Spreading love in the border region.
In 1998, driven by her ideals and youthful enthusiasm, Mai Vy volunteered to teach in Sa Binh commune, Sa Thay district, Kon Tum (now Quang Ngai province) – a remote, border area facing extreme difficulties, lacking electricity and clean water, with steep and winding roads. The young teacher practically lived at the school, only visiting her family once every two or three months.
Ms. Mai Vy took the children to Australia for treatment.
PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR
As the first English teacher to come here to promote foreign language education, Ms. Mai Vy couldn't help but feel saddened by the sight of the thin, patched, and dirty children, some of whom were orphans struggling to get to school. She doesn't know exactly when, but she became a godmother to these disadvantaged children, regularly donating a portion of her salary to buy clothes, books, rice, and other necessities to help the poor students attend class.
With the belief that "supporting a child to go to school is a way to keep hope for the future alive," she tirelessly gives unconditional love, without expecting anything in return. The journeys from the city to the village have increased, always laden with heartfelt kindness: sometimes school supplies, other times full of essential goods; all to support the children's journey to literacy in the highlands.
Ms. Mai Vy guides the joyful steps of the children in the highlands.
PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR
Besides teaching regular classes, she actively participates in literacy programs for ethnic minority communities. She confided, "Most of the people here are poor, hesitant, and don't value literacy, plus the language barrier makes my efforts to educate them feel like carrying water up a mountain." Yet, she never gave up. With the support of the village elders, she persistently knocked on every door, persuading each person.
In 1999, amidst the surrounding mountains, a quiet "popular education" class was established. Since then, three times a week, as the sun sets behind the mountains, the young teacher and her colleagues light oil lamps and walk a short distance.
Lu Van Chien now has a mother and can walk; he plays the piano very well.
PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR
She traveled 10 km, navigating slippery slopes and muddy roads to bring literacy to the villages of Khuc Na, Ka Bay, Lung Leng, and Binh Loong. Some days, torrential rain poured down, soaking her clothes and leaving mud up to her ankles, but she never missed a class.
Undeterred by danger and hardship, she persevered in illuminating the villages with the light of knowledge, instilling hope, and building a generation that could read and write, dream, and strive for a better future. From this, the flower of knowledge blossomed amidst the vast forests and the human kindness of the borderlands…
Ms. Mai Vy cuts the ribbon to inaugurate the community suspension bridge.
PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR
That's how the first seeds of loving sunshine were sown—quietly, innocently, yet persistently.
Diligently nurturing sunshine, spreading love.
In 2003, Mai Vy experienced the joy of motherhood, but not long after, her son developed a fever that led to cerebral palsy. At that time, the school and her colleagues wholeheartedly supported her so she could focus on treating her son. "It was a time filled with tears but also with immense love and compassion," she confided.
Mai Vy has always had a deep affection for the children in the remote highlands, and she tirelessly continues to spread love and compassion.
PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR
Three years later, she moved to teach at Kon Tum College to be closer to her son. "After overcoming hardship," her son was able to walk, albeit hesitantly. When he was relatively stable, she continued to share her love. Along her long journey, encountering images of crudely made wooden crutches or helpless, deformed legs, her heart ached. And so she tirelessly spread love in Sa Binh as a way of giving back to life and to those in need.
Ms. Mai Vy frequently travels to remote villages to cook for the children.
PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR
In 2018, after watching a video clip of Lu Van Chien (born in 2012, in the former Ha Giang province ), who had been paralyzed since childhood, whose father was in prison, whose mother had abandoned him, and who used his hands to drag himself along the ground, Mai Vy was deeply moved. Despite never having been to Ha Giang, she traveled nearly 1,500 km to find a way to help Chien.
Mai Vy braved the sun and rain to bring light to remote villages in the highlands.
PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR
Seeing the boy huddled in the dark corner of the dilapidated house, silent, not smiling, showing signs of autism spectrum disorder, she thought to herself, "If Chien continues to live like this, he will have no future!" After patiently getting to know him, Chien unexpectedly called her "mother." That sacred word compelled her to adopt him and bring him to Australia for treatment, despite the arduous visa application process.
