Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper has donated book collections to two mountainous schools in northern Vietnam, as part of its social responsibility program to help children in distant areas access reading culture after school.

On Friday, the Ho Chi Minh City-based daily brought its “Tuoi Tre Bookshelf” program to the Thuong Lam sub-school in Vi Xuyen District, Ha Giang Province.

Located deep inside the remote mountainous area of Ha Giang, Thuong Lam functions as a ‘branch’ for the main B Minh Tan primary school, which is located at a more accessible location.

Thuong Lam, whose construction was also funded by a Tuoi Tre-backed charity last year, currently has 45 students, all of which are members of such ethnic minority groups as Mong, Dao and Han.

Before reaching Thuong Lam, Tuoi Tre has also donated its book collection to the Lien Son sub-school in Lang Thip Commune, Van Yen District, Yen Bai Province.

Situated some 11km from the center of Lang Thip Commune, Lien Son is where 150 Mong and Dao ethnic students pursuit knowledge every day.

More than 80 of the students live in poverty, who have to walk a few kilometers through mountains and forests to school, according to schoolmaster Nguyen Ba Dung.

The schoolmaster added that students sometimes had to skip class due to foul weather, particular in flood seasons.

“Tuoi Tre Bookshelft” is part of the Tuoi Tre-backed charity called “Bringing books to mountainous areas,” aimed at helping children in those remote areas access books for knowledge and entertainment after class.

The collections consist of books donated by publishers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as youth members of the newspaper.

The two book collections granted to children in Ha Giang and Yen Bai this week are collectively worth VND65 million (US$2,902).

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