Thuy is a third-year student majoring in management of ideological and cultural activities at the Academy of Journalism and Communication (AJC) in Hanoi.

She is a native of Nam Giang 2, one of the disadvantaged villages in Nam Chac commune in Bat Xat district in Lao Cai province, where most people are of the Hmong and Dao ethnic groups. Thuy’s family is the only Muong ethnic household there.

Living in a village with many hardships, Thuy once saw her peers drop out early to marry, have kids, work in the fields by day, and tend pigs at night. But Thuy didn’t want that for herself.

“I realized that only knowledge could change my life. Without education, I’d be stuck behind the village bamboo forever,” Thuy said.

At 16, Thuy asked for her parents’ permission to attend a provincial boarding school 50 km from home. The distance between home and school is long, and her parents could only pick her up every 3-6 months. 

Still, she loved going to school. “The environment at the boarding school affected my thinking a lot,” Thuy said.

After finishing high school, Thuy dreamed of continuing studying at university. When she shared this wish with her parents, they were worried but didn’t deny their daughter’s dream. For Thuy, this was a stroke of luck because her parents always let her decide her own future.

“My dad only finished grade three. He said he didn’t have much education, so if I wanted to study, he’d try his best to support me,” she said.

When the university acceptance letter came, her parents lost sleep, unsure how to find money for her tuition. A day before she was set to leave, they still encouraged her to stay calm while they managed to arrange money to fund her studies. They even planned to take a quick loan so Thuy could go to school.

“I promised that my parents only needed to cover one semester’s fees, then I’d work part-time to earn money myself to ease the burden on my parents’ shoulders,” Thuy recalled.

But that evening felt “like a miracle” to Thuy. Villagers put high hopes on Thuy, the first person in the village to go to university. They contributed money and essential items to help Thuy follow higher education.

“I know that villagers are poor and they have to struggle every day to earn their living. But they still donate money and things. One neighbor who herds buffalo daily with no steady income still gave VND20,000. Receiving the money earned through everyone’s sweat and effort, I told myself I’d study hard to come back and repay this kindness,” Thuy said.

Thanks to the help, Thuy had enough money to head to Hanoi for enrollment. Seeing the sparkling lights and tall buildings for the first time in the large city, she was overwhelmed.

“Before coming to Hanoi, I couldn’t imagine how tough it’d be. There were days I slept through hunger because I had no money. I even thought I’d never fit into the bustling life in the capital city, but luckily, things slowly settled,” she said.

Thuy said despite challenges, she still keeps moving forward as she is inspired by a student in the same commune – Chao Yen. The Dao ethnic minority girl fought to escape poverty through education and won a scholarship to study in Europe. 

“Her journey inspired me and gave me strong belief that I could do it too,” Thuy said.

From her second year at university, Thuy started working as a teaching assistant for soft skills classes to stop relying on her parents. Dreaming of becoming a TV editor, she joined the school’s MC club and once hosted a program for the Vietnam National Defense channel.

During her three years of study, Thuy has carried out projects to help people in her own village. During Typhoon Yagi, when her hometown suffered heavy damage, Thuy took the lead in calling for and organizing donations to aid the villagers. She also launched the “collect bricks, build homes” project to partly support losses and hardship caused by the storm.

“I feel happy as I could do something for my village,” Thuy said.

Watching Thuy’s journey, Nguyen Van Viet, an AJC lecturer, said he admires the Muong girl’s determination. The first time he met Thuy, Viet was impressed by her energy and confidence, so he chose her as the class leader.

Thuy Nga