Happiness from the "land of fire"

After graduating from university in 1973, the young man from Quang Binh and the young woman from Nghe An were assigned to the "fire land" of Quang Tri to "sow knowledge and cultivate people." From hardship and difficulty, the two young teachers dedicated their lives to building a happy home and guiding many generations of students to adulthood. This is the beautiful and humane story of teacher Dinh Duy Thiep and teacher Nguyen Thi Dao, from Dong Le commune (formerly Dong Van sub-district, Dong Le town, Tuyen Hoa district).

Whenever they miss their students and Quang Tri , Mr. Dinh Duy Thiep and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Dao take out their commemorative photos with generations of students to look at.

A difficult time

Following the call of the revolutionary government of Quang Tri province, the Central Committee mobilized a team of teachers from all over the country to support the Quang Tri education sector in overcoming the consequences of war and nurturing future generations. Responding to this call, in 1973, Dinh Duy Thiep (from Yen Hoa commune, formerly Minh Hoa district) and Nguyen Thi Dao (from Thanh Chuong district, Nghe An province), both recent graduates of Vinh University (Thiep majored in Biology Education, Dao majored in Mathematics Education), were assigned by the Ministry of Education to teach in the "war-torn land" of Quang Tri. They were outstanding students of the university, possessing good morals and strong political convictions.

Mr. Thiep was assigned to teach at Vinh Linh A High School (now Vinh Linh High School). The school was located in Ho Xa, with 38 classrooms, 100 teachers, and over 1,000 students. At that time, Vinh Linh was facing hardship and shortages in many aspects, with people and students lacking enough food and clothing. Mr. Thiep recounted: “Back then, the main task of a young teacher like me was teaching, coordinating with parents and students to cut bamboo, wood, and leaves to build school buildings. In my free time, I would go to students' homes to help them with production. Life was difficult and arduous, but we still loved our profession and were deeply attached to this land.”

Ms. Nguyen Thi Dao taught at Vinh Linh B High School (now Cua Tung High School). It was a poor area, heavily damaged by bombs and bullets during the war. The students there were mostly children of farmers, living in extremely difficult and deprived conditions. Ms. Dao recalled: “At that time, teachers’ salaries were only 51 dong plus 13.5 kg of rice per month. To overcome the difficulties, we had to grow sweet potatoes and cassava for vegetables. During rainy and flood days, students who lived far away had to stay at school, so the teachers had to cook meals for them. Seeing their clothes torn, I had to mend them. Some students didn’t have enough clothes to wear to class, so I had to cut back on my own salary to buy them clothes as gifts…”

Despite the hardships and difficulties, the bond between teachers and students in the "land of fire" Quang Tri remained strong. Rice, cassava, and sweet potatoes were readily shared, warming hearts with mutual affection. What brought the teachers the most joy back then was that all the students were well-behaved and rarely dropped out. Later, many of Mr. Thiep and Mrs. Dao's former students became successful, rising to become leading officials in the country. Some succeeded in the police, military, or business... "Later, we returned to work in Quang Binh (formerly), but many generations of students from Quang Tri (formerly) came to visit or invited us back to our old school for reunions. Each time, teachers and students would reminisce about the old days until dawn..."

According to statistics, from 1961 to 1974, nearly 3,000 teachers from North Vietnam crossed the Truong Son Mountains to support the South, simultaneously teaching and participating in the resistance against the US. Quang Binh was one of the provinces with the highest number of teachers participating in this effort. Their belongings consisted of only a few sets of clothes, a mat, a blanket, a pen, and a notebook... But with their love for the profession and the enthusiasm of youth, these teachers dedicated their youth to the "land of fire" in Quang Tri, nurturing generations of poor students there...

Happy

Although they attended the same university and were assigned to the same program at the same time, Mr. Thiep and Ms. Dao had never met. In 1974, a teacher from the same school, who shared a room with Ms. Dao, married a colleague. After the wedding, this teacher decided to transfer to Vinh Linh A High School. To facilitate the new couple, Ms. Dao requested a transfer in her place and it was approved.

Teachers who used to teach in Quang Tri province met with former students.

On the day she arrived at her new school, the beautiful young teacher from Nghe An was still feeling a bit lost, but a male colleague from Quang Binh came to greet her and help carry her luggage. At that time, both Mr. Thiep and Ms. Dao were quick-witted, lively, and intelligent, so they were elected as school youth union officials. During their professional and youth union activities, the two young teachers developed a strong bond and fell in love without even realizing it.

After two years of dating, despite encouragement from colleagues, both families opposed the relationship. Ms. Dao said: “When we started dating, our families objected because of the geographical distance; our families were small, so our parents wanted us to live close together. Besides, life was very difficult at that time, and without family support, our parents feared we wouldn’t be able to overcome the challenges. To prove our decision was right, we worked hard, supported each other in life, and gradually overcame the difficulties to get married.”

The young couple's wedding was held right at the school in a "modern lifestyle" style. Mr. Thiep recalled: "At that time, the school's administration mobilized all the teachers to dismantle the partitions between two classrooms and rearrange the desks and chairs to create a wedding venue. Guests brought only pens, notebooks, and towels as wedding gifts. Some students also came to celebrate with gifts from their hometowns, such as dried fish, sweet potatoes, and cassava... We offered our guests a few plates of cakes and candies, tea, and cigarettes. It was simple, but my wife and I felt incredibly warm and happy."

Also in 1976, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien Hue provinces merged to form Binh Tri Thien province, and the young couple moved back to their hometown to work at Tuyen Hoa High School. Mr. Thiep later became the principal, working at several high schools in the former Tuyen Hoa and Minh Hoa districts. Now, the couple are elderly, their children have grown up and become successful, but whenever they recall those years working in the "land of fire" Quang Tri, they still feel nostalgic and emotional.

Xuan Vuong

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/hanh-phuc-tu-dat-lua-195507.htm