Le Tien Dat with the motorbike given to him by a benefactor when he was in high school – Photo: BD
We met two new students from Quang Nam who were admitted to Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy just a few hours before they left their hometown to enroll.
In addition to old, wrinkled clothes, books, and parents' expectations, the family also has heavy worries with annual tuition fees of nearly one hundred million dong.
From the fields to a specialized school, dreaming of becoming a doctor
Le Tien Dat 's house is located on the riverbank, at the end of Nam Ha village, Dien Trung commune (Dien Ban, Quang Nam).
At noon, Dat, wearing a cloth hat, stood in the sun to pull out a pile of dry straw to feed the cows. For this poor family, cows were an asset and perhaps the only thing that Dat's parents expected to save enough to raise their son to become a doctor.
“My nephew has had a hard time since he was a child. I have been sick all the time. His mother works as a factory worker and runs around everywhere but still only has enough food to feed the whole family. Now that my son has passed the university entrance exam, I am very happy, but I am also very worried. I can’t sleep at night,” Dat’s father, Mr. Le Van Truong, said as he sat next to his son.
Nam Ha village chief Ho Xuan Dang said that this village is in the heavily flooded area of the commune. The villagers are all in difficult circumstances, but Mr. Truong’s family is in more difficult circumstances because he is sick and has 3 children. Mr. Truong’s wife works every day at a fish factory, earning just enough to eat.
Le Tien Dat in front of a wall with certificates of academic achievement – Photo: BD
Dat's house was simple and had nothing of value. Sitting under the roof at noon, it was as hot as being in a stew pot. The most commonly posted things on the walls were certificates of merit, awards, and academic awards.
Dat said the most difficult period of his school days was in 10th grade. He passed the entrance exam to a specialized school, but to study he needed money for boarding and a motorbike to get there.
Dat's parents sighed at that time because they could not afford to pay 500,000 - 700,000 VND per month for their child to go to school, not to mention buying a motorbike. Dat decided not to study in the city, but to choose a school near home.
The homeroom teacher knew about the story and called on parents and teachers to donate. Dat was given a motorbike to use for transportation. Teachers and benefactors donated books and some money. So the poor student was able to go to his dream school.
Father Dat said the family was poor because Dat's eldest sister was also in college, and after Dat there was a younger sibling who was only 2-3 years old. Father Dat suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and spent more time in the hospital than at home. To earn some money to raise his children, he took advantage of the early morning to transport pig and cow skin to slaughterhouses and bring it to the market to earn some money.
Dat said the images of his parents' hard work, hardship and toil were deeply imprinted in his memory, giving him strength and determination to study well. There was no other way but to go to school, hoping to become a future doctor so that Dat could return to repay his parents.
Le Tien Dat nurtured his dream of becoming a doctor from a simple house - Photo: BD
During his three years in high school, Dat was an outstanding student at Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted (Hoi An), winning many high prizes in provincial competitions for excellent students.
To help his parents with expenses, Dat also tutored children in the village. In his free time, he returned home to farm and mow grass to take care of the cows. After finishing his high school graduation exam, Dat calculated his scores and knew for sure that he would be admitted to Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy.
From then on, you tried even harder to help your parents. Sometimes you helped your father carry pork skin to the market, sometimes you stayed home to take care of your younger siblings and the herd of cows so your parents could go to work and earn money to send you to college.
Father worked as a bricklayer, mother washed dishes for hire to raise her son, who was an excellent student in the province and passed the medical school entrance exam.
Not far from Dat's house, there was also a poor freshman who had just passed the entrance exam to the medical school at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy. Nguyen Van Thanh Truong, who lives in Thanh Quyt 2 village (Dien Thang Trung, Dien Ban), also entered university with worries because the tuition fee was too much for his parents.
Before that, Truong's father had to advance the salary from the construction team leader, along with his mother's savings and a little money collected from the awards Truong won in grade 12, all pocketed to save for the mother and son to go to Hue.
Mrs. Ngo Thi Vui, Truong's mother, is 54 years old and works as a dishwasher. The family only has one motorbike, so when the father goes, the mother walks and vice versa.
Nguyen Van Thanh Truong with certificates of merit he received while in high school – Photo: BD
The two eldest sisters have graduated and are working, but they cannot help much. Father Truong, 60 years old, still rides a motorbike with his brothers in the village to work as construction workers every morning and comes home late at night.
Mrs. Vui took a piece of paper and outlined the school’s expenses for a year: the first year’s tuition was nearly 50 million VND, and the monthly rent was about 1.2 million VND. Food, electricity, and water were all at least 2 million VND. And studying medicine took 6 years. That was a real challenge.
“Just thinking about it makes my ears ring. People are happy that the baby is pregnant, but I am worried because the father is very weak, and has lost one eye, so if he keeps working so hard, he will collapse. I haven’t been able to sleep for the past few nights because I feel sorry for the baby and for my husband,” Mrs. Vui said in a very sad voice.
Mr. Truong Cong Nghia – head of Thanh Quyt block (Dien Ban) – confirmed the difficulties of Truong’s family. With parents who are self-employed and have low income, pursuing medical university studies with Truong is a big challenge.
Truong and his mother at their home in Dien Ban, Quang Nam – Photo: BD
We were overwhelmed when Truong's mother opened the cupboard and took out stacks of certificates, awards, and academic achievement awards.
Truong won all the awards from high to low of the school and province. In grade 10 and 11, he was the best student in the block, and in grade 12, he was the best student in the school. Truong won first prize in the school-level math competition in grade 11 and 12.
In 12th grade, he continued to win first prize in math and third prize in chemistry in the provincial chemistry competition for excellent students. The most admirable thing is that in all his high school years, Truong always took exams at a higher level and completed the curriculum early to have time to prepare for the university entrance exam.
With good academic ability, Truong was considered for direct admission to many universities such as Da Nang Polytechnic, Southern universities... But Truong chose to take the exam to compete for a place at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy. With a score of 27.5 points, Truong had enough points to enter the medical field.
School with excellent academic achievements in 12th grade – Photo: BD
Truong said his dream of becoming a doctor, which he has been pursuing for many years, is getting closer. During the summer, Truong rides his bike around the neighborhood to tutor younger siblings, and sometimes he accompanies his mother to work at a restaurant to earn some extra money to prepare for college.
The school said it had outlined a study schedule and time for each year. In addition to studying, Truong will work part-time and tutor at night to help his parents with expenses.
Will the big rock shatter the burning dreams?
In the stories of both Dat and Truong, the thing that is mentioned most is the desire to one day wear a white blouse, the color that accompanies the years of studying in hardship. However, in each person's situation, being able to complete 6 years of study is a big rock that is not easy to overcome.
“My family’s situation is very difficult. Getting into medical school has become a reality, but the annual tuition fee of 50 million VND, along with other expenses of the same amount, I really don’t know how to handle it. I really hope that somehow I can reach my goal,” Truong confided.
Meanwhile, Le Tien Dat also has a burning desire for the white shirt dream, but to be able to go through 6 years with tuition fees far beyond his family's ability is extremely difficult.
“I try to study hard to become a doctor. In the past, I didn’t have enough money to go to a specialized school, but now, the tuition fee for medical school alone is 50 million VND per year. My parents can’t afford it anymore, so I’m very worried,” Dat said.
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