Scholarships to support students in Ben Tre and Tien Giang provinces: A bridge to fulfill dreams.

Tran Thanh Lam, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Ben Tre Provincial Party Committee, made this statement at the scholarship awarding ceremony for 60 new students from Ben Tre and Tien Giang provinces on the morning of November 10th in Ben Tre, as part of the "Supporting Students to School 2024" program.

Cây cầu chắp cánh ước mơ - Ảnh 1. — Tran Thanh Lam (right), Standing Deputy Secretary of the Ben Tre Provincial Party Committee, and Nguyen Kim Lan, Head of the "Supporting Students to School" Club of Ben Tre - Tien Giang, present scholarships to new university students - Photo: DUYEN PHAN

Gathering love

Mr. Tran Thanh Lam shared that Ben Tre and Tien Giang share the Tien River, a land of picturesque waterways connected by bridges. But there is one bridge that is very special because it was built from the "bricks" of compassion contributed by businesses and many uncles, aunts, and brothers and sisters present and absent from this ceremony.

Each new student may lack many things, but as they step onto this bridge of dreams, they will be strengthened and supported to confidently bước into life.

Mr. TRAN THANH LAM (Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Ben Tre Provincial Party Committee)

Học bổng Tiếp sức đến trường cho sinh viên Bến Tre - Tiền Giang: Cây cầu chắp cánh ước mơ - Ảnh 2. — Mr. Tran Thanh Lam - Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Ben Tre Provincial Party Committee, speaks at the "Supporting Students to School" ceremony on November 10th in Ben Tre - Photo: DUYEN PHAN

Sharing their stories at the ceremony, the two new students, Le Thi Ngoc Vy and Le Hoai Han, were overcome with emotion. Ngoc Vy lost her father when she was very young, and her mother single-handedly raised her and her sister. But after her father's death, all the house and land had to be returned to her paternal family, leaving the three of them homeless.

Every day, the mother mows the lawn, collects scrap metal, does housework… anything to earn money to pay for her two children's tuition. For 12 consecutive years, Vy has excelled in her studies and has just become a student majoring in maritime science at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport.

Le Hoai Han was born into a poor family in Giao Thanh commune, Thanh Phu district (Ben Tre province). Han never knew her father, and her mother's beadwork couldn't support seven mouths to feed, so even though she had cancer, she had to work as a babysitter in Kien Giang to send money back for her children's education.

Hận said she had to study hard to escape the poverty that had plagued her family for generations. Despite having to do all kinds of household chores, Hận excelled in her studies, winning many academic awards over the years and recently becoming a student at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Management and Technology.

The new students were moved when participating in the interaction session at the program.

No one is left behind.

Học bổng Tiếp sức đến trường cho sinh viên Bến Tre - Tiền Giang: Cây cầu chắp cánh ước mơ - Ảnh 3. — Journalist Tran Xuan Toan, deputy editor-in-chief of Tuoi Tre newspaper, speaks at the scholarship awarding ceremony - Photo: DUYEN PHAN

Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre newspaper, Tran Xuan Toan, said that each new university student has a different background, but they all share a strong will to succeed. Mr. Toan emphasized that to become students at many prestigious universities, these students have made tremendous efforts despite their impoverished circumstances.

Addressing 18-year-olds, journalist Tran Xuan Toan hopes that each of them will live responsibly. First and foremost, they should be responsible to themselves, equipping themselves with life skills, including good health, to ensure they can study and pursue their dreams while away from home. Secondly, they should be responsible to their families and loved ones, as they have sacrificed so much to allow them to enter university and study better.

Finally, there is a responsibility to the community, to the uncles, aunts, and older siblings who have given them scholarships, by striving to study hard so that not only they can benefit themselves but also contribute to their hometowns and villages. "I believe that in 5 or 10 years, those of you sitting here will return to build a more prosperous and beautiful Ben Tre and Tien Giang," Mr. Toan stated.

Cây cầu chắp cánh ước mơ - Ảnh 4. — Mr. Nguyen Kim Lan with two new students, Le Hoai Han (left) and Le Thi Ngoc Vy, and former scholarship recipient, Dr. Nguyen Minh Chi, currently working at the Cho Lach District Health Center, Ben Tre (right) - Photo: DUYEN PHAN

Speaking at the ceremony, Nguyen Kim Lan, head of the "Supporting Students to School" Club of Ben Tre - Tien Giang, said that for 17 years, the Ben Tre - Tien Giang Hometown Association and the business clubs of the two provinces in Ho Chi Minh City have strived with the hope of helping students overcome difficulties and have a better future so they can return to help their homeland.

"We hope you will show your gratitude by studying hard so that you can return to your hometown and serve your province in the future. That is what we wish for," Mr. Lan conveyed.

There is a very special bridge that Tuoi Tre newspaper has been building for many years, a bridge of happiness, compassion, and the wings of dreams that new students are now stepping onto.

From the initial support of 86 disadvantaged new students from Tien Giang and Ben Tre provinces, after 16 years, the "Supporting Students to School" Club of Ben Tre - Tien Giang and the Tien Giang - Ben Tre Business Club in Ho Chi Minh City have supported 1,551 students with a total scholarship fund of over 17.3 billion VND.

We invite you to join us in supporting students to attend school.

The Tuoi Tre newspaper's "Supporting Students to School 2024" program, launched on August 8th, is expected to award 1,100 scholarships with a total budget of over 20 billion VND (15 million VND for disadvantaged new students, 20 special scholarships worth 50 million VND each for the entire 4 years of study, plus learning equipment and gifts...).

With the motto "No young person should be prevented from attending university because of poverty," and "If new students face difficulties, Tuoi Tre is there for them" - this is a commitment to supporting new students throughout Tuoi Tre 's 20-year journey.

The program received contributions and support from the "Farmers' Companion" Fund - Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company, the Vinacam Scholarship Fund - Vinacam Group Joint Stock Company, and the "Quang Tri Solidarity" and "Phu Yen Solidarity" clubs; the "Supporting Students to School" clubs in 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 Assistance and Cooperation Association (VSW), Nam Long Company, Nestlé Vietnam Co., Ltd., and other businesses, philanthropists, and numerous readers of Tuoi Tre newspaper.