HANOI: Gusts of northeast monsoon wind swept through the northern mountains, casting a blanket of thin biting mist over the region. On a rough, winding dirt road leading to the Sáng Pao Primary School in Muong Khuong Commune, Lao Cai province, a convoy of motorbikes inched its way uphill.
Beneath thick padded jackets, each motorbike carried carefully wrapped bags of Christmas gifts, including warm jackets, woollen hats, plastic sandals, comic books, candies, and school supplies. The drivers weren't Santa Clauses like those in fairy tales, but in the eyes of the mountain children, they were volunteers who brought magic to the villages every Christmas season.
