Performed by: DOAN NHAN - THANH NGUYEN - NHA CHAN - DIEM HUONG
Nhat delivers goods to earn money to support his dream of becoming an architect - Photo: DOAN NHAN
The tragic loss of a child
Speaking to the program "Tie Suc Den Truong", Mr. Tran Huu Chinh (61 years old), Nhat's uncle, said that since he was a child, Nhat had suffered a lot because his father suffered from mental illness and was half-conscious. In 2014, during a bout of illness, the miserable man burned himself, leaving behind his wife and children.
Not long after, Nhat's mother got cancer and was treated everywhere but could not survive. Seeing her nephew helpless, Mr. Chinh and Nhat's uncle pooled their money to raise him.
"But I can only provide my grandchild with meals and clothes, but I can't make up for the lack of parental love. Before, adding a grandchild was just an extra bowl and chopsticks, which was easy. Now he's in college, and the tuition fee is tens of millions per semester. His uncle and I really can't afford it," said Mr. Chinh.
Mr. Chinh is old and has tuberculosis. His wife is blind and has to depend on her children for a living. Although she loves her grandchildren, she has no choice but to accept it.
Uncle Chinh has been Nhat's support since his parents passed away, now Nhat has to take care of himself - Photo: THANH NGUYEN
Determined to be independent and the first debt of life
Nhat's small house is located deep in an alley on Nguyen Luong Bang Street, Hoa Hiep Nam Ward, Lien Chieu District, Da Nang City. Continuous flooding has left the walls covered with seepage and peeling. The front room houses the altar for his parents, a table and chairs, and Nhat's study desk. A narrow room behind houses a bed, separating it from the kitchen.
Mr. Chinh said that since graduating from high school, Nhat no longer wanted to rely on his uncles and aunts but to take care of himself. Nhat realized that his uncles and aunts were both in difficult circumstances.
Since 2021, when his mother passed away, seeing his uncle struggling to provide for meals and tuition, Nhat also took advantage of the summer days to work as a cafe assistant, construction worker... to earn some extra money to buy school supplies.
The day Nhat was admitted to the Da Nang University of Architecture, Mr. Chinh borrowed tens of millions of dong to help him enroll in school. That was also the first debt when Nhat started to take care of himself.
Orphaned student Tran Huu Nhat (right) has touched the dream of university lecture hall - Photo: THANH NGUYEN
Hard work delivering goods to nurture the dream of becoming an architect
After finishing the National High School Graduation Exam, Nhat started looking for a job because he knew that when he entered university, he would have to take care of many expenses himself. From his mother's old motorbike, Nhat searched for express shipper groups in Da Nang. When someone posted a need for a fast delivery shipper on the group, Nhat would join the group to "fight for the order", and if he was lucky enough to be chosen, he would run to deliver.
At first, because he had no experience in receiving orders, Nhat could only handle a few orders a day. Later, when he got used to it, he could handle more than a dozen orders a day, each with a fee of about 15,000 - 30,000 VND.
On rainy days, many shippers will take a day off, but Nhat still works because it is easier to get orders then. There are times when the car breaks down in the middle of the delivery, or when a difficult customer cancels the food order, Nhat has to take the food home. When a high-value order is made, the whole day of delivery effort is lost because as a freelance shipper, there is no unit to guarantee his rights.
Every day, Nhat delivers goods from 7am to 10pm. There are days when Nhat works all shift until 2am.
Every time his stomach growled with hunger, Nhat quickly ate a loaf of bread or a lunch box from the street to make it on time for delivery. On days when he received few orders, he either went without or mixed a package of instant noodles to make ends meet. Nhat said that one day he decided to cook a meal with fried eggs and a bowl of vegetable soup. But after he finished cooking and served the meal, he couldn't swallow it because he missed his parents and the loneliness came flooding back. Lighting incense on the altar, in front of his parents' portraits, Nhat prayed for his parents to rest in peace, saying that he was still living well so that his parents could rest in peace.
Nhat confided: "When my father passed away, I was too young to understand. Only the image of my mother crying next to my father's body was still imprinted in my mind. But when my mother passed away, the only support was gone. There was a time when I was like a lost soul, just hanging around at home and going to school, at night I buried my head in my pillow and cried and fell asleep without knowing it."