Ms. Tran Mai Vy and Mr. Lu Van Chien
PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR
After two months of persistent explanations, the application was approved. Then, she faced a difficult decision: "To go or to stay? If I take Chien with me, I'll leave my sick child at home, but abandoning Chien is unbearable. In the end, I applied for visas for both children to go," she confided.
In November 2019, a mother who had never been to Australia, with only a loving heart and hope as her possessions, pushed two wheelchairs carrying her two sons to a new horizon.
Thousands of warm jackets were donated by Ms. Mai Vy to children in remote areas.
PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR
The major surgery was successful, and Chiến softly called out, "Mommy Vy." As soon as the words left her lips, tears streamed down her face. She choked back tears as she recalled, "During the strenuous training sessions, the wound would bleed through the bandages, but Chiến never complained. The greater his endurance, the more I loved him." Then, miracle after miracle, after only three days, Chiến was able to walk. The first time he stood upright, Chiến's eyes widened in astonishment, while his foster mother's eyes welled up with tears, overflowing with happiness. This non-biological maternal love spread powerfully, leading international media to affectionately call Chiến "the lucky boy."
One of the seven community bridges that were built.
PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR
From a child who could only crawl on his hands, Chien can now stand steadily, walk to school on his own, and play the piano very skillfully. The sound of Chien's piano playing, from his mother's diary at the "Acts of Kindness" Gala in June 2025, along with his words of gratitude: "Thank you, Mom, for giving birth to me from your heart," filled us all with overwhelming happiness.
To date, Ms. Mai Vy has connected 11 disabled children with the US and Australia for free treatment, and over 100 children have received treatment in Vietnam. Thanks to her compassion, the lives of these unfortunate children have turned a new, brighter page, sparkling with hope.
The pedestrian bridges are built sturdily.
PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR
Flowers of compassion amidst the vast forest
Feeling somewhat relieved about Chien, Mai Vy switched to business to have more time to care for her family and continue her charitable work. Although she no longer teaches, her heart remains deeply concerned for the poor children in the remote highlands.
For many years, she has persistently braved the sun and rain to carry out the "Cooking for Children" program in remote villages 2-3 times a month. Over 100 trips, thousands of children have received delicious meals and immeasurable love. Beyond providing meals, she has also been a bridge connecting people to happiness. Witnessing students having to cross streams during the rainy season, she launched fundraising efforts and, together with local authorities, built 7 sturdy pedestrian bridges in Dak Ha and Dak Glei (Quang Ngai province) at a total cost of approximately 3 billion VND.
Solar-powered lights have been installed to illuminate every household in remote areas.
PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR
She even waded through streams and forests to bring solar-powered lamps to the villages of Le Toan, Dak Nai, and Dak Pne for the local people. The lights were even installed along the road leading to the legendary Ngoc Linh mountain peak. "I'll never forget the first time the lights shone in a villager's house. They hugged me and cried, saying, 'We've always eaten in the dark our whole lives, and now we're finally eating under the light.' After hearing that, all the fatigue from the nearly two-hour walk vanished," she recalled. To date, Mai Vy and her team have installed over 500 solar-powered lamps, bringing light to the remote highlands.
Solar-powered lights illuminate the path to the summit of Mount Ngoc Linh.
PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR
In 2022, she founded the "Handmade Cafe - Gathering Love" model, where mothers with children suffering from cerebral palsy, disabilities, etc., can connect and create livelihoods, where personal pain is transformed into shared strength, overcoming difficulties together. With a compassionate heart, she skillfully utilized all her close relationships as a bridge to receive support in the form of fabric scraps, sewing machines, needles, and thread. She also found markets for the products, helping many women in similar situations to earn extra income and regain faith in life.
From a young teacher in the remote mountains, Mai Vy has become a source of spiritual support for countless less fortunate lives. Like a gentle sun, not dazzling but quietly nurturing its light, she sows seeds of compassion into the world, making the world around her brighter and bursting with miraculous vitality.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/gieo-nang-185250926194335759.htm
Comment (0)