When her youngest son was six months old, Kieu Thi Anh Lien's husband disappeared. They were never officially married but the couple had lived together for years, until one day the father of Lien's three children went home early from work. By the time she returned to their house, he was gone.
After her husband disappeared, Lien took her children to Tay Ninh for a time to work as a day laborer before moving to Saigon, reports Zing. When she arrived in the southern hub without work or a home, Lien found space to sleep in the cemetery and has lived there for the past six years.
Local residents helped to set the family up with a small shack on the property, and Lien now cares for the graves in the cemetery in addition to doing a few other odd jobs. Her youngest son, 7, and her eldest, 18, both attend school, while Lien's middle child dropped out to learn a trade.
While life is not easy for the family, Lien is adamant that her children attend school in order to find their way out of poverty.
The photos below show what life is like for Lien and her children in the adopted home:
[Photos via Zing]
