© Justin Mott for The New York Times

Students study in small numbers at the Mai Hoa AIDS Center in An Nhon Tay, Vietnam, because these HIV-infected children from the orphanage were turned away from a nearby primary school last month when the parents of the other students refused to allow their children to attend.

© Justin Mott for The New York Times

Local volunteers stop by the Mai Hoa AIDS Center, bringing toys and snacks for the chidren. Fifteen HIV-infected children from the orphanage were turned away from a local primary school last month when the parents of the other students refused to allow their children to attend. Ignorance and discrimination are widespread in Vietnam and almost none of the country's 5,000 infected children have been accepted in state schools, despite a legal requirement to do so.

© Justin Mott for The New York Times

Children at the Mai Hoa AIDS Center in An Nhon Tay, Vietnam, eat lunch after their morning studies.