"Carrying knowledge" up the mountains, illuminating the vast forests.

During those difficult times, many young teachers from Quang Binh province crossed mountains and forests to reach Quang Tri (now the two provinces have merged into Quang Tri province), bringing literacy to the people in the highlands. Ignoring numerous opportunities to work in more favorable areas, they willingly sacrificed their youth, staying at their schools and in their villages. Some remained, dedicating their entire lives to the vast forests of western Quang Tri.

Ms. Le Thi Dien and her husband now have many children and grandchildren - Photo: QH

Dedicate your youth to the mountains and forests.

“ So, Dong Hoi, Quang Binh / Dong Ha, Quang Tri, we share the same homeland/... You all attend the same school/North and South share the same road to and from/Now, we return to our homeland/Quang Binh and Quang Tri, one loving home .” These are the verses of teacher Nguyen Thanh Chi (born in 1968), residing in Hamlet 3B, Khe Sanh town, Huong Hoa district (now Khe Sanh commune, Quang Tri province).

Upon hearing the news that Quang Tri and Quang Binh provinces had officially merged, Mr. Chi's heart was moved to write these emotionally charged verses. "Although I am a son of Quang Binh, I have lived and educated in the highlands of Quang Tri for 43 years. Therefore, this moment is very special to me. I want to use these verses to express my feelings," Mr. Chi shared.

In 1982, young Nguyen Thanh Chi from Quang Binh eagerly went to work in the mountainous region of Huong Hoa. Born and raised amidst countless hardships, this young man understood the aspirations of poor students. Therefore, after graduating from Dong Hoi Teacher Training College, Mr. Chi volunteered to "carry education" to the mountains, even though many people tried to dissuade him because Huong Hoa was a sacred forest area with dangerous waters.

Some young people, like Mr. Chi, came here with great enthusiasm, but then hastily returned home, fearing malaria, poverty, and hardship. Before leaving, although he had anticipated the difficulties, the challenges in reality were far greater than Mr. Chi had imagined. What kept him here was the yearning for knowledge in the eyes of the children. Mr. Chi felt as if he saw himself reflected in those eyes.

It's not just strong, broad-shouldered men who make their way to the highlands of Quang Tri; the path taken by teachers from Quang Binh also includes women, though small in stature, who possess extraordinary willpower and determination. Ms. Le Thi Dien (born in 1962) is one of them. Ms. Dien was born and raised in Tuyen Hoa, Quang Binh, and experienced days of hunger and lack of education. When her parents learned she had chosen teaching as her dream, they encouraged her: "Keep going, daughter! Find a profession so you won't be stuck in these mountains anymore."

But when she announced she would be going to work in the highlands of Quang Tri, her parents were shocked. “On the day I left, my parents cried, even feeling as if they had lost… their daughter. After a while, my father traveled all the way to visit me. Seeing me living in a thatched house with bamboo walls, eating rice mixed with potatoes and cassava… he insisted on bringing me back. When I asked, ‘If everyone goes back, who will stay behind to help the people here?’, he silently let go of my hand,” Ms. Dien recounted.

Ms. Phan Thi Phap and her husband together rekindled the flame of happiness during the most difficult times - Photo: QH

The stories of Ms. Dien and Mr. Chi are just two of thousands of tales about teachers in Quang Binh who chose the mountainous region of Quang Tri to dedicate their youth to their education. Fifty-three years ago, after the liberation of Quang Tri, one of the most important and urgent tasks of the revolutionary government at the time was to combat illiteracy. Responding to the call of the Party and the revolution in the South, hundreds of cadres, teachers, and students from 17 provinces in the socialist North volunteered to go. Among them, many were born and raised in Quang Binh.

Upon arriving in Quang Tri, most teachers from Quang Binh volunteered to work in the mountainous districts of Huong Hoa and Dakrong, even knowing that it was a difficult place to get to but hard to return from. Overcoming initial difficulties, the teachers built classrooms and schools, so that the sounds of children learning to read and write echoed throughout the vast mountains.

By day, they taught young children, and in the evenings, they contributed to eradicating illiteracy among adults. Gradually, over time, literacy became commonplace among the people here. Few know that, in exchange for this initial educational achievement, these teachers shed countless tears and sweat. Some even lost their lives after battling malaria or devastating floods.

