Nearly 250 students in an island commune off Ho Chi Minh City have become the first returnees to offline schooling in the southern city on Wednesday while their peers in other parts of the metropolis still stick to the online learning mode.

Students in Thanh An Commune, located in Can Gio, an island district of Ho Chi Minh City, could not restrain the excitement on their way to school on Wednesday morning.

They are first, second, sixth, ninth, and 12th graders at Thanh An Elementary School and Thanh An Middle - High School.

At Thanh An Elementary School, teachers waited to welcome the first- and second-grade students, measure their body temperature, and have them use hand sanitizer at the school gates before instructing them to enter their classrooms in two different lanes.

“I closed my stall at the market to take my child to school today,” said Tran Thi Le Xuan, whose child is a first grader.

“I found online study was not feasible for my child over the past time.

“I was always looking forward to the resumption of in-person schooling so that my child can study well.

“My kid is very happy today.”

Hoang Anh, another first grader, also expressed the excitement for the first day back at school.

“As my mother was busy, my grandmother took me to school today. I prepared my school bag last night," Anh said.

“I am very happy to meet new friends and teachers,” Anh added, knowing that they have to wear a face mask in class.

Le Huu Binh, principal of Thanh An Elementary School, said that his institution also prepared measures in case any of the children contracts the coronavirus.

“Homeroom teachers will instruct the students to take off face masks to breathe for a few minutes and wash their hands often,” Binh said.

At Thanh An Middle - High School, 131 sixth, ninth, and 12th graders attended classes on Wednesday.

A boat carried the first ten of them to the local ferry station at 6:00 am the same day.

“I woke up at 4:00 am and prepared my breakfast and school bag,” said 12th grader Hoang Truong Giang.

“I woke up early partly because I couldn’t sleep as I was excited for the first day of school.”

Schools in Ho Chi Minh City have been shuttered since May 10 due to the fourth wave of COVID-19 that started hitting Vietnam on April 27.

The metropolis has been the hardest-hit locality in this bout, with nearly 420,000 local infections.

As infections slow and vaccination speeds up, city authorities have gradually resumed socio-economic activities, including offline schooling, with Thanh An Commune pioneering.

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