Journey of connecting hearts

Ordinary yet extraordinary

Vietnamese people - small, very ordinary people but do many extraordinary things. A child persistently picks up trash every day to keep a small alley clean; a teacher in the highlands wades through steep slopes to teach poor students; or a mechanic opens a free gate for the unfortunate on their journey to make a living. From those who silently donate blood, mothers who take care of thousands of orphans, to young people with disabilities who overcome their fate to help people in the same situation, contributing to the community.

Suffering from congenital brittle bone disease and unable to walk like a normal person, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tam (born in 1990, Nam Dinh ) still dreams of becoming a teacher with a class of 5 that is not special: no chalk, no blackboard, no podium, no lesson plans and no tuition. "I am 33 years old this year, because of brittle bone disease, the number of bone fractures is many times greater than my age. My internal organs are also damaged because of that. However, damage is their business, and trying hard is my business" - Ngoc Tam calmly shared about her illness.

Brittle bone teacher - Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tam inspires the disabled community.

Despite her painful childhood with constant broken bones, Tam is very passionate about learning and wants to teach poor students for free. The tables and chairs used for teaching are all homemade by her parents. Although she has not been formally trained as a real teacher, Ms. Tam's class has regularly welcomed students from grades 1 to 8 to study for nearly twenty years, even students from other provinces, from Thai Binh, Ninh Binh ... to study with Ms. Tam. She founded the Ngoc Tam Thuy Tinh Scholarship Fund. At the end of each semester and school year, the Ngoc Tam Thuy Tinh class always strives to give rewards and gifts to children in poor rural areas. In addition, she also built a bookshelf of 1,500 books with the hope of bringing knowledge to students.

Born in a remote village in Hoang Su Phi district, Ha Giang province, the boy Lu Van Chien (born in 2012, Nung ethnic group) had a congenital disability in both legs, which made him only able to crawl with his hands to move. However, his situation was even more difficult because his father was in prison and his mother had left him to find a new life. The only remaining piece of luck in his life at that time was probably the love of his grandmother. Despite her old age, she still carried him to school every day.

In September 2018, a clip of a boy crawling with his hands, covered in mud, was posted on social media along with a plea for help: "Can anyone help?". The image made a strong impression on the online community and received a lot of attention. Among them, the volunteer group "Connecting Love" connected with Professor, Doctor Tran Anh Ton, an orthopedic surgeon living in Melbourne (Australia). Doctor Ton agreed to treat Chien, but on the condition that someone had to come to the boy's house so he could see him via video. A member of the "Connecting Love" group, Ms. Tran Mai Vy, volunteered to travel nearly 1,500km from Kon Tum city to Nam Khoa commune, Ha Giang to meet Chien in person.

Thanks to everyone's kindness, Chien has gone from being a child with a congenital deformity in his legs to now having healthy legs like everyone else.

After many difficulties, in November 2019, Ms. Tran Mai Vy took Chien to Australia for surgery. The 9-hour surgery was successful. Ms. Vy adopted Chien and brought him back to Kon Tum to take care of him, even though she also had a son with cerebral palsy. After months of persistent physical therapy, little Chien stood firmly on his feet and took his first steps at the age of 7. Gradually, Chien walked faster, then cycled around the house, went to school by himself, and played with friends.

The story of the "unwilling" motherhood of Chien and Vy brought tears to many doctors and nurses at St John of God Berwick Hospital. Newspapers in Australia, the United States, England... called it a historic surgery, because it was not only written about medicine but also about boundless humanity. Australians also affectionately nicknamed Chien "Lucky boy".

Millions of hearts beat together

Home is where the storm stops at the door. Because of natural disasters, because of life's storms, there are children who have no home to return to. However, from that storm, new houses, families that are not blood relatives are still attached to each other. Built with love, "A warm home away from mother" has helped more than 600 lives find warmth for more than 30 years. There, children of different generations gather together, filled with emotion when remembering the years they were cared for and educated by their adoptive mothers.

The story of a veteran also moved many people. Pitying abandoned children and children lacking conditions for care, Mr. Huynh Tan Hung - a veteran in Phu Ninh district, Quang Nam province opened his door to take in unfortunate children. That journey has been quiet and silent for over 15 years.

Mr. Nguyen Trung Chat (Ba Dinh, Hanoi) is the father of 305 orphans. Raising children from a very young age, until they go to school, and then grow up is not an easy journey. However, Mr. Chat and his love for his children have overcome everything. He also organized weddings for his grown children, asked for their wives, and picked them up so that his children always know that this is their home, their warmth, their support for them to be proud of, that they are not orphans, helpless and helpless.

Regardless of age, profession or social status, the only thing they have in common is a kind heart.

The universe has millions of wonders, but the greatest wonder in this life is the mother's heart. That heart not only carries boundless love but also a source of miraculous power, always ready to sacrifice, contribute and give without asking for anything in return. That is the silent love for her husband, children, family and even strangers. The mother of Lieutenant Colonel, Doctor Nguyen Le Trung (Hospital 103) lived like that - silently, persistently and kindly until the last moment. The doctor was the one who fulfilled his mother's last wish - to donate his corneas after his death. And it was Doctor Trung, that son, who continued his mother's act - by registering to donate organs, giving life to many others.

The country is a big house, where millions of hearts beat together. Every kind person is a small brick that contributes to building that common roof. From small actions, each person contributes to creating a solid wall, where love is firmly attached so that our country can reach further and further.

Those seemingly small things, when added together, have become a great power that warms people’s hearts, lighting up faith in goodness in the midst of a thorny life. They, the simple yet resilient people, are proof that kindness is always present, everywhere in this S-shaped strip of land.

Pride becomes the red thread for each of us to find the meaning of giving, of loving. From the smallest actions like planting a tree to holding the hands of those in need. Collecting each good deed is the way everyone together colors the red flag with a yellow star for the two words Vietnam.

“Gala Celebrating 10 Years of Kindness” with the theme “Kindness Vietnam” has the participation of more than 100 typical characters, representing 2,500 examples of kindness that have appeared on VTV program “Kindness” to spread beautiful actions and beautiful examples in society.

The 10th Anniversary Gala of “Decent Work” will feature famous artists such as Den, Van Mai Huong, Lam Phuc, Hien VK, etc. and many others. Emotional songs such as “Going Home”, “Decent Work - Anyone Can” and especially “Decent Vietnam” will be performed like a melody connecting millions of Vietnamese hearts. Joining the “10th Anniversary Gala of Decent Work” will be the participation of People’s Artist Minh Hoa, People’s Artist Lan Huong, Meritorious Artist Do Ky, Meritorious Artist Quach Thu Phuong, Meritorious Artist Cao Nguyet Hang, Miss Ngoc Han, actress Hong Diem, actress Bao Thanh, etc. and many other famous artists. The program will be broadcast in May 2025 on VTV1 channel and VTV Go application.

Thuy Duong

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/hanh-trinh-ket-noi-cua-nhung-trai-tim-post547894.html