Father died, mother left: Journey of architectural dream in the midst of hardship

Those were the days when I went to school in a difficult situation, sometimes hungry, sometimes full, sweat not yet dry to nurture the seeds of letters, a childhood full of tears, in the pain of being an orphan, lacking the protection of a mother.

Orphaned and poor childhood

Thinh was born into a poor family. When he was just 5 years old and his younger sister Tran Thi Ngoc Han (2 years old), his parents divorced. His mother left, started a new family, and has not returned home for 11 years. In the situation of a "single father raising children", Thinh's father could only work part-time to provide his two children with simple meals.

Four members of Thinh's family are struggling to make a living in an old, dilapidated house that has not had the money to repair for many years. Photo: Thu Hien

A tragic event suddenly struck. In 2019, his father passed away from a stroke, leaving the Thinh brothers with a void and irreplaceable longing. After sending off their only son in the pain of “the old bamboo cries for the young bamboo”, Mr. Tran Van Ngoc (67 years old) and Mrs. Huyen Thi Phet (63 years old) opened their arms to welcome their two innocent grandchildren to raise in a dilapidated, old house in Group 11-12, Xom Ho Hamlet, Nhon Trach Commune.

“There were days when it rained heavily, water leaked all over the house, the children had to stay up all night to cover their notebooks and books. Looking at my two grandchildren huddled together, I felt heartbroken and didn’t know what to do. I just wish I had enough strength to take care of their education, to the best of my ability…” - Mrs. Phet choked up.

Despite his old age and poor health, Mr. Ngoc still tries to work for hire to support his grandchildren's education. Photo: Thu Hien

Despite his old age and poor health, Mr. Ngoc still tries to work to support his grandchildren's education. Photo: Thu Hien

Despite his old age, Mr. Ngoc still tries to work for hire everywhere, from construction worker, grass cutter to well digger, earning only about 3 million VND/month. His wife is weak, can only raise a few cows to sell manure to earn a little extra money to cover living expenses.

Pay tuition from bonuses and wages

Feeling sorry for his grandparents who had to work hard, after school, Thinh tried to help with all the housework, mowing the grass, and taking care of the cows. At night, he asked to work as a waiter or help clean the shop.

“I save every little penny of my salary, every scholarship or bonus for excellent students, partly to cover my tuition fees, partly to cover my grandparents' expenses when they are sick or unemployed, and partly to take care of my sister's personal belongings,” Thinh said.

After each study hour, Thinh is busy with all kinds of work to make a living. Photo: Thu Hien

After each study hour, Thinh is busy with all kinds of jobs to make a living. Photo: Thu Hien

Despite the hustle and bustle of making a living and the pressure of difficult economic problems, Ngoc Thinh still maintains a serious learning spirit, always proactively helps friends, and actively participates in class and school movements.

“I had a dream early on to study architecture or construction. I want to design a small, neat house for my grandparents that doesn’t leak when it rains. I also want to build more houses for poor children so that no one has to live in a makeshift situation like I did,” Thinh shared.

Her eyes, which had just sparkled with confidence, quickly turned sad when she thought about the days ahead. Her grandparents were weak, their jobs were unstable, the small house was dilapidated and in need of repairs to be able to live in… All of these made her path to university extremely fragile.

The road to school is still full of hardships, but Thinh's eyes still shine with faith and a thirst for knowledge. Photo: Thu Hien

Understanding her second brother's feelings, Ngoc Han tearfully said: "I always try my best to study hard following your example, I also wish to study economics to help my grandparents. But now they can't take care of me anymore. I'm willing to drop out of school so you can go to university, partly to support you, partly to save up, I can go back to school later."

In difficult circumstances, Thinh and Han still learn to love and give each other the opportunity to go to school - something that many other children their age have never had to worry about. Each outstretched hand, each kind heart shared, will be the pink bricks that build the dream house and a solid future for the two orphaned children.

Please send all donations to:
+ Wings of Dreams Program, Publicity and Documentation Department, Dong Nai Newspaper and Radio and Television.
+ Or phone number: 0911.21.21.26 (Editor Thu Hien).
+ Receiving account: 197073599999 - Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, Vietinbank . Please clearly state in the transfer content: Support for Ngoc Thinh.
The Dream Wings Scholarship Awarding Program (session 124) will take place at 10:00 a.m., November 17, 2025 (Monday), at Nguyen Binh Khiem High School, Nhon Trach Commune, Dong Nai Province.

Thu Hien

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/202511/cha-mat-me-bo-di-hanh-trinh-uoc-mo-kien-truc-giua-gian-kho-4db0972/