Lifelong dedication

Visiting the mountainous regions of Huong Hoa and Dakrong today, it's not difficult to find and chat with teachers from Quang Binh province. Welcoming guests into his neat house near Huong Hoa High School, Mr. Chi said that even now, every time he hears the drum signaling the start of class, he and his wife still feel an indescribable mix of emotions. In the old days, when they first started working in Huong Hoa, teachers like Mr. Chi and his wife, Ms. Hao, were the "drums" for the students.

Whenever they see an empty classroom, the teachers often have to go home, or even to the fields, to find the students. In response to this hard work, they sometimes hear honest but heartbreaking words from parents and students: "Hunger kills you, but hunger for knowledge is okay"; "I like learning, but the knowledge doesn't like me"... Hearing this, they sit down again, patiently explain, encourage, and use every means to "lure" the students back to class.

As the conversation progressed, Mr. Chi recounted that in 1985, he was sent by the District Education and Training Department to Hue to study for a Bachelor's degree in Political Science. Coincidentally, he met Ms. Manh Thi Hao, a fellow student from his hometown who had been in the same high school class and was then a teacher in the mountainous A Luoi region of Thua Thien Hue. Each time they met, their conversations about school, classes, students... seemed endless. After returning to their workplaces following their studies, handwritten letters and shared professional experiences continued to connect them.

“My wife and I got married in 1987. A year later, my wife moved from A Luoi to Huong Hoa for work, and then we had children. Since then, we have become even more determined to stay in this land, as a token of gratitude,” Mr. Chi shared.

Teacher Nguyen Thanh Chi and his wife are both dedicated to the cause of educating children in the mountainous region of Quang Tri - Photo: QH

Like Mr. and Mrs. Chi, even now, Ms. Dien still secretly thanks her selfless choice 44 years ago. Because, a year after going to teach in Huong Hoa, she had the good fortune to meet Mr. Tran Minh Thai, a colleague, a fellow villager, and later the soulmate of her life.

Together, they traveled to many villages to spread the seeds of literacy. Later, even after transitioning to administrative positions and serving as the Head of the Propaganda Department of the Dakrong District Party Committee, Ms. Dien's husband remained deeply committed to the cause of educating people. Ms. Dien said: "Now, although we are both retired, my husband and I are still affectionately called 'teacher' and 'mentor' by everyone. That is perhaps the most meaningful gift for us, having come to spread literacy and then staying to contribute to this land."

Among the teachers from Quang Binh who went to the highlands of Quang Tri to teach, some have become cherished sons-in-law and daughters-in-law of the local villages. At 21 years old, carrying her diploma from Binh Tri Thien Teacher Training High School, Phan Thi Phap (born in 1962), originally from Dong Hoi, Quang Binh, arrived in Khe Ngai village and was stunned to find no school buildings or students.

Suppressing her anxieties, she mobilized the young people in the village to go into the forest to cut wood, gather thatch, and weave mats... to build a school, then went door-to-door to encourage the children to attend class. This work was too much for a young woman from the lowlands without the help of the Secretary of the Youth Union branch in Khe Ngai village - Ho Ngoc Vui (born in 1959).

Later, during her teaching career in the village and subsequent assignments to more remote areas, Ms. Phap found comfort and encouragement in the care and attention of Mr. Vui. From there, their hearts gradually resonated. “To have this marriage, we overcame many obstacles and outdated, backward beliefs. Becoming a daughter-in-law of Khe Ngai village, I became more aware of my responsibilities, diligently teaching until my retirement. Currently, both my son and daughter have followed in my footsteps as teachers,” Ms. Phap revealed.

Today, the two provinces of Quang Tri and Quang Binh officially become one. Many historical landmarks no longer exist or have undergone significant changes. In the endless cycle of time, most of the teachers from Quang Binh province who came to the disadvantaged region of Quang Tri decades ago have left the teaching profession. Among them, some are still healthy, but others have passed away, leaving behind "monuments" in the hearts of the local people. Nevertheless, their journey does not end; it is being continued by their children and students.

The flame of knowledge continued to spread throughout the vast forest.

Quang Hiep

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/cong-chu-len-non-thap-sang-dai-ngan-194707.htm