From chicken farm worker to international college student

On April 10, Ha Viet Tinh, 27 years old, was radiant at the graduation ceremony of RMIT University Vietnam. Holding a flower in one hand and a bachelor's degree in Business with the other, the young man from Tot Dong commune, Chuong My district, Hanoi , was moved to tears when his dream of graduating from university finally came true.

"If you had met me a few years ago when I was still working as a factory worker, no one would have thought I would be where I am today," Tinh said. "I myself never thought I could go this far."

Ha Viet Tinh on his graduation day from RMIT University.

Tinh said he grew up in poverty and was beaten by his father for no reason when he was drunk. Hunger made Tinh much shorter than his friends, and his family situation made him self-conscious, shy, and reluctant to communicate.

After almost having to drop out of school several times because his family had no money, Tinh graduated from high school in 2017. Seeing his friends go to university, Tinh felt sorry for himself but realized that his current situation did not allow him to continue studying. He started working.

Tinh's first job was to help installers and repairmen carry air conditioners. Small and weak, Tinh struggled with equipment weighing tens of kilograms in hot weather. Many times, Tinh was scolded for being weak and not completing his work properly. After two months, he quit and went to work for a chicken farm in his hometown. This time, Tinh's job was to feed the chickens, sort the eggs, and package the products, earning about 8 million VND a month.

Realizing that he could not work at the chicken farm for too long, Tinh saved up money, took a marketing and sales course, and then worked as an employee at a beverage company. Knowing that shyness was his weakness, Tinh chose this job to change himself, persistently going to grocery stores, game shops, and gyms every day to promote his products.

Tinh has a higher income, about 12 million VND a month. He spends more than half to cover the family's living expenses, and saves the rest. After nearly a year, Tinh has paid off the debt of nearly 40 million VND his mother borrowed to renovate the house nearly ten years ago.

At the same time, Tinh studied English by himself, realizing that knowing a foreign language would open up more opportunities. He mainly studied by himself by talking to himself every night, and on weekends he went to Hoan Kiem Lake to "hunt for Westerners".

In 2020, Tinh learned about RMIT University's "Wings of Dreams" scholarship through REACH - a non -governmental organization that supports vocational training for disadvantaged youth. There are two necessary conditions: basic English knowledge, and a high school GPA above 8. Tinh applied with everyone's encouragement, but did not think it would be "his turn".

The day he received his acceptance letter, Tinh had just delivered an order. Slowly reading each line of the notice, Tinh happily shouted, showing off to everyone in the warehouse: "I'm going to school soon." The scholarship covered all tuition for four years, equivalent to 1.5 billion VND, along with 11 million VND in living expenses per month, plus some allowances. Tinh's life turned a new page.

In the first year, Tinh had to learn English and some skills such as presentation and teamwork. He officially entered the bachelor's program from the end of 2021.

Tinh does not stay in a rented house to save money. Every day, he wakes up at 5am to catch the earliest bus from Chuong My to Yen Nghia bus station (Ha Dong district), then takes the second bus to school in Ba Dinh district. Tinh's daily commute is nearly 70km, taking about 3-4 hours.

At first, Tinh felt nervous and self-conscious because his classmates often came from well-off families. He didn’t know how they would view him and whether he could integrate into an international learning environment. But contrary to that worry, his classmates admired and respected him when they learned about his story and proactively helped him.

In addition, Tinh was "shocked" by the amount of knowledge he had to learn, all in English. Knowing that he had a low starting point, Tinh determined to spend as much time as possible studying. He often took the opportunity to read books, review lessons on the bus, do homework in the evening and prepare lessons for the next day. If he still had questions, Tinh would ask his friends or ask to meet the lecturer after class.

The experience gained from his years of working has helped Tinh become more daring, energetic and open-minded. He also participates in many extracurricular activities, has held the position of Student Ambassador and is a key member of RED - RMIT's volunteer student community.

Wanting to take advantage of every opportunity and experience from the scholarship, in July 2023, he went to Australia to study at RMIT headquarters. When he first arrived, Tinh could not understand because the teacher spoke too fast. But thanks to living with a local student, his listening comprehension improved rapidly.

During his year in Australia, despite receiving tuition and living expenses support, Tinh worked 3-4 jobs at the same time, such as washing dishes, serving at restaurants and cafes, because of the high cost of living in Melbourne. In return, he found that he learned how to manage time, work independently, and the ability to observe and learn from his surroundings.

Thanks to his frugal spending, when he returned to Vietnam to complete his final semester, Tinh was able to buy his first motorbike in life to do an internship at EY Vietnam - a member of one of the four leading auditing companies in the world (Big 4). He once again challenged himself in a new field, studying Business but applying for a job in the import-export tax sector.

After more than three months at EY, Tinh has improved his ability to research and read documents because he is often exposed to regulations and rules. He is also impressed with the office skills such as excel, drafting contracts, arranging meetings between clients and businesses... that he has learned.

When the internship ended, Tinh did not look for an opportunity to stay at the company, but instead carried out the project he had cherished since receiving the scholarship, which was to return to his hometown to teach English to students. More than anyone, Tinh understood the value and opportunities that English could bring, so he also wanted to help students approach this language early.

The province mainly teaches online, with students of various ages, but mostly in elementary school. He teaches students basic grammar and communication skills. After two months of free teaching, receiving positive feedback from students and parents, the province is completing legal procedures to open an English center.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Linh, Head of Student Activities at RMIT Vietnam, assessed Tinh as a "living proof" of the spirit of not being afraid of difficulties, always cherishing every opportunity given to him. During the first 1-2 years, Tinh appeared at almost every event of the school as a volunteer and supporter. Ms. Linh assessed that no matter what task, Tinh did it seriously, wholeheartedly and proactively.

"After three years, from a boy who was a bit shy at first, Tinh has now matured, become more confident and steady. I believe that Tinh will go even further," said Ms. Linh.

Looking back on the journey, Tinh felt satisfied with his efforts and told himself to try harder.

"Getting into university is a victory in my life. But this is just the beginning, the road ahead may still have ups and downs," Tinh acknowledged. "But I believe in my own efforts."

Vu Huong (according to vnexpress.net)

Source: http://baovinhphuc.com.vn/Multimedia/Images/Id/127197/Tu-cong-nhan-trai-nuoi-ga-den-sinh-vien-dai-hoc-quoc-te