job and someday she could even help us [Music] right when she makes money she can help us open a tiny shop that way we won't have to work so hard in the fields toan brings ice water as usual she never disappoints anyone did you fight with your brother he tried tripping me he's always like [Music] that why aren't you wearing gloves I don't have any wear those then okay you need to study with those hands not work rise straw come on [Music] her oldest brother attended school for 3 years and her other brother 6 years before dropping out of school toan is now in fifth grade her goal is to complete 12th grade and [Music] graduate her brothers dropped out of school to help out let's see what happens to [Music] toan [Music] fertilizer is applied when it's time but teaching kids in this environment isn't [Music] easy their father tried to teach all four siblings to swim but two is the only one who actually made it who Tau you to swim my dad did is there anything you wish for right now I wish I had a bicycle I'd like to go to school by bike he came to wash but forgot to because he was swimming Mom bathes her youngest child neighbors passing by say hello to them this is how people live on this River dad finish is the [Music] job two is like Mom and Tuan is like Dad to the eldest is a bit lazy it's not easy to teach him anything every time we sent him to school he begged to go back home [Music] his older brother only wrote on two pages before quitting school but to likes studying he's now in third grade if his older brother had stayed in school he'd be in the undergraduate class of fifth [Music] graders every household along the river has a [Music] story we didn't get to go to school when we were kids and we never learned to read or ride so we had to struggle even though we are poor we've always worked hard so that our children could go to school we wish for our kids to have a better life than ours to who's in the afternoon class gets ready at 11: H his next door neighbor is already there hurrying him along two is a third grader and hang a fifth grader they both walk to school together it takes 30 minutes to get there it's one of toan school's other campuses and it's possible to walk because the road is connected there are roads covered in petals but also a scary Bridge they cut across someone's front yard they're actually trespassing but this is a [Music] shortcut the classmates show up one by one they're almost [Music] there [Music] this is two and hang School of 80 students it's art class learning work Leisure they have to draw one of the three the teacher brought paper but what will they fill the blank paper with [Music] don't use pens make sure to use pencils you should start with the biggest elements sit up straight to loves this class he gets into it right away he sketches with a pencil and colors in with [Music] crayons kids who don't have their own borrow from their neighbors to doesn't have any [Music] crayons he can't afford paper so of course he doesn't have crayons [Music] it's normal to borrow from each other when you don't have something it's nothing to be ashamed [Music] of tool picture has the Mei Fork River in [Music] it in his family to is the only child who goes to school to comes from a minority group he's not particularly good at school but he's not bad either he's average but he's very hardworking his parents are illiterate so they had a hard time finding work that's why he's trying so hard to learn himself while to is drawing Leisure to's father goes to work a boat comes to pick him up it's a bigger boat than usual what kind of work does he do the rice patties have been harvested to's father moves sacks of rice he's illiterate but an experienced laborer he picks the sacks up with ease and loads them onto the ship the 5ton boat is already half full he he needs to do as much work as he's already [Music] done the sacks are weighed before they're moved one sack is over 50 kilos or £10 lots of sacks of rice need to be moved after harvesting a day's work from 7:00 a.m. until sundown Nets them 20 to 30,000 dong that's about $1350 to's father does odd jobs and makes 2 to three million Dong or $135 per month to support his family he barely scrapes by but he's always smiling what would you like to be when you grow up you can answer whatever you like I'd like to be a doctor oh so you would like to be a doctor and who would you like to take care of Mom and Dad why are you crying if you cry you're going to make me cry too don't cry you're a big boy now come on you said you wanted to ride a bike to school is that your wish yes he asked us for a bicycle several times but we couldn't afford to get him one yet we told him we'd get him one when Daddy makes money this school is unusual some kids don't have crayons some don't have a [Music] bike things are missing but they want to become [Music] something the children here keep wanting the [Music] impossible KY is 11 and in third grade this lucky kid gets to ride a bike to school the road was paved last year so it's easier to ride a bicycle [Music] now soccer is the first thing he does after [Music] school his mom won't let him go outside so he kicks the ball around indoors he keeps bumping into things he tries to be careful so his mom won't yell at him but it can't be [Music] helped mom runs a store that sells fertilizer she's a meticulous businesswoman it's the only fertilizer store around dad comes home early and helps her customers come from far away too so business is usually good dad is a police policeman when it's his day off they behave themselves so they won't get into trouble Coy is inside with his cousins he has the remote so he's the boss a younger cousin who begged to watch Doran is sulking he goes to play outside with his cousins because of manager Park Hano and the national soccer team the entire country has soccer fever he wants to be a good soccer player he shakes off one player like quanghai the striker he wants to score but his foot just won't cooperate his dream is to be a red Warrior tearing up the green field but right now A girl has taken the ball away from him and he spends most of his time standing around soccer is more fun than school but it's just as hard their households look similar on the surface but the situations are very [Music] different this is the home of H the girl that walk