Leaving Mom tells the story of Hoan (Tuấn Trần), a young man who makes a living as a “street clown” barber to care for his mother. His mother, Lê Thị Hạnh (Hồng Đào), suffers from Alzheimer’s and behaves like a child. Her illness is not only a financial burden but also strips Hoan of a free life and the dreams he’s yet to pursue. One day, Hoan makes a fateful decision — to “give his mother away” to his older brother in South Korea, a man he has never even met.