Hanoi (VNA) – The biting cold of a winter morning in a mountainous area could not dampen the excitement of teachers and students at Na Phac Kindergarten in Ngan Son district, Bac Kan province, as they gathered to celebrate the inauguration of the school’s long-awaited toilet facilities – a dream that had spanned three decades.
Carefully helping her young students wash their hands, Principal Nguyen Thi Nga shared that the school, originally built in 1994 and renovated in 2014, previously had no proper toilets. All the 148 children at the main campus and 22 others at the Ban Cay satellite school had no choice but to use chamber pots placed in corridors or a corner of the schoolyard, she said.
The recent installation of two new toilet blocks – one at each location – marked a turning point for the school. “These new facilities are a huge relief for both teachers and students. They not only improve hygiene and care for the children but also help the school meet another criterion in the national preschool education quality assessment,” Nga said, visibly moved.
Happy schools for children
Na Phac is one of 14 schools in Bac Kan province that received a toilet facility donated by the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation on January 3, 2025. The facility is part of a project on building 1,000 school toilets implemented by the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation of TH Group since April 2021. This project is scheduled to run until the end of 2030 with a total budget of 60 billion VND (nearly 2.3 million USD), aiming to improve students’ learning conditions and health, thereby contributing to the goals of the School Health Programme in particular and the national target programmes in general.
The “Building 1,000 School Toilets” project is a prime example of the motto “from understanding to change” and the goal of “For Vietnamese Stature” set by Labour Heroine Thai Huong, the founder of the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation, since its inception in 2014. Of the foundation’s five key programmes, three directly target children. These include the School Health Programme, Child Protection Programme, and Talent Nurturing Programme, with a range of projects such as Building 1,000 School Toilets, Growing Up Together, School Milk, Pilot Model of School Meals, For Vietnamese Stature Scholarships, and Happy School Initiative.
The foundation’s projects focus on various aspects of child development, aiming to improve both physical strength and intellectual capacity through adequate nutrition, physical health promotion, scholarship provision, and improved school infrastructure. These efforts contribute to the implementation of the national School Health Programme and the Master Plan on Developing the Physical Strength and Stature of Vietnamese People for 2011–2030.
According to Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son, the Party and State's consistent viewpoint is that education is a top national policy for national development. Therefore, for many years, the State has always prioritised educational advancement. However, in the context of limited resources at both national and local levels, the involvement of organisations, individuals, and the wider community in building a better educational environment for children is extremely necessary and meaningful. Over the past decade, the education sector has made efforts to mobilise social resources for upgrading schools and classrooms, and the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation has lent a hand.
Long Phieng B Primary School in the border district of Yen Chau, Son La province, is one of the beneficiaries of the project. Its Principal Luong Van Hoa shared that the Pha Cung campus, with 75 students, had only one small toilet used by both teachers and students. The facility did not meet hygiene standards and had to be located far from classrooms, which made it difficult for students to use, especially during bad weather or short breaks. Despite being set apart from the main school building, the toilet that was overloaded and improperly constructed often emitted foul odors that affected the surrounding environment and caused discomfort for both students and teachers.
“We’ve long wished for a proper toilet for our students, but due to a lack of funding and the financial hardship of many parents, it wasn’t possible,” said Hoa. “Now, thanks to the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation, our school has a new toilet that meets the standards set by the Ministry of Education and Training, with two toilet stalls and an outdoor handwashing area. Both teachers and students are truly delighted.”
In addition to building standard toilets, the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation has implemented the "Happy School" project, aiming to improve school infrastructure as well as the capacity of teachers, students, and caregivers in disadvantaged areas. The project constructs or renovates classrooms, teachers' housing, toilets, bathrooms, kitchens, playgrounds, and equipment to support learning and physical development. It also donates books to school libraries and organises activities to promote a culture of reading.
Moreover, the project includes training sessions, communications campaigns, competitions, and clubs to enhance the skills and knowledge of teachers, students, and caregivers. In just two years (2022–2024), the Happy School project organised 37 training sessions; upgraded six classrooms; built one teachers' building, two toilet blocks, one school kitchen, and one bathing facility for boarding students; and donated more than 5,200 books to the libraries of 15 primary schools.
Most recently, to mark its 10th anniversary, the foundation launched a fundraising campaign to build the My Ly 1 Semi-boarding School for Ethnic Minority Students in My Ly commune, the mountainous Ky Son district of Nghe An province.
