A video clip showing a teacher of a secondary school in Ho Chi Minh City giving cash bonus to her students has gone viral on social media.

Du Thi Lan Huong, a retired educator who now works a visiting math teacher at Chu Van An Secondary School in District 1, was identified as the hero of the video clips that made the rounds on social earlier this month.

In one video, the 58-year-old is seen awarding cash to a long line of students, who scored at least 6.5 out of ten points for their tests, meeting her standard for the ‘bonus’. The students looked excited, all holding their exam sheets as proof of their achievement.

Huong set the ‘prize rule’ in advance. Accordingly, students from the class she is particularly in charge of would receive VND20,000 (US$0.88) per eligible test result, while other classes’ students will get rewarded VND10,000 ($0.44) apiece, as a motivational reward for their efforts.

“OMG! Four exam sheets! How come you achieve this many! Can you go easy on the old teacher? Do not cheat! I surely will become bankrupt,” the venerable teacher made jokes when awarding a student who presented four ‘eligible’ exam results.

“Why does this class have many students with high scores? If the test paper is not kept with care or is left at home, then it is not counted!” Huong half praised half jested.

After a few hours from uploading, the clips attracted thousands of views and were shared virally. The footage received mostly positive comments, which hailed this is a good way to encourage the learning spirit of students.

The students looksexcited, all holding their exam sheets as proof of their achievement in this photo captured from the uploaded video.

Phuc Huy from class 9A6, one of Huong’s students, said that the math teacher was very fair when it comes to reward and punishment.

“Students who talk during lessons will have their names ‘booked,’ while those being late for class, not taking notes or being absent without parent’s permission will be given cash fines,” Huy elaborated.

“During the last reward, instead of fully receiving VND50,000 [$2.2], I only got VND30,000 [$1.32] as VND20,000 was deducted to pay for the fines for my previous mistakes,” Huy said.

“I find it fun and easy to acquire knowledge from teacher Huong as her teaching method is lucid and she always cares for us.”

The money spent to reward the students was taken from her own pocket, the teacher told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

Normally, Huong would only reward the students with VND2,000-3,000 ($0.09-0.13) for an 8 or 9 score.

“Now that it was [the students’] final year at secondary school, I wanted to make a memorable gift for them so I raised the bonus,” Huong said.

The teacher said she gets a VND6 million ($264) pension and receives VND4 million ($176) wage as a visiting teacher a month.

“I do not spend much money for myself so this income should be enough to reward the children,” she explained.

“The amount is not much to mention but it will encourage them to put more efforts for the next tests or exams.”

The students in Huong’s class come from a variety of backgrounds.

The underprivileged ones even got support from Huong for their school fees.

The teacher uses her cash bonus to motivate the children to try their best to be rewarded and pay off what she jokingly calls “teacher Huong's debt.”

Teacher Huong looks at a student’s test paper in this photo captured from the uploaded video.

Huong had anticipated that 15 percent of her students would not make it in the final exam since her class is second to the last among the school’s ninth grade classes.

However, all of her students eventually passed the important exam.

As she delivered the cash bonus to students, Huong also wished them luck for the upcoming entrance exam to high school.

Previously, the veteran teacher also stirred up the online community with a video clip giving lucky money to her students on the occasion of Lunar New Year holiday in February in an interesting way.

The teacher let the banknotes fall from a certain height while the children try to catch it in one attempt.

Both this and latest video clip of teacher Huong received positive comments from the public for her unique and adorable approach to make friend with, to teach and to motivate the students.

Internet users humorously give Huong the nickname “ageless teacher.”

“The stricter you are toward them, the more the students feel unpleasant and offensive,” the teacher explained.

“Using rulers to punish students is no longer appropriate.

“With a new generation, you have to have a new method.”

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