The first female Chut bachelor in Rao Tre and her dream of becoming a "sower of knowledge"

“Getting a bachelor’s degree is like a miracle to me,” Ho Thi Suong, the first Chut ethnic girl from Rao Tre village (Phuc Trach commune, Ha Tinh province), who has just graduated from Ha Tinh University, majoring in Preschool Education, shared with emotion. What makes her happiest is that after graduating, she will return to her village to teach the children of her hometown - a place with many hardships but also full of love.

From cave to lecture hall

Suong's ancestors - the Chut people - used to live isolated in caves and remote mountains along the Vietnam - Laos border. They made a living by hunting and gathering and were almost isolated from the outside world . In the early 1990s, the Ha Tinh Border Guard discovered and brought this group of people to settle in Rao Tre village. Since then, under the care of the Party, the State and the soldiers in green uniforms, the Chut community has gradually changed, abandoned many bad customs, learned to grow crops, raise animals and learn to read and write.

Ho Thi Suong - the first female Chut bachelor of Rao Tre village, with her university diploma.

Suong was born in 2003 and grew up at the foot of Ka Day Mountain. Life here is full of deprivation, poverty clings to every household. Many of her friends dropped out of school, got married early, and spent the day in the forest picking bamboo shoots and coming home to take care of the house at night. But the little girl did not want her life to pass in that vicious cycle.

Suong's family was one of the poorest in the village. Her father left when she was very young, and her mother raised four children by herself. Every meal in the family consisted of cassava and rice balls. However, her mother always encouraged her children to study to change their lives.

The Border Guard soldiers - "foster parents" have supported Suong on her learning journey.

Since grade 6, Suong was admitted to the Ha Tinh Province Boarding Secondary and High School for Ethnic Minorities. That was a big turning point, because the distance from the village to school was far, the learning journey was full of hardships. "I remember there were cold and rainy days, my clothes were soaked, but just thinking about going to school gave me the motivation to try harder," Suong said.

The years at boarding school instilled in Chut a belief: "Only education can change fate. The path of knowledge will help me step out of the bamboo fence of the village, to have a better future."

Chut ethnic female student has impressive academic results at Ha Tinh University.

The "miracle" of willpower and love

With the goal of passing the university entrance exam, Suong threw herself into her studies without stopping. Her efforts paid off: She was admitted to the Faculty of Pedagogy, majoring in Preschool Education , Ha Tinh University with high scores.

The day she heard the news, mother and daughter hugged and cried. It was a joy mixed with worry, because the cost of studying was beyond the family's ability. "My mother couldn't afford such a large sum of money, I thought maybe my dream of going to university would have to stop," Suong recalled.

During her 4 years at university, Ho Thi Suong has always been a shining example of perseverance in overcoming difficulties, studying, and striving forward.

But then the miracle happened. When they heard that the first Chut ethnic female student from Rao Tre village had passed the university entrance exam, the Ha Tinh Border Guard Command decided to sponsor Suong, supporting her with 1.5 million VND per month for 4 years of study. For her, that support was the "miracle" that turned her dream of going to university into reality.

Leaving the village to go to the city, Suong often felt confused and self-conscious. But she quickly integrated, became confident, and actively participated in extracurricular activities. During her 4 years of study, the little girl has grown remarkably, not only completing her training program well but also achieving many remarkable achievements.

Representatives of the Ha Tinh Border Guard Command and Ha Tinh Ethnic Boarding Secondary and High School congratulate Ho Thi Suong on becoming a new bachelor.

Suong's scientific research topic "Current situation and training needs of first aid skills for students of Faculty of Education, Ha Tinh University" was published in the Science Journal of Tan Trao University (Tuyen Quang). In addition, she was honored to receive the title of "5 Good Students" at school and provincial levels.

Mr. Bien Van Quyen - Deputy Head of the Faculty of Pedagogy, Ha Tinh University - said: "At first, many people wondered whether an ethnic minority female student like Suong could keep up with the university program. But her relentless efforts have made everyone admire her."

Sowing letters at the source of Ka Day

Holding her bachelor's degree in hand, Suong could not hide her emotions: "On my learning journey, I am always grateful to my adoptive parents - officers and soldiers of the Ha Tinh Border Guard - who opened their arms to help me pursue my dream."

But instead of looking for a job in the city with many opportunities, the Chut girl chose to return to her village. She wanted to become a kindergarten teacher, teaching Chut children - children who still had to cross mountains and wade through streams to get to school.

Ho Thi Suong shared her plan to become a preschool teacher to teach children in her hometown.

"I hope the children in the village will have a full education, have the opportunity to rise up, and no longer be bound by poverty and backwardness like before," Suong shared.

Ho Thi Suong's journey is not only the story of a poor female student overcoming difficulties. It is also a living proof of the power of knowledge, of determination and of love. From a village that was once closed in the middle of the forest, now there is the first female bachelor. And that girl is continuing to sow the seeds of knowledge so that tomorrow, Rao Tre village will have many new "flowers" blooming from the dry rocky soil, growing strongly in the mountains and forests.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/nu-cu-nhan-nguoi-chut-dau-tien-o-rao-tre-va-uoc-mo-tro-thanh-nguoi-gioi-chu-20250806150534194.htm