School Principal Nguyen The Vinh said the school serves 345 students, over 97% of whom are from the Thai, Mong, and Kho Mu ethnic groups. Located in a remote border area with many hardships, the school’s facilities are fragmented and insufficient. The implementation of the new general education curriculum has made the situation more challenging, as it now has to accommodate additional third-grade students transferred from satellite campuses to the main boarding site and begin teaching new subjects like Informatics and English. The increase in both students and teachers has put even more strain on the already inadequate infrastructure, with serious shortages of teachers’ housing, classrooms, dining areas, student accommodation, and daily living equipment for the children.
Aiming to provide students with a safer and more spacious learning environment, the foundation has launched a renovation project for the My Ly 1 Semi-boarding Primary School with a total estimated budget of 5.15 billion VND, to be implemented in three phases. Phase 1, which broke ground on January 20 this year, includes the construction of a two-storey dormitory for 167 semi-boarding students. The following phases will be carried out based on the school’s actual needs and in coordination with the local budget.
“We cannot express enough our gratitude to the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation for initiating the construction of our school,” said Vinh.
Nurturing the talented, offering life-changing chances
In addition to improving infrastructure and enhancing professional training for teachers to provide better education for students in disadvantaged areas, the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation also pays special attention to talented students and those from difficult backgrounds who strive to succeed in their studies and life, through the “Talent Nurturing Programme.”
The programme aims to increase access to education, employment, and social responsibility opportunities for gifted students and those who overcome hardships, contributing to the development of a dynamic, creative, and responsible young generation.
It is carried out through a series of strategic and coordinated initiatives such as scholarship provision, soft skills training, career counseling, internships and field visits to businesses and organisations, network building, and financial and technical support for community initiatives.
The foundation also runs the DynaGen Initiative – a student development programme designed to connect and mobilise resources across society to help students unlock their full potential in learning, career building, and social engagement. Through this programme, 35 training sessions have been organised, benefiting 5,000 students; 85 underprivileged students have received financial aid; and 17 community projects have been launched and implemented. The initiative has also attracted the participation of 20 businesses and 120 professional mentors.
“The For Vietnamese Stature Foundation has truly given me, and other scholarship recipients, a life-changing opportunity I could have never imagined, even in my dreams,” said Hoang Xuan Ngan, a student at Fulbright University Vietnam.
Ngan shared that she was fortunate to receive a scholarship from the foundation to attend high school at TH School – a special institution with a curriculum comprising 80% being international education and 20% Vietnamese subjects. The school is home to students and teachers from 30 different countries. At TH School, Ngan studied the international A Level programme and developed essential skills helping her integrate easily into both academic and international working environments, laying the foundation for her journey to Fulbright University.
“Since secondary school, I’ve always dreamed of a better learning environment to pursue my education. That effort gave me the opportunity to earn a scholarship from the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation to study at TH School, where I felt my life improve day by day, where I was able to grow and access opportunities I never thought possible. TH School gave me the belief that quality education can truly change a person’s life,” Ngan said happily.
Golden time for stature improvement
Alongside projects focused on school infrastructure development and teacher capacity building, financial support for disadvantaged and gifted students, school nutrition, and stature and physical strength improvement for Vietnamese children are also a heartfelt and persistent concern of Labour Heroine Thai Huong – Founder of the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation.
“Scientifically, ages 2–12 are proved the golden stage for height development, with approximately 86% of a person’s height and physical growth occurring during this time. Therefore, investing in physical and mental development during this golden stage is extremely crucial to avoid missing out on this valuable opportunity in the human life cycle,” said Huong.
From this perspective, child nutrition is a core focus of the foundation, with several notable projects such as the School Milk Programme, the Pilot Model of School Meals, the “Growing Up Together” project, and the S-Race running competition.
Looking at the little children, just three or four years old, eagerly eating in the corridor, teacher Nong Van Long at the Sang Xoay satellite campus of Thai Son Kindergarten in Bao Lam district, Cao Bang province, emotionally said: “Today’s meal includes stir-fried minced meat with pumpkin, potatoes, and winter melon soup with rice—a simple meal, yet a luxury for these preschoolers. Thanks to the sponsors of the ‘Growing Up Together’ project by the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation, such meals are possible.”
Bao Lam is the most disadvantaged mountainous district of Cao Bang – the poorest province in Vietnam, and Sang Xoay is its most underprivileged campus. Due to dire economic conditions, children used to bring their own meals with just rice with few vegetables. Some had nothing but steamed cornmeal mixed with spring water. So, malnutrition rates were alarmingly high.
“At that time, looking at the children, I felt helpless and heartbroken. Since the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation came, the malnutrition rate has clearly decreased. Students no longer skip afternoon classes due to hunger, and attendance is now nearly 100%,” Long said with a smile.
