Before 1975, did you know that Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School was an all-girls school? It even had a spooky nickname, “the school of girls in purple áo dài”. This name wasn’t just for the stylish uniforms. Legend says a student committed suicide in the school’s clock tower, burdened by exam stress. She was forever immortalized in her purple áo dài.
Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School has graced Ho Chi Minh City since 1913. Originally named “Collège des Jeunes Filles Indigènes,” it was a beacon for girls’ education during French colonial rule. The name changed to Gia Long Girls’ High School in 1950, reflecting a shift in power. Imagine the echoing halls as students were forbidden from speaking Vietnamese, the punishment looming for those caught.
The school, now co-ed, proudly bears the name of Vietnamese revolutionary Nguyen Thi Minh Khai. Yet, echoes of the past linger within these walls. Students say the clock tower, forever linked to the tragic tale, has been locked up tight for decades. It’s said the girl in purple still roams there.
But the clock tower isn’t the only place where the past whispers. Empty classrooms resonate with unexplained noises, and chilling humming sounds drift from vacant restrooms. A palpable sense of unease clings to the passage connecting blocks A and B. Former students caution against responding to calls from behind in the evening shadows. They say you should run, run fast, and never look back.