Single mother sick and in debt, son admitted to Hanoi University of Science and Technology

Mrs. Tran Thi Duong - Dung's mother - shed tears when thinking about her son's future. She is afraid of being cut off halfway, unable to take care of her son's education when she is old and sick - Photo: DOAN HOA

Mrs. Tran Thi Duong - 62 years old - had tears in her eyes talking about her son. Sitting next to her, poor new student Tran Van Dung was filled with sadness, as the school start date was approaching but the mother and son did not know where to find the more than 15 million VND tuition fee.

The late 'begging' child grew up in a small hut

The charity house of Dung and his mother is located next to a field at the beginning of Nhan Hau village, Hung Tien commune, Nam Dan ( Nghe An ). We visited Dung's house when storm No. 4 and the tropical depression that caused heavy rain and flooding had just passed. The muddy traces of the receding rain and flood were still visible on the mottled wall.

In the house with a damp corrugated iron roof, Dung busily opened a bag of medicine and gave it to his mother to take on time as instructed by the doctor. In the middle of the main room of the house, there was just enough room to put a bed where Mrs. Duong was being treated, and it also used to be Dung's study corner.

"A few days ago, on the way home from the field, my mother fell off her bike and broke her arm," Dung said.

Tran Van Dung was born with many disadvantages, his mother is old and weak and just had an accident - Photo: DOAN HOA

From the moment he was born, Dung had no father's love. More than thirty years ago, Mrs. Duong - Dung's mother - who was then a young woman, chose to leave her hometown to go to the Central Highlands to make a living.

In a remote area, time flies so fast, Mrs. Duong realized that she was past her prime so she decided to "ask" for a child so that they could have each other in life. At the age of 42, Mrs. Duong gave birth to Dung. This was also the time when she discovered that she had multiple complications of diabetes, heart valve stenosis, varicose veins in both legs...

With no land to call home, and unable to cope with the work while suffering from illness in a foreign land, when Dung was 7 years old, his mother decided to take him back to her hometown.

With a small plot of land in the garden given to her by her parents, Mrs. Duong built a small temporary hut for the mother and son to take shelter in. Mrs. Duong recalled the first days back home, when the mother and son endured a lot of gossip from the neighbors.

The certificates of merit and scholarship are the “fortune” of Dung and his mother. It was thanks to the scholarships that helped Dung go to school - Photo: DOAN HOA

Helped mother since childhood and was in the team of excellent students

After school hours, Dung helps his mother work more than one sao of rice fields, from rice to corn, and grows vegetables to earn a living.

At night, Dung used a flashlight to catch frogs and crabs. The "spoils" each night sometimes included a few snails, fish, etc., which could be sold for tens of thousands of dong. Dung saved them to buy books. Dung spent his childhood years in poverty but was "happy and blessed because his mother was by his side."

Near Dung's senior year of middle school, Mrs. Duong had a traffic accident, broke many bones and had to stay in bed for 8 months. The money borrowed from the bank to treat Mrs. Duong just kept piling up.

"That year, I was in a provincial gifted student training class and also had to compete in chess at the district level. I had to study alone and take care of my mother for 8 months. During that difficult time, I planned to quit school and find a job to take care of my mother...", Dung recalled.

Knowing his family's difficult circumstances, Dung was very studious and studied well for 12 consecutive years. Besides his mother, Dung also has a grandmother who is over 90 years old and lives alone.

When Dung was at his most vulnerable, the teachers came to his house and found out about the incident that had happened to the mother and son.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu - a teacher at Dang Chanh Ky Secondary School (Nam Dan District) - said that she still remembers her unfortunate but strong-willed student: "Dung is a very bright student and filial to his mother. He studies well in all subjects. We cannot let him drop out of school because of his difficult circumstances," Ms. Thu confided.

Thanks to the kindness of teachers and parents in a school-wide fundraising campaign, Dung was able to continue going to class.

Dung was an excellent student for 12 years of school.

Mother owes the bank 300 million, takes out a loan to pay for her child's school admission

Four years ago, the Women's Union of Nam Dan district supported 20 million VND to build a charity house to replace the roof of the house where Dung and her son lived, which was about to collapse every rainy and stormy season. The debt of more than 300 million VND from the bank for medical treatment and house construction has not yet been paid off. When she heard that her son had been admitted to Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Mrs. Duong shed tears of sadness.

Worried that Dung's journey to school was still long, but as she got older, Mrs. Duong decided to take a risk and borrow a few million dong from her relatives and neighbors so her son could go to school.

In the luggage Dung packed to prepare to go to the capital to enroll in school were a few sets of clothes, a study lamp and an old broken fan that had just been repaired. Dung said that this time studying far from home in the city was very expensive. Knowing that his mother's family was poor, he had to learn to be independent and save money.

"It was the words of encouragement and the meaningful scholarship that gave me the motivation to go to school. If I receive the Tiep Suc Den Truong scholarship, I will have money to pay the first semester's tuition and then find a part-time job when my studies are stable so that I can have a bright future and repay my mother's kindness," Dung affirmed.

In the luggage Dung packed to prepare to go to the capital to enroll in school were a few sets of clothes, a study lamp and an old broken fan that had just been repaired - Photo: DOAN HOA

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", "If new students encounter difficulties, there is Tuoi Tre " - as a commitment to support new students in the past 20 years of Tuoi Tre .

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 clubs "Nghia Tinh Quang Tri", "Nghia Tinh Phu Yen"; the clubs "Supporting School" 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 readers of Tuoi Tre newspaper.

Businesses and readers can support scholarships for new students by transferring to Tuoi Tre newspaper account:

113000006100 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.

Graphics: TUAN ANH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/me-don-than-dau-om-no-nan-con-trai-dau-truong-dh-bach-khoa-ha-noi-20241002151341764.htm