A new student at the University of Architecture in Da Nang once sat hugging his mother and cried in the hospital hallway: 'I have to quit school, Mom, find something to do and then if I have money, I will retake the exam'.
The mother, who was almost blind, also shed tears of love for her child.
These days, Phan Thi Hue An – an orphan girl with a mother with advanced cancer in Dien Ban, Quang Nam province, a recipient of the Tiep Suc Den Truong scholarship – is sitting confidently and firmly in the lecture hall of her dream school.
An's journey to university was filled with strong hopes, pain, and disappointment when she could not afford to pay tuition. But that journey also sparked with warmth when An was introduced to the Tuoi Tre Newspaper's "Tie suc den truong" scholarship.
Not just once, the poor girl received two relays like a miracle.
Phan Thi Hue An's mother is Mrs. Phan Thi Le, 53 years old (from Dien Ban, Quang Nam province). At the age of 18, Mrs. Le left her poor hometown to go to Ho Chi Minh City to work as a housekeeper. She lived in a house owned by a homeowner and was arranged to have a child with the homeowner's son.
When An was still a baby, her father fell seriously ill and passed away. To raise her child, Mrs. Le had to do many jobs to make a living. But it was too painful when her daughter turned 5 and she was diagnosed with cancer. All the money she had left over from collecting scrap metal, washing dishes, and buying food for her child was spent on medicine to treat the disease.
When An was 6 years old, unable to hold on any longer, Mrs. Le took her child to Dien Ban town to continue wandering. An was severely malnourished due to living in harsh and deprived conditions.
Since An went to school in the countryside, mother and son have often taken each other back to the South for Mrs. Le to treat her cancer. Every time she felt a little better, An and her mother returned to their hometown, continuing their journey of poverty.
Despite the harsh circumstances, An still studied well. When registering for university, An chose graphic design at the Da Nang University of Architecture and got enough points to pass. But from here, a really big rock appeared like a mountain in front of her and her poor mother. But life had a miracle that made Hue An burst into tears because she didn't think she was so lucky.
Through the introduction of teachers and readers, Tuoi Tre reporters found An and her mother. In a room on the 4th floor of Dien Ban Regional General Hospital, An sat sadly next to her mother who was almost completely blind.
Hue An said that when she received the admission notice, seeing that the tuition fee for each semester was up to 20 million VND, An's mother almost gave up. She also tried to find a ray of hope by finding acquaintances to borrow some money, even if it was just a few hundred thousand VND, to help her child go to school. But she called all the money in her phone sim card and no one lent her money. Everyone was afraid of a person with advanced cancer, homeless, jobless, and uncertain whether they would be able to repay the loan.
Teachers at the high school where An studied also tried to contact the scholarships. But the results of the scholarships could not be available immediately while the enrollment time was near.
That morning, after many days of trying to find a way, Hue An helped her mother to sit in the hallway. The poor girl leaned on her mother's shoulder and cried: "Mom, I won't go to college anymore." Having had a life of hardship, An's old and sick mother had never felt such helplessness. Then she also cried like her daughter.
Upon learning about An and her mother’s story, Tuoi Tre Online guided An in applying for the Tiep Suc Den Truong scholarship. While waiting for the application to be approved, we introduced the new female student’s situation to businessman Duong Thai Son – director of Nam Long Packaging Company, a major benefactor who has been supporting the Tiep Suc Den Truong scholarship for many years.
That night, Mr. Son contacted Hue An. Over the phone, Mr. Son still sympathized with An's helplessness. He made an immediate decision: " I will support you with 20 million VND each year to go to school, instead of only 12 million VND like the new students I am helping "!
Mr. Son’s words made Hue An feel like a dry, withered tree in the desert being doused with cool water. An said “yes” loudly, then ran from the hospital to prepare her clothes and papers in time to go to Da Nang tomorrow morning to complete the admission procedures.
The next morning, An drove to Da Nang University of Architecture even though "the money from Uncle Son had not yet entered his account".
In front of the large school gate, An was still worried because he didn't know if "Uncle Son" would really help. Then suddenly he received a text message from "Uncle Son" saying that the money had been transferred, making An almost scream in the crowd because he was so happy.
She went to school to register. In a moment, her account only had a few hundred thousand dong left, because more than 19 million dong had been paid for school tuition. But that didn't matter anymore, for An, that was more than enough.
That day, the admission ceremony was attended by Mr. Nguyen Van Dau (Dien Ban town), a reader of Tuoi Tre newspaper, who discovered An's situation from her teachers, verified it, and introduced her to Tuoi Tre newspaper's Tiep suc den truong scholarship. Around noon, An ran to where Mr. Dau was standing, holding a plastic card with a QR code, student information, and a portrait photo of herself. The new architecture student showed it to Mr. Dau, almost crying: "I'm a real student now. I don't know how to repay you!"
Phan Thi Hue An's Willpower and Desire to Study - Performed by: THAI BA DUNG - NHA CHAN - MAI HUYEN - TON VU
After receiving help from Mr. Duong Thai Son, on the morning of September 27, An was invited to the scholarship awarding ceremony for new students from Quang Nam and Da Nang at Palm Garden Hoi An resort. While sitting in the hall, Hue An had no idea that she was one of two lucky new students to receive a very special scholarship, which a generous donor decided to award to her just a few hours before the awarding ceremony, worth 150 million VND for 5 years of study (full course).
Ms. Le Thi Quynh Nga (Thua Thien Hue), a member of the Quang Nam, Da Nang School Relay Club, was impressed by the stories of adversity of the new students and decided to award scholarships throughout their university journey to two faces introduced by the scholarship.
Invited to the stage and receive this great gift, An rubbed her eyes and burst into tears. Tears continued to flow until An walked down each row of seats, bowed her head and shook hands to thank each benefactor.
“I don’t know what to say. It all feels like a miracle. Thank you, aunts, uncles, and friends, for loving me,” An sobbed. The adults approached where An stood and gave her affectionate hugs and pats, as if to give the poor girl strength.
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