Phone repairman becomes master, Chinese teacher

From a mountain boy working as a phone repairman and supermarket employee, Tran Trung Duc graduated with a master's degree from a top university in China and is now devoted to his teaching career.

The turning point from "learning for the sake of knowing"

Mr. Tran Trung Duc (32 years old, Lao Cai province) is currently a master's degree holder in international Chinese language education (Beijing Foreign Studies University), manager and teacher of Trung Duc Chinese Language Center. Few people know that, to have the journey of studying and teaching today, he had to go through a difficult time, no money, no connections and no direction.

Mr. Tran Trung Duc on his master's graduation day

PHOTO: NVCC

After graduating from high school, Duc studied electronics repair. However, because he was eager to make money, he dropped out of school to work in Hanoi . Without a solid background, he found himself unemployed just a few months later.

In 2012, Duc decided to study at a college in Phu Tho and graduated with honors. Duc applied to work as a supermarket employee at Ma Lu Thang border gate.

In 2016, he went to Hekou (China) to study Chinese at Hekou Vocational College. At first, he only intended to “study for the sake of it” because he loved Chinese movies and music, but after only 2 weeks, he realized he had a special talent and quickly rose to the top of the class.

After 5 months of studying, he participated in the Chinese Speaking Competition organized by the school, both as a contestant and as a Chinese MC. The program had Vietnamese delegates and was recorded by Chinese television and he excellently won first prize. Thanks to his impressive performance, he was nominated by the Principal of Hekou Vocational College for a Chinese Government scholarship in medicine.

“Perhaps my biggest advantage is living in the border area, hearing people speak Chinese every day, so the language gradually seeps into me,” he shared with a smile.

From here, the journey of "going to school to learn" of the highland boy officially became a serious and determined academic path.

I do everything, even the smallest, with all my care. Not to be loved by teachers but to not waste the opportunity I have.

Mr. Tran Trung Duc

Turning the corner at 26

In 2017, it seemed like the future was wide open when Duc received a full scholarship from the Chinese Government in the field of medicine. After a year of preparatory study in Shanghai, he was transferred to Kunming to retake the general program. But just a few months later, he decided to stop.

“I thought that after finishing the preparatory course, I would be able to enter the major, but then I had to retake subjects like organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry… which were very difficult. I knew that I had no talent for natural sciences, and if I tried, I would lose the joy of studying,” he said.

During that time, he actively participated in Chinese learning forums and realized that many Vietnamese people had difficulty with pronunciation. From that observation, he began to nurture the idea of ​​becoming a Chinese teacher to help learners overcome this difficulty.

Anh Duc owns many certificates of merit.

PHOTO: NVCC

In 2019, he decided to pursue international Chinese education. Although his GPA was only 6.2/10, he was still awarded a scholarship by Yunnan Normal University, one of the top universities in China for training Chinese teachers, because he had an HSK 5 certificate and won first place in a previous Chinese speech contest. With his tireless efforts, he graduated as valedictorian from Yunnan Normal University with a GPA of 3.99/4.0.

He continued to study for a master's degree at Beijing Language and Culture University in 2023. By 2025, his graduation thesis, which focused on researching common pronunciation errors of Vietnamese people and correction methods, was completed with excellent results with a GPA of 3.94/4.0. "I do everything, even the smallest things, with all my care. Not to be loved by teachers, but to not let down the opportunities I have," he shared.

Anh Duc believes that being late to school is not a barrier. “Older people often have a certain level of maturity and thinking. During my time studying, the distance between me and the lecturers became closer, and that helped me know how to support my classmates a lot,” he said.

After 7 years of going in the wrong direction, starting at the age of 26, he finally found his path. “No matter where you come from or what age you start from, the important thing is whether you dare to find and pursue it or not,” he shared.

Education is not only about teaching letters, but also about "growing people"

Now, while teaching Chinese in Vietnam, Mr. Tran Trung Duc realizes that teaching is not only about imparting knowledge but also a journey of sharing and understanding.

“I never thought I would become a teacher. I think teaching is not just about teaching language, but also understanding students’ psychology and making them realize that things are not as difficult as they think,” he said.

He told about a student named Hung in Ho Chi Minh City who had a short tongue and could not pronounce correctly. After being patient with him every day, he was able to speak Chinese fluently. “That moment made me understand that all the efforts of the teaching profession are worth it,” he said emotionally.

He also did not forget to mention his supervisor during his graduate studies. “She was like a second mother. One time on Teachers’ Day in China, I was in a bit of trouble, she said she would help me because she had saved some money. It was her dedication that made me want to pass on that good thing to my students.”

For Duc, education is a process of “cultivating people” in the true sense. “Teachers not only teach knowledge but also instill in us faith, perspective and the ability to turn adversity into opportunity. Education helps people learn to adapt, improvise and constantly grow,” he shared.

It is known that Mr. Duc is planning to apply for a doctoral scholarship at Beijing University. In the future, he hopes to teach at a university in Hanoi, and at the same time study vocal music and communication in Ho Chi Minh City to develop new directions.

To young people on his journey, Mr. Duc wants to say: “If you want to give someone a drop of water, you must have the whole ocean. Learn, make mistakes, change direction if you feel it is not suitable because the journey to find knowledge is never a straight path.”

Outstanding achievements

Mr. Tran Trung Duc won first prize in Yunnan province poetry recitation (international student group) 2021, consolation prize in China poetry recitation (international student group) 2021, and third prize in the COP 15 global biodiversity speaking competition in 2021.

In particular, Mr. Duc won the 2022 world championship in the film dubbing competition organized by Hanyu Bridge. The 2024 world championship in the film dubbing competition organized by Hanyu Bridge.

In addition, Mr. Duc won second prize in the Beijing citywide competition to tell stories about China in English (Chinese group) 2024.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chang-trai-sua-dien-thoai-tro-thanh-thac-si-thay-giao-tieng-trung-185251104160315238.htm