Vietnamese-American female sailor on US aircraft carrier: Failing university entrance exam is fate to join the navy

(Dan Tri) - Huyen Tran is in charge of maintaining and repairing aircraft repair equipment on the US aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. Her chance to serve in the navy came from failing her favorite university.

On the morning of June 30, the US aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan left Da Nang Bay, ending a 6-day visit to Vietnam with many commemorative activities, cultural exchanges and community projects between US sailors and Da Nang residents (Photo: Tien Tuan).

Among the 5,000 sailors working on the aircraft carrier and two escort ships, the small-statured Vietnamese-American sailor Doan Nhat Huyen Tran, who is serving on the USS Ronald Reagan, emerged as a phenomenon throughout the visit (Photo: Tien Tuan).

Doan Nhat Huyen Tran immigrated to the US with her family at the age of 16 and has been serving as a sailor on a ship for just over a year. This is the first time the female sailor born in 1999 has returned to visit Vietnam after serving in the army. In 2022, Huyen Tran missed the opportunity when the visit to Da Nang by the USS Ronald Reagan was canceled at the last minute (Photo: Tien Tuan).

The 23-year-old sailor was born and raised in Nha Trang. Tran's father works at a frozen meat factory and her mother is a nail technician. Tran has an older brother and is the youngest in the family. In 2015, Huyen Tran moved to the US with her family.

Huyen Tran's chance to become an aircraft carrier sailor is also quite special. After failing to get into the university she wanted, and at the same time, during the 2 years affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, Tran was determined to register to join the army to "change her life" and was assigned to serve on the US aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (Photo: Tien Tuan).

Huyen Tran's main job on the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier is to maintain and repair aircraft repair support equipment. Her colleagues are mostly men, both in work and in life, everyone is friendly, enthusiastic and especially often protects and helps the little girl of Vietnamese origin (Photo: Huyen Tran).

In the photo, Huyen Tran is performing the task of running hydraulic samples on specialized equipment. "Working on the ship helps me become more mature in personality, patient and meticulous in work. In addition, I also learn how to communicate better and improve my English a lot because I am lazy to read English books," Huyen Tran shared (Photo: Huyen Tran).

Huyền Trân also had time to go ashore to participate in language, sports, cultural and artistic exchange programs with sailors of the US aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. In the photo, Huyền Trân dances with students from the University of East Asia, Da Nang, during the US Navy exchange on June 29 (Photo: UDA TV - University of East Asia).

Through newspaper articles reporting on the visit to the US aircraft carrier, Huyen Tran was recognized by many students and asked to take souvenir photos with them (Photo: UDA TV - Dong A University).

During the time the US aircraft carrier visited Vietnam, Tran's three aunts also took their cousins ​​from Nha Trang to Da Nang to visit her. This was not the first time she had visited home, but for Huyen Tran, being reunited with her family at this event was truly touching and meaningful (Photo: Huyen Tran).

"I feel very happy because I was warmly welcomed by everyone, especially the young students. After returning from the navy, I want to continue working in machinery and engineering, not continuing my family's nail business," Huyen Tran confided.

Dantri.com.vn