Phung Thi Thuy is currently a third-year student majoring in Ideological and Cultural Management at the Academy of Journalism and Communication. She comes from Nam Giang 2 village, one of the particularly disadvantaged villages in Nam Chac commune (Bat Xat, Lao Cai ). The people here are mainly Mong and Dao ethnic groups, with Thuy's family being the only one of the Muong ethnic group.
Living in a village with many economic difficulties, Thuy witnessed her peers dropping out of school early to get married, have children, work in the fields during the day, and herd pigs at night. But Thuy did not want to be like that.
“I realize that only knowledge can change life. If I don’t go to school, I will always be behind the bamboo fence of the village,” Thuy said.
At the age of 16, Thuy asked her parents to let her go to a provincial boarding school 50 km away from home. The journey from home to school was difficult, and Thuy's parents only picked her up once every 3-6 months. However, the student really enjoyed going to school. "The environment of friends at the boarding school greatly influenced my way of thinking," Thuy said.
After finishing high school, Thuy wanted to continue her studies at university. When she expressed this wish to her parents, although they were worried, they did not refuse their daughter's dream. For Thuy, this was a lucky thing because her parents always let her decide her own future.
“My dad only finished 3rd grade. He said he was illiterate, so if I wanted, he would try to take care of me so I could have a proper education.”
The day Thuy received her acceptance letter was also the day her parents lost sleep because they didn’t know where to get the money to pay for her tuition. The day before her departure, her parents still encouraged Thuy to rest assured so that the family could find a way to make ends meet. They even planned to take out a loan so that Thuy could have money to go to school.
“I promised my parents that I would only pay tuition for one semester, then I would work part-time so as not to become a burden,” Thuy recalled.
But that evening was like a miracle for Thuy. As the first person in the village to pass the university entrance exam in Hanoi , Thuy was expected a lot and given careful instructions by everyone in the village. Without anyone telling her, people contributed things and money for Thuy to prepare for her journey.
“Although my uncles and aunts are also having a hard time, they still pool together a little bit to give me. There is even someone in the neighborhood who goes to herd buffaloes every day and has no income but still tries to give me 20,000 VND. Holding the hard-earned money of everyone in the village, I tell myself that I will try to study hard to return soon to repay this kindness,” Thuy expressed.
Thanks to the help of many people, Thuy had enough money to go to Hanoi to enroll in school. The first time she saw the sparkling lights and tall buildings, Thuy was overwhelmed.
“Before coming to Hanoi, I could not imagine how difficult the reality would be. There were days when I had to sleep through hunger because I lacked money. I also thought that I would not be able to integrate into the bustling life in the capital, but luckily, everything gradually stabilized.”
Thuy said that the motivation for her to always move forward is the example of a sister in the same commune - Chao Yen. This is a Dao girl determined to "escape poverty" through education, and won a scholarship to study abroad in Europe. "Her journey has motivated me and given me great confidence that I can do the same," Thuy said.
Thuy shares positive messages on social networks.
From her second year, Thuy started applying to be a teaching assistant in soft skills classes so she wouldn’t have to ask her parents for money. With the desire to become a television editor, the female student joined the school’s MC club and used to host a program for the Vietnam National Defense channel.
During her three years of studying, Thuy has carried out several projects to help people in her own village. During the Yagi typhoon, when her hometown suffered heavy damage, Thuy called for and organized donations to help the people. She also carried out the project "Collecting bricks to build houses" to help support the difficulties and losses of people during the storm and flood.
“Those are all very small things, but I feel happy because I have done something for my village,” Thuy said.
Witnessing Thuy's journey, Dr. Nguyen Van Viet (Academy of Journalism and Communication) felt admiration for the determination of this Muong girl. On the first day he met Thuy, Mr. Viet was impressed because Thuy was very active and brave. Therefore, he chose her to be the class monitor of the university class.
“It was very difficult for Thuy to go to school, but she never complained, always tried her best in her studies and actively participated in school activities. Thuy is an example for many students in the next class to follow,” Dr. Nguyen Van Viet shared.
For Thuy, what makes her happiest is being able to contribute to changing the thinking of many children in the village about only needing to finish secondary school, then getting married.
“I hope to go on the right path and become an example for my students, helping them understand that nothing is more important than studying. Studying is the light that illuminates your future, and even a person born in the village can succeed through studying,” Thuy said.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nu-sinh-muong-vao-dai-hoc-nho-an-tinh-cua-dan-ban-2379485.html
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