“Growing Up Together” is one of the foundation’s long-term projects that supports nutritious boarding meals and improves learning conditions for preschoolers in disadvantaged areas. With every 2 million VND (80 USD) raised, one child receives sponsorship for nutritious meals throughout the school year—one main meal and one supplementary meal per day. The project also promotes nutrition awareness among teachers, parents, and caregivers.
According to Chairwoman of the foundation's Management Council Tran Thi Nhu Trang, providing school lunches for children in disadvantaged areas is not a new concept, but the foundation differentiates itself in implementation. Individuals and organisations can contribute any amount they can afford, even just 10,000 VND, without needing to fully sponsor one child. Additionally, the foundation maintains a connection between sponsors and the sponsored children to foster emotional bonds and transparency. The project has achieved impressive results. In particular, over 1,000 preschool and primary students have received support, nearly 264,000 individuals and organisations have contributed, and over 300,000 free meals have been provided (as of the end of the 2023–2024 school year).
As a result, 100% of students now attend school regularly, compared to 80% abandoning afternoon classes in the past. Education quality has improved, and malnutrition rates have significantly declined.
While “Growing Up Together” focuses on nutritional meals for children in remote areas, the Pilot Model of School Meals project aims to standardise school meals nationwide.
This pilot model ensures balanced nutrition combined with increased physical activity for Vietnamese children and students, implemented in ten provinces and cities across five ecological regions of Vietnam during the 2020–2021 school year. Participating localities include Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Thai Binh, Son La, Nghe An, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam, Lam Dong, and An Giang. Nearly 2,000 preschoolers and over 2,600 primary school students benefited from this model, led by the Ministry of Education and Training in collaboration with TH Group. As a social foundation, the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation contributed scientific approaches and practical nutrition solutions for children in their golden development stages.
The model, which involves leading nutrition and physical education experts, educators, and parents, encompassed three integrated components: nutrition education, school meals, and physical education.
Experts designed 400 diverse sample menus with over 10 food types each, balanced in protein, fat, and carbohydrates, with moderate salt and sugar. Menus were tailored by age groups and seasons in each geographical region. Supplementary meals included a glass of fresh milk to improve calcium intake.
Physical education was enhanced, targeting at least 60 minutes of activity each day for over 80% of students, as recommended by the World Health Organisation. For preschoolers, 130 physical exercises, 60 movement games, and 315 lesson plans were developed. For primary students, 118 tool-based exercises, 100 games, and 315 age-specific lesson plans were created.
Nutrition education was delivered not only to students but also to teachers, kitchen staff, and parents to foster unified understanding and strengthen the sense of responsibility in supporting school meals and child nutrition.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh De, Director of the Department of Physical Education under the Ministry of Education and Training, said that after one year of implementation, the pilot model showed a positive impact on children's health. Both malnutrition and obesity rates decreased, children's height improved more rapidly than those in other schools, stakeholder awareness of nutrition rose significantly.
Specifically, for preschoolers, average height increased by 3.63 cm; average weight rose 1.2 kg; stunting rate dropped 1.1%.
For primary students, height increased by 2.8 cm, weight increased by nearly 1.5 kg, and full awareness of proper meals rose by 23.6%. More than 95% of schools rated the model effective or highly effective, and nearly 96% of parents found the nutrition and food safety communication activities useful or very useful.
“Moreover, the pilot model improved the organisation and management capacity of schools in school nutrition care, and gained support and consensus from students, families, and educators. It also provided scientific and practical grounds to propose a School Nutrition Law,” De stated.
Over the past decade, the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation has delivered over 110 million cartons of TH true MILK and 8 million nutritious meals to disadvantaged children; provided more than 100 billion VND in scholarships to honour international and national contest winners, top high school graduates, and talented students at TH School; and committed itself to building 1,000 school toilets worth 60 billion VND by 2030.
Nguyen Trong Manh, Principal of Le Loi Primary School in Ward 6 of Da Lat city, Lam Dong province – one of the 10 schools in the pilot model, said: “Schools can change dishes, but determining exact nutrition is impossible for us, yet it is the most crucial for children's physical development by stage and need. Therefore, this meal-planning model is fantastic! If there’s a School Nutrition Law to standardise meals, it will greatly contribute to developing the physical stature of future generations.”
Legalising school meals and cultivating a healthy Vietnamese generation is also a long-standing aspiration of Labour Heroine Thai Huong, Founder of the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation and TH Group.
“People are the nucleus of society and the key driver of a nation’s development. The physical, intellectual, and emotional growth of each person is greatly vital. That’s why we firmly believe that investing in health and education means investing in the betterment of a nation’s population and in the strategic development of the country,” Huong affirmed./.
