This Tet is special for H'Mong boy Vu A Du (17 years old, from Yen Bai) as there are only a few months left for him to take the 2024 High School Graduation Exam. This is an important and meaningful event for A Du to mark the 7-year journey of receiving scholarships from benefactors to study.

"I personally think I have improved a lot, especially in 11th grade, like a graph reaching the top. It's all thanks to the conditions that the school and teachers have given me," said Vu A Du.

7 years ago, A Du left his family in Hong Lau village, Hong Ca commune, Tran Yen district, Yen Bai province to go to Ho Chi Minh City alone to study at Nam Viet Primary-Middle-High School with a scholarship from the Vu A Dinh Scholarship Fund.

A Du remembers when he was in 5th grade, after returning from a buffalo herding trip, he received information that he had been awarded a scholarship and would be going far away from home to study. At that time, the boy did not think much but prepared himself mentally for a new journey.

However, right from the first day in a foreign land, the H'Mong boy wanted to go home.

"On the first day of school, I wanted to go home immediately because the environment was strange, there was no one I knew around. I was shy and quiet. It was even difficult to understand what people were saying, many words I had to listen carefully and ask again 2-3 times," Du recalled.

The 5th grader at that time had to get used to the change in taste because… he was not used to eating meat. And so, his first lessons were to get used to more nutritious meals.

The first time he left his remote village, left his parents' arms to go to a bustling city, the 10-year-old boy kept encouraging himself to try harder because time would pass very quickly, but the feeling of homesickness always surrounded him, making him cry a lot.

Seeing that Du was still worried, the teachers encouraged and comforted him every day. Friends in the dormitory also naturally started talking and confiding in him.

"I realized that no one discriminated against whether I was an ethnic minority or poor. Thanks to the love of my teachers and friends, I was able to overcome that period of time and try to study and practice well," said Vu A Du.

Just like that, every day, Vu A Du worked hard and tried to study. He devoted all his time to studying. A Du said that the greatest luck in his life was receiving a scholarship, entering a completely new learning environment, completely different from what he had.

After 6 years of studying, Vu A Du today is a completely different boy: an active class monitor, top 3 best student in the class, confident, multi-talented, enthusiastic in all activities. Sharing about the future, Vu A Du said that he really likes information technology and plans to take the university entrance exam for this major.

From Yen Bai, Nghe An, Ha Tinh…, many ethnic minority students in difficult mountainous provinces, children of fishermen and island soldiers have come to Ho Chi Minh City to experience a modern learning environment through the scholarship program.

It is a journey to change yourself, learn knowledge and fulfill dreams nurtured by kind hearts.

Flipping through the souvenir photos with each class of students, Ms. Phan Thi Anh Hoang, Principal of Nam Viet Primary-Middle-High School, tearfully recalled the first days of welcoming the students to school.

She said that the school pays great attention to and cares for disadvantaged ethnic students and island students, especially those whose parents are on duty in the islands and the sea. Each year, the school will adopt and teach 15 students for free for 7 years (from grade 6 to grade 12). To date, there have been 103 students from the Vu A Dinh Scholarship Fund studying here.

Students in difficult circumstances are motivated through scholarship funds. This Tet, Ngo Thi Ngoc Anh (HCMC) became a new bachelor of traditional medicine after graduating from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in HCMC.

The joy that has come to Anh over the years is not only receiving the 1&1 Scholarship from the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Promoting Education, but more importantly, having a special mother.

"Ma Ngoc" - the respectful and loving name that Ngo Thi Ngoc Anh gives to her mother who, although she did not give birth to her, gave her a special future.

Recalling 6 years ago when she received the news of being accepted to her favorite university, in addition to the overwhelming feeling of happiness, Anh was also worried about the journey ahead because of her difficult circumstances.

Fortunately, Ngoc Anh was motivated when she received the 1&1 Scholarship that year. The first benefactor of the female student was Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu - the late Vice Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee. After Ms. Thu passed away due to a serious illness, Ngoc Anh was supported by "Mother Ngoc" with a part of the funding so that she could continue her journey in the white coat for the remaining 4 years.

Impressed with Ngoc's mother, Anh said that although she has many "children", she always remembers the strengths and weaknesses of each child to encourage and remind them. Although she is busy and has little time to meet in person, she often texts to ask about, share and give her children more energy.

During those 6 years, not letting down the benefactors and uncles and aunts in the Association for Promotion of Education, Ngoc Anh made efforts to improve her knowledge and train herself in all aspects. In addition to studying well, the female student also became a key Youth Union - Association officer, an exemplary student with good academic achievements.

"I am extremely grateful for the scholarship that has given me a second family because here I have my mother, my dear uncles and aunts, and my dear friends who are like brothers and sisters in the family," Ngoc Anh expressed.

For those who give, they themselves say they receive many valuable things. Mr. Pham Minh Hien, the benefactor of the 1&1 Scholarship, a retired military officer, said that although he is 88 years old and has difficulties, he still feels his responsibility.

He directly contributed 6 scholarships and encouraged 2 more friends to join. So far, the 6 "seeds" have all grown well. Among them, 1 friend has become a doctor, 1 friend is an economist, 2 students are about to graduate from university, and 2 new students have just started school.

According to Mr. Pham Minh Hien, depending on the specific circumstances, each heart has different contributions, some people contribute and mobilize relatives to contribute hundreds of meals, some people contribute a few meals, or just mobilize friends to participate because they themselves have many difficulties. All are very precious hearts!

Content: Huyen Nguyen

Design: Patrick

Content: Huyen Nguyen

Design: Patrick Nguyen