Teacher Phan Hoang Bach: The one who sowed letters in the land of Lao wind and white sand

In the middle of Quang Tri land with Lao wind and white sand, where literacy was once a luxury for many Van Kieu children, a teacher has quietly stayed for nearly 2 decades. Initially, he came to Dakrong by chance, but his love for the profession and compassion for his students kept him going. "The person who sowed letters in the windy land" is the affectionate name that many locals call teacher Phan Hoang Bach, from Nghe An .

"Where there are students, there I am"

The mountainous Dakrong area has more than 80% of the population being Van Kieu and Pa Co ethnic groups. There was a time when the poverty rate here was over 40%. Dakrong High School - the first high school of Dakrong district, Quang Tri province - was established in 2001. At that time, the school had only more than 200 students with a few dozen teachers, and the facilities were still makeshift.

In 2003, when he was a student of the History Department of Da Nang University of Education, Phan Hoang Bach followed his girlfriend - who later became his wife - to Dakrong for the first time. That short trip opened up in him an indescribable emotion.

Before the young man's eyes were majestic mountains, sparse villages hidden in the clouds, faces of hard-working men but eyes shining with determination. Dakrong appeared with the harshness of life, where poverty surrounded and traces of war were still imprinted on every inch of land. "As soon as I set foot here, I felt a strange connection, as if I owed this land something. Perhaps Dakrong had chosen me" - Mr. Bach recalled.

In 2007, after graduating from university, Mr. Bach had many choices. After a year of teaching in his hometown Nghe An, he made a decision: to return to Dakrong, the place that once made his heart flutter, to work at the newly established Dakrong High School. That decision was also his silent commitment to spend his youth with the land of Lao wind and white sand.

The first lesson at Dakrong High School was an unforgettable challenge for Mr. Bach. His distinctive Nghe An accent surprised many Van Kieu students, some of them burst out laughing. Both teacher and students seemed to be "out of sync". During the first 6 months, he often felt lonely in his own classroom.

But Mr. Bach was not discouraged. With the simple concept of "where there are students, there I am", he patiently learned the Van Kieu language, found ways to get close to the people, and went to the villages to encourage children to go to class. To his students, he only said one sentence: "Only education can help us escape poverty".

From then on, the dry history lessons became lively. Teacher Bach integrated images, documents, sounds, and even took students to the Dakrong battlefield relic to "touch" history with their senses. "The students understood history with their hearts, not just on paper" - he recalled.

After more than 17 years of attachment, Dakrong has become Mr. Bach's second hometown. He used to be the Secretary of the school's Youth Union, initiating many movements, such as "Going through winter with children" - giving away more than 5,000 warm coats. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he built a "Rice ATM" model to help parents and students overcome difficulties. He also raised funds to support children with disabilities and those affected by Agent Orange...

Mr. Bach also connected with a charity organization to build 6 stilt houses for poor households, and campaigned to build the first friendly library for high school students in Quang Tri. The initiative of "safe swimming area from plastic bottles" or "selling calligraphy" on the occasion of Tet 2024 to raise nearly 10 million VND for poor students shows his creativity and dedication. "At first, I came because I wanted to be close to my wife. But then the land and people of Dakrong gave me so much love" - he expressed.

Người gieo chữ nơi miền gió - Ảnh 1. — Teacher Phan Hoang Bach (middle) has received many noble titles in the profession.

Steer the boat steadily

What worries Mr. Bach the most is how to make students in the highlands love history more - which is considered boring. In the first years he came here, no Dakrong High School student had ever won a high prize in this subject. Instead of being discouraged, he and his colleagues found a new way, changing the way of teaching and learning.

The results did not disappoint Mr. Bach. Just a few years later, Dakrong students continuously achieved high results: 5 first prizes at the provincial level, 1 student entered the national team and won the national excellent student award in history - something that had never happened before. Former student Ho Van Tinh - a Van Kieu, currently a student in the History Faculty of Hue University of Education - expressed his gratitude: "If it weren't for Mr. Bach, I would have dropped out of school in 10th grade. He gave me the confidence to pursue my studies."

Outside of teaching hours, Mr. Bach opens free review classes at home for poor students. When there are regulations to tighten extra teaching, he still maintains small classes on a voluntary basis. This year, 12 students are studying, 12 dreams are fulfilled thanks to one heart. "If only one student has more opportunities to go to university, I am already happy" - he confided. For Mr. Bach, sowing letters is not only imparting knowledge but also sowing faith, so that students dare to dream, dare to step further away from poverty.

In Dakrong, the title "the sower of words in the windy land" has become the gratitude that students and colleagues give to Mr. Bach. Mr. Le Chi Thong, Principal of Dakrong High School, confided: "Over the past 17 years, Mr. Bach has contributed a lot to the school as well as the students. Teachers like Mr. Bach are the ones who steer the boat firmly to bring poor students to the best things."

Many years later, when generations of students leave Dakrong High School, they will surely still remember a teacher with gray hair, still tirelessly telling historical stories in a warm Nghe An accent, still patiently ferrying each ferry of knowledge across the river.

Người gieo chữ nơi miền gió - Ảnh 2. — Mr. Bach not only teaches diligently but also does many charity activities to help poor students. (Photo provided by the character)

The most precious reward

During more than 17 years of working in Dakrong, Mr. Bach has contributed to changing the face of education in this poor land. Titles and awards such as: Emulation Fighter at the grassroots level, Certificate of Merit from the Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Tri province, title of Excellent Teacher in Information Technology Application, National Outstanding Teacher in 2021, Typical Advanced Teacher in the period 2000-2025... are worthy recognition for those persistent efforts.

For Mr. Bach, the most precious reward is the bright smile of his students when they hold in their hands the university admission notice.