Lam Van Dong (2001) was born in a poor mountain village in Tuyen Uy (Yunnan, China). Van Dong's childhood memories are of days running around the countryside with his siblings, laughing and talking happily.

When he was old enough to go to school, he realized the financial difficulties of his family. His grandfather was old and weak, and Van Dong's father had lost his ability to work due to an accident. Therefore, the economic burden of the family fell on his mother. To increase the family income, Van Dong's mother had to work hard at the construction site.

As time passed, the pressure of life became more and more tiring for his mother. Many times, Van Dong and his siblings suggested sharing the burden with their mother by going out to work to help the family financially. However, time and time again, his mother firmly stopped them.

To cover the family's expenses, Van Dong's mother took on heavy work that was no less than that of male workers. In just 4 months, she lost 15kg. Feeling sorry for her mother, Van Dong also went to the construction site to help.

Every day, his mother carries about 300 cement slabs and 7.5 tons of sand, while Van Dong lays bricks. Many times she advised him not to go to the construction site, but he shook his head. The student said he wanted to help because his workload was only one-third of his mother's.

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Poor family Lam Van Dong works as a construction worker with his mother to support the family's economy: Photo: Baidu

During his three years in high school, Van Dong never slept a full night. He usually woke up at 4am and went to bed at 1am. In the eyes of his friends, Van Dong was a bookworm because he was always buried in books. Because he understood that if he neglected his studies, it would be difficult to realize his dream.

"The family's future needs to improve, with constant efforts I can bring hope to my loved ones and create unlimited opportunities in the future," Van Dong shared.

The effort was rewarded with the results of the 2019 university entrance exam, Van Dong was admitted to Tsinghua University with a score of 713. After that, the story of the brick moving boy bursting into tears at the construction site after receiving the admission letter to the top university in Asia attracted many people's attention.

At that time, most people sent their congratulations to Wan Dong. But some people thought that a student with a low starting point entering Tsinghua University would not solve anything. Ignoring the negative opinions, he adjusted his mentality to prepare for university. This process helped him practice perseverance and likened himself to 'grass growing in the crevices of rocks'.

Holding the admission letter from Tsinghua University in his hand, he knew that this was a hope for the future of both himself and his family. However, the joy did not last long. Wan Dong worried that he would not have enough money to go to university. He spent many sleepless nights thinking of ways to pursue his dream. Luckily, at this time, Tsinghua University launched a loan program and subsidized living expenses and accommodation for poor students.

In college, Van Dong continued to face the challenge of choosing a major. Initially, he chose Automation Management, but this major required proficient computer skills. Born in a poor mountainous area, Van Dong had no access to computers, so his knowledge was limited.

Knowing his situation, the school agreed to support him to change to Information Management. To keep up with his friends, Van Dong spent 3 hours/day in the computer room to learn programming and how to use Word, Powerpoint and Excel,...

With day and night efforts, he also made up for his shortcomings and made rapid progress. In addition to studying hard, he spent time participating in extracurricular activities at school. Therefore, Van Dong not only acquired rich knowledge, but also trained his body and became more active.

In September 2023, Wan Dong graduated from Tsinghua University with a degree in Information Management. After that, many people thought he would stay in the city to work, but Wan Dong decided to return to his hometown to apply for a special position with strict selection conditions.

In fact, it would have been easier to stay in school to get a master's degree or work in a company. But in the end, he decided to return to his hometown to take the civil service exam. Currently, Van Dong has passed the civil service exam and become a member of the Kunming City Party Committee Office (Yunnan, China).

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Currently, Lam Van Dong is a member of the Kunming Municipal Party Committee Office (Yunnan, China). Photo: Baidu

Returning to his hometown to work, he had to face difficulties such as geographical location and harsh environment. Many people were surprised by Van Dong's decision. They thought that returning to the barren land meant giving up a bright future. But for him, choosing to return to his hometown to contribute was the right decision.

Talking about the reason, he said: "Wealth and success are not what I desire. I want to become a smoldering fire that transmits warmth." Although there are many options to pursue dreams, for Van Dong, even in the mud, he must look up to the sky, then he will find the light.

Meanwhile, people think that with Van Dong's ability, finding a job in the city or pursuing a research career is easy. But for him, the choice to return to his hometown is not wrong. Because he comes from the mountains, he understands the difficulties and knows what they need or want.

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