to school with two h father boards a boat with a fishing net basket he's on his way to get something for dinner is the market far not at [Music] all it's this very River tonight's dinner is fish shopping here is [Music] free the 1,000 to 2,000 dong they give their children for school is from selling fish caught in this River he moves the boat to where the current is right and casts the [Music] net some days I catch a lot some days I don't I usually catch 50 to 60 fish a day but some days I only catch five or 10 it depends on the current we don't need everything I catch we sell some of course with that money I give the kids some pocket money for school I do all sorts of manual labor we live on what I can make in the day since my wife and kids don't earn money hang's entire family is in the yard today she's grown up now and is a big help now the sun has gone down and it's dark dinner is late today they've usually finished eating before sundown hang's home doesn't have electricity yet her mother's greatest wish is to have electricity even if it means waiting for the roof to get repaired a hand easily Scoops up rice in the D this is simple for someone who lives in a house with no electricity there's only one dish and a sauce dinner together with the whole family is delicious enjoy your meal wash your hands when you're done eating you're spilling everything eat slowly table manners are even taught in the dark where's the little one come and eat now let's look at to's dinner the four boys eat a huge amount of food It's never enough no matter how much Dad [Music] earns but everyone is smiling they may not have much food but they have everything they need wow this family has meat it's dinner time for koi too he's been running around all day so he must be starving one house has no electricity one has no dining table and one has meat for dinner their diverse situations are all swallowed up by the dark when night [Music] Falls [Music] my [Music] our honorable Headmaster several teachers as well as our beloved students have done a great job this past week we would like to give a word about the use of the river to commute we have entered the rainy season this word of advice always applies however it is even more important during the rainy season while commuting several students ride a small boat it is essential that you all behave carefully do not engage in any dangerous Behavior the weekly Monday morning assembly the vice principal always drones on and on and the children's Minds Wonder but it's not too bad at least they're all sitting down why do some students quit school in most cases it's due to financial [Music] reasons first there are families that have many children then some have no land to cultivate and finally some families would rather have their children earn money than go to school the teacher knows all their stories the dogs bark loudly at an unfamiliar guest yeah hello are you okay what are you taking my leg has been hurting me for 5 months really so that's why you're taking tablets my knee hurts too much to [Music] walk NE lives with her grandmother and is in the fifth grade afternoon class [Music] that's n's sister bin looking outside B how long has it been since you stopped school it's been 2 years why did you stop coming because my mom told me to did you go until fifth form or was it sixth form no I didn't go for sixth form the teacher told me I should continue but I didn't I see so you did finish fifth form but not sixth what about now what do you do at home I do calls and I help my grandmother if you started school again you would go to sixth form would you be okay with that would it bother you to be 2 years [Music] late no I wouldn't mind all right eyes sparkle when she hears the word school she stopped going to school to take care of her younger siblings and her grandmother Bin's parents both work in the city and come home once or twice a week [Music] there's a child that doesn't go to school in every other household because they're filling in for their [Music] parents bin is one of [Music] them it's time for the youngest to return from morning [Music] class there's a rope leading from the house to the other side father set it up to make it easier for them to go to school but for going to school water is not the biggest obstacle it's a missing mother or father or both adult problems can prevent children from going to [Music] [Music] school bin is like a mother to her younger [Music] siblings each sibling has different chores since their schedule revolves around [Music] school she she tried to talk to her parents about school but they said [Music] no I'm sad that I can't go when I go to school I can study and play with my friends at home I'm all by myself for bin the day is too long unlike bin toan has time she has time to play and the best friend and she can at least picture her future what do you want to be when you grow up a model what a model why a model to make money what about you why do you want to be a teacher to make money my parents and fix the house do you like going to school yeah I love it her parents who sell firewood in the city have come home after a [Music] week mom always feels like a [Music] guest mom and dad are exhausted from work and don't even speak when they come home when would be a good time to bring up school the clock is ticking dad has no work today two still can't buy a bike he'll have to walk to school for a long time [Music] K's school life is uneventful but math is always a [Music] headache some classmates want to be teachers or doctors and that's good enough hangs family step firmly on the ground Barefoot as they [Music] walk the end of this long narrow River leads to another world this is the road to school [Music] [Music] they arrive at school safely by boat then eat breakfast and have fun school is strange those grown-up problems disappear quickly [Applause] and school is also where kids can dream every day about things they could never dream of anywhere [Applause] else [Applause] [Music] hey second child look over [Music] here [Music] okay one 2 [Music] 3 come on dad too please give us a [Music] smile [Music] more time [Music] five

Channel: Free Documentary

Views: 180,401

Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre)

Id: W10KhZWOz6I

Length: 46min 19sec (2779 seconds)

Published: Sun Oct 08 2023