The journey from the village to the capital of a male student who 'didn't know Mandarin'

Editor's note:

From remote villages, armed with determination and a thirst for knowledge, many young people have overcome many obstacles to conquer the lecture hall, initially reaping impressive achievements in their studies. They not only continue to write their dreams but also cherish the ambition to return to build their homeland, spreading the beauty of national culture. VietNamNet respectfully introduces these inspiring stories to readers!

In contrast to his shy appearance 5 years ago, Ho Van Doi (Ta Oi ethnic group), a final year student majoring in Ethnic Minority Education Economics at the National Academy, is now very active in participating in community activities. The young man born in 2002 is the Head of the school's Youth Student Club. But to get to where he is today, Doi has had to face many times the choice of whether to continue or stop studying.

Ho Van Doi is currently a senior student majoring in Ethnic MinorityEducation Economics at the Academy of Ethnic Minorities. Photo: NVCC

Born into a large family in Hong Thuong commune (A Luoi district, Hue ), Doi's father suddenly passed away when he was 5 years old. Since then, Doi's mother has been raising 8 children by herself. Due to difficult circumstances, Doi's older siblings had to drop out of school to work to help the family.

After Doi finished 12th grade, his older brother and sister advised him to quit school and stay home to saw wood. Knowing that he wanted to go to school, his mother did not stop him but had no other choice. She told Doi: “If you want to go to school, I don’t have any money.”

Doi recalls that choosing whether to continue or stop is still the most difficult choice of her life. “If I decided to go to school, I would have no money. Not to mention tuition, I just had to worry about food and I didn’t know how to do it.”

However, the desire to go to school urged Doi to find a way. Having a passion for Math, Doi researched and decided to apply to the University of Education (Hue University) because here, students are supported with 100% of tuition fees. Regarding living expenses, Doi plans to manage on his own after entering the school.

Thanks to his determination, in 2020, Doi became one of three students in his class to pass the university entrance exam. He is also the only one in his family to continue his studies at this level.

The couple (far right) gradually became more confident and actively participated in activities. Photo: NVCC

However, after studying for a while, the male student realized that this environment was not suitable for him. Knowing Doi's story, the principal of A Luoi High School advised the student to learn about the Ethnic Academy. Seeing Doi's difficult circumstances, she suggested completing the procedures and paying for Doi's trip to Hanoi.

With her help, Doi decided to give it a try. “I worry about my future and I can’t bear to see my mother getting older every day. I’m determined to go to school to succeed soon,” Doi said.

This time, Ho Van Doi left his village for the capital to start his journey with a university preparatory program. On the first day in Hanoi, Doi was cheated out of a quarter of his money - which had been pooled together by his relatives. Also because he could not speak the common language, Doi felt lost and was afraid to interact with people. A series of these experiences made Doi feel self-conscious and withdrawn.

It took several months, with the help of classmates, for Doi to be able to communicate with basic vocabulary. After 1 year of preparatory study, in 2021, Doi was officially admitted to the Ethnic Minority Education Economics major at the Academy of Ethnic Minorities.

Ho Van Doi is a Ta Oi ethnic person. Photo: NVCC

While studying, Ho Van Doi also worked part-time to make ends meet. Doi was also proactive in everything, learning to speak clearly and confidently. In his second year, the male student began participating in many volunteer activities and community projects.

Currently, Ho Van Doi is the head of the Youth Club of the Ethnic Academy, enthusiastically participating in projects to help people in mountainous provinces, remote areas such as Bat Xat district, Lao Cai or Phinh Giang commune, Dien Bien Dong district, Dien Bien...

Doi is also a co-founder of the project “Community of 54 Vietnamese Ethnic Groups” to share information about ethnic minorities in Vietnam on social media platforms. Proud to be a child of the Ta Oi ethnic group - one of 53 ethnic minorities in Vietnam, Doi believes that everything he does comes from the desire to spread the beauty and daily life of ethnic minorities.

“In the first days in Hanoi, I was quite surprised because many friends did not know about the Ta Oi ethnic group. Therefore, I hope that more people will know about the unique features of my ethnic group, and at the same time, I can help ethnic minorities have a voice in the community,” Doi said.

Ho Van Doi received the Vu A Dinh Award in 2024. Photo: NVCC

After many years of studying at the National Academy, Doi said he is increasingly aware of the importance of preserving and promoting national cultural identity. On this journey, young people play an increasingly important role.

The male student really appreciates the saying of the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong: "As long as culture exists, the nation exists." That is also the ideal for Doi's journey of contributing to the community.

“Thanks to the attention of the Party and State for ethnic minorities, I have been able to go to school and do many things like today. Therefore, I hope that my studies will not only benefit myself and my family, but also enable me to return to my village to contribute to my own people and homeland,” Doi shared.

Thanks to his achievements, Ho Van Doi received the Vu A Dinh Award in 2024, honored as a "Beautiful example of the village" for his many contributions to the development of ethnic minority communities.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/hanh-trinh-roi-ban-xuong-thu-do-cua-nam-sinh-tung-khong-biet-tieng-pho-thong-2384259.html