Two recent incidents of violence, though occurring in different contexts, have caused public distress - made worse by the fact that they took place in schools and hospitals, with the victims being a teacher and a healthcare worker.

The attacks happened at Thanh Ba District Medical Center (Phu Tho) and Tan Thang Primary and Secondary School (Tan Thang Commune, Quynh Luu District, Nghe An). Although isolated, these events raise pressing concerns.

The troubling nature lies in how these actions violate social values and the deep respect traditionally afforded to professions like teaching and medicine - roles seen as noble and deeply revered.

What makes these events more painful is that the perpetrators were closely connected to the institutions involved. Schools are where parents entrust their children’s education; hospitals are where people place their deepest trust in the preservation of life.

At Thanh Ba Medical Center, the victim was a male nurse who was part of the team resuscitating a 12-year-old boy in anaphylactic shock. The assailant? The boy’s own father. In the school incident, a male parent stormed into a classroom, yanked a teacher’s hair, struck her head, and forced her to stand in the rain before students - all while being the father of one of her pupils.

There may be personal reasons behind each case, but violent and aggressive behavior in places meant to symbolize trust, gratitude, and reverence is both unacceptable and alarming.

As a parent of two school-age children, I’ve seen other kinds of harm - quiet but equally painful - inflicted on educators.

When my child was in kindergarten, a notorious parent barged into the classroom and threatened to “make the teacher lose her job” because his child had a bruise. Even after hearing her explanation that two children had fought and she had intervened too late to prevent a bite, he raised his fist and warned, “If I find another scratch on my kid, you’ll regret it.”

In the medical field, attacks on doctors and nurses during treatment or emergency care are unfortunately not rare. Every year, the media reports new cases. One doctor once told me he feared not the complexity of emergency procedures, but the shouting and violence from a patient’s relatives when complications arose.

Data from the Vietnam Health Union shows this is a nationwide issue. From 2014 to 2016, there were 12 reported attacks; in 2017, 13 cases; in 2018, 18 cases - 90% of them occurring during emergency care. In Ho Chi Minh City alone, the Department of Health recorded 15 such incidents in 2022.

Despite efforts by the health sector to ensure safety for medical staff, doctors and nurses in some hospitals still face the dual burden of saving lives while avoiding harm themselves. In education, most discussions of school violence focus on students - rarely do we talk about teachers as victims.

Right and wrong in these incidents are often determined only after the damage is done - a painful process involving legal and institutional responses. But when those entrusted to heal or teach become victims, it’s no longer just an occupational issue - it’s a wound to society.

Schools and hospitals must be truly safe environments. Schools should foster love and respect, allowing teachers to pass on knowledge and life skills with peace of mind. Hospitals - places where health is valued above all - should be recognized as spaces where doctors, though not omnipotent, are the most capable people to help our loved ones in times of danger.

Hoang Linh