The motorbike his mother left behind helped Nhat earn a living by delivering goods to support his own education - Photo: DOAN NHAN
After the COVID-19 pandemic, his mother passed away and he had to depend on his uncle, whose job was also affected and who was also sick. At that time, Nhat thought about dropping out of school.
"At times like that, I remember what my mother told me. The house we're living in was built by my father when he was still healthy. The house is still unfinished and simple, but it is my mother's pride. She used to dream that when she had money, she would fix it up properly. When my mother was about to leave, she still told me to study hard so that when I had the means, I could fix the house so that it would be more solid. Living alone during the rainy season would be more secure," Nhat confided.
From that advice, Nhat decided to take the architecture exam at Da Nang University of Architecture to become an architect. Later, when he earns money, he will design and rebuild the house according to his mother's last wish.
Nhat plans to continue studying and working as a freelance delivery man in the coming years so that he can work extra hours and night shifts, and will also take out student loans to cover his tuition. If he is short, he will ask his uncles to help him borrow money. When he graduates and finds a job, he will pay off the debt.
Talking about his dream, Nhat shared: "Since my mother passed away, I have received a lot of help from benefactors. So after graduating, I will contribute to building new houses for orphans and children in difficult circumstances like me in the past."
Nhat buys lunch boxes from the street to eat for a quick meal while running deliveries - Photo: THANH NGUYEN
Active in Youth Union activities
Nhat has a talent for painting so he is always at the forefront of propaganda activities - PHOTO: NVCC
Mr. Tran Huu Hau, Secretary of the Xuan Thieu 6 Youth Union, Hoa Hiep Nam Ward Youth Union, said that Nhat has a talent for painting, so he is often at the forefront of movements such as propaganda to prevent social evils, environmental recycling activities, etc.
"Even though Nhat is in a very difficult situation and has to take care of himself, he helps everyone within his ability to the best of his ability. Nhat is always enthusiastic in participating in Youth Union activities and has a high sense of responsibility. Since the year his mother passed away, his brothers and sisters in the Youth Union have always stood by him to encourage him," said Mr. Hau.
Invite you to join the School Support Program
Tuoi Tre Newspaper's 2024 School Support Program launched on August 8, expected to award 1,100 scholarships with a total cost of more than 20 billion VND (15 million VND for new students with difficulties, 20 special scholarships worth 50 million VND/scholarship throughout 4 years of study and learning equipment, gifts...).
With the motto "No young person can go to school because of poverty", "New students encounter difficulties, there is Tuoi Tre" - as a commitment to support new students in the past 20 years of Tuoi Tre. The scholarship registration program ended on September 20, 2024.
The program received contributions and support from the "Accompanying Farmers" Fund - Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company, Vinacam Education Promotion Fund - Vinacam Group Joint Stock Company and the "Nghia Tinh Quang Tri", "Nghia Tinh Phu Yen" clubs; the "Supporting Children to School" clubs of Thua Thien Hue, Quang Nam - Da Nang, Tien Giang - Ben Tre, Quang Ngai and the Tien Giang - Ben Tre Business Association in Ho Chi Minh City, the German - Vietnamese Mutual Aid and Cooperation Association (VSW), Nam Long Company, Nestlé Vietnam Co., Ltd. ... along with businesses, philanthropists and a large number of Tuoi Tre newspaper readers.
Businesses and readers can support scholarships for new students by transferring to Tuoi Tre newspaper account:
113000006100 Industrial and Commercial Bank ( VietinBank ), Branch 3, Ho Chi Minh City.
Content: Support "Support to school" for new students or specify the province/city that you want to support.
Readers and businesses abroad can transfer money to Tuoi Tre newspaper:
USD account 007.137.0195.845 Ho Chi Minh City Foreign Trade Bank;
EUR account 007.114.0373.054 Foreign Trade Bank, Ho Chi Minh City
with Swift code BFTVVNVX007.
Content: Support "Support to school" for new students or specify the province/city that you want to support.
In addition to sponsoring scholarships, readers can support learning equipment, accommodation, jobs... for new students.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hoan-canh-dau-thuong-nhung-nam-sinh-da-nang-kien-quyet-tu-lap-kien-cuong-20240923092220086.htm
Comment (0)