This 67-year-old woman may not possess many valuable possessions or high academic qualifications, but she has an invaluable asset that no amount of money can buy: the lives and safety of thousands of children in the riverine region over the past 20 years.
A "ONE-OF-A-KIND" SWIMMING CLASS
The Mekong Delta, where the ebb and flow of the tides dictate the lives of millions. There, the river is both a source of life, bringing silt, fish, and shrimp, but also a lurking danger, waiting to "swallow up" the children living along the riverbanks.
Ms. Sau Thia has a knack for teaching children to swim very quickly.
It is in this harsh context that the portrait of Mrs. Sau Thia emerges not with dazzling glory, but as the embodiment of pain, loneliness, and compassion.
Mrs. Sau Thia recounted that her ancestral home was in Go Cong Dong district, Tien Giang province (now Dong Thap province). Her life was a series of sad and tragic events.
Born into poverty, her parents passed away one after another when she was young. At the age of 34, an age when most women have already settled down, Mrs. Sau packed her meager belongings and left her hometown to seek a better life elsewhere, settling in Hung Thanh commune (now Phuong Thinh commune, Dong Thap province).
Life for a single woman in a foreign land is never easy. Mrs. Sau did all kinds of jobs, enduring rain and sun in the fields to harvest rice and pick lotus flowers for hire.
Those years of hard labor had darkened her skin from the sun, and her hands were calloused and rough. But hidden beneath that austere exterior was an unusually warm heart.
Without a husband or children, Mrs. Sau Thia seems to dedicate all her love and affection to the community, to the dirty children in the poor neighborhood.
In 1992, when life was a struggle to make ends meet, she enthusiastically participated in the Women's Association of the hamlet.
Those were her first steps on her journey of selfless service, a journey whose noble contribution, even in the simplest of ways, can be seen in retrospect.
The story of swimmer Sáu Thia began in 2002. At that time, Hung Thanh commune was implementing a project to popularize swimming among children.
For generations, the Dong Thap Muoi region has "lived with floods," yet paradoxically, very few children know how to swim. Every flood season, tragic news of children drowning is like "a knife cutting into people's hearts."
Seeing that Mrs. Sau was a skilled swimmer, and also had a good reputation and enthusiasm, the People's Committee of the commune invited her to be a "coach." Without a moment's hesitation, she nodded. But that nod wasn't for the title or the allowance, but stemmed from an unceasing obsession.
"I saw so many cases of children drowning on TV, it broke my heart. I just wanted to teach the children how to swim so they could protect themselves, and I had no other ulterior motive," Mrs. Sau Thia confided.
And so, a one-of-a-kind swimming class was born. There was no tiled swimming pool, no standard lanes, and no lifebuoys. Mrs. Sau Thia's "swimming pool" was the riverbank, the canal, or the stream.
She personally waded in the water, driving in bamboo stakes and enclosing the riverbank with netting to create a safe area, preventing children from swimming in deep water or being swept away by the current.
Calling her a "coach" sounds fancy, but in reality, Mrs. Sau teaches using her own "countryside" experience. The amazing thing is, she's incredibly skilled at it.
Children who were afraid of water and rivers, when taught by Mrs. Sau, could float on the water's surface, propelling themselves with their arms and legs to swim swiftly in just 5 days, or at most 10 days. She taught the children how to hold their breath, how to relax their bodies, and, more importantly, how to remain calm when facing the water.
For the past 23 years, the image of an elderly woman, submerged in water for hours, shouting instructions to the children, supporting their bellies with one hand and lifting their chins with the other to teach them to swim, has become familiar to the people of the riverine region.
Her dark complexion, now even more tanned by the sun and wind, is compensated by the laughter of the children and the reassurance of the parents, which are precious "medicines" that help her forget her fatigue.
COMPASSION AND INTERNATIONAL HONOR
What makes Mrs. Sau Thia's story so noble is not just her swimming teaching skills, but her character.
Ms. Tran Thi Kim Thia (second from the left) attended the First Emulation Congress of Dong Thap Province, 2025-2030 period, and was honored to receive a Certificate of Commendation from the Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Thap Province.
She sells lottery tickets. Her meals are usually simple, and her house is modest. Yet, for 23 years, she has taught swimming to thousands of children, never accepting a single penny in tuition fees from parents.
On average, she teaches about 10 swimming classes each year, attracting hundreds of children. The peak times are when the floodwaters begin to rise or during the summer.
Each course lasts about 15 days, with each session lasting over an hour of immersion in water. Knowing her difficult circumstances, many parents brought money and gifts to express their gratitude, but Mrs. Sau resolutely refused them.
"The children in this poor rural area have parents who work as laborers to earn every penny; where would they get the money for tuition? I help in any way I can, because if they accept the money, the poor children won't dare to come to school later," Mrs. Sau said.
Aside from a meager fuel allowance from the local government, Mrs. Sau Thia works entirely on a volunteer basis. To make ends meet and have the energy to teach swimming, she has to manage her schedule very carefully.
On the days she teaches swimming, she wakes up at dawn and rides her old motorbike to the teaching location.
After teaching, she would rush back home, selling lottery tickets door-to-door in the alleys and neighborhoods, or doing whatever work she could find, but no one ever saw her complain or show any intention of giving up.
Through her silent sacrifices, she is likened to a "fairy godmother" in everyday life, an image of self-respect and unconditional love for children.
Her tireless contributions have been recognized and deservedly honored by society.
In 2017, Ms. Sau Thia was honored to receive the KOVA Award in the "Beautiful Life" category - a prestigious award for exemplary individuals in society.
That same year, the prestigious British news agency BBC selected her for its list of 100 most influential women globally. The image of this down-to-earth woman from the Mekong Delta, appearing in international media, had a profound impact.
The world was astonished by the story of a lottery ticket vendor who taught swimming for free.
She proved that we don't need to be rich to do charity work, and we don't need power to change the world.
In 2020, she was honored to receive the Third-Class Labor Medal from the President of Vietnam . This is a prestigious award from the State for her significant contributions to the community. In 2021, Forbes Vietnam magazine named her among the 20 most inspiring women.
Standing alongside scientists, businesspeople, and artists, Mrs. Sau Thia was by no means overshadowed. On the contrary, her simplicity shone brightest. She represented the "strength" of compassion and the ability of ordinary people to contribute.
At the age of 67, an age when she should be resting and enjoying time with her children and grandchildren, Mrs. Sau Thia is still diligently working.
Many people ask her what motivates her to maintain that passionate enthusiasm for the past 23 years, while still facing the worries of making ends meet?
Her answer remained as simple and unassuming as ever: "I've taught swimming to thousands of children and treated them like my own children and grandchildren, and that alone makes me feel so happy and fulfilled!"
DUONG UT
Source: https://baodongthap.vn/-ba-tien-o-miet-song-nuoc-a235145.html
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