The IVS Boarding School under the Institute of Research and Development of Vovinam and Sports is the first centre in Ho Chi Minh City to teenagers and those with gaming or internet addictions.

IVS Boarding School has about 300 pupils from sixth to 12th grade. Parents must pay a tuition fee of VND6m a month for their children and the pupils are subjected to military discipline.

"Most pupils in our school are heavy game addicts, some pupils are really stubborn and difficult to deal with. But they often have lots of talent. Our purposes are to educate them, help them realise their talents and how to use it in their lives," Le Anh, head of IVS Boarding School said.

13-year-old Nhat Quang, the youngest pupil in school, said he didn't know who his father was and his mother was too busy with work to care about his education. He started playing video games with friends and claimed to have become ‘addicted’ to them.

"I often spent the whole day playing games but since I came here, I'm losing interests in games. After one month, I can wash my clothes and take care of myself," he said.

Pupils are banned from using mobile phones, laptops and the internet when entering. If they want to research something, the carers will help and monitor their actions. Because of their strong personalities, there were many scuffles among the pupils at first but over time, they get to know each other and care for other pupils.

"At first, most pupils don't even know how to wash properly, let alone fold their blankets and clothes. We teach them everything," a carer said.

The amount of time each pupil stay at school is also varied depending on each case. Some only studied at the school for a few months but some pupils have stayed for over a year.

The pupils are forced to conform to a schedule that runs from 5am until 9pm

An English class

The school follows military discipline and holds extra-curricular activities for pupils

Dtinews