A touching letter from a 9-year-old girl to her disabled brother.

With the assignment "Write a letter expressing your feelings for your beloved younger sibling," 9-year-old Do Ngoc Thuy Van, a 4th-grade student at Dang Van Ngu Primary School (Ho Chi Minh City), wrote a touching letter to her disabled older brother. The letter wasn't long, but it was filled with sincere and pure love for him.

This is the letter that little Thuy Van submitted to the "Love in the Eyes of a Child" writing contest, organized by the C. biscuit brand. Her letter received an outstanding score of 10 and won first prize in the Southern region.

Baby Do Ngoc Thuy Van.

In the letter, Van called him "Brother Hai" and described him with great affection and vividness: He couldn't move like a normal person and had to lie in one place. He liked playing with his younger sister, liked listening to stories being read to him, and liked being cared for by her…

Because she loved her older brother so much, Van always tried to please him. She often clung to him, played with him, and understood him especially well, even though their communication was mainly through eye contact and gestures…

Through Van's clear and loving writing, readers can easily feel the deep sibling bond between the two children. Although only in the fourth grade, the girl already has profound thoughts and a determination to study hard so that she can become a doctor to treat her older brother.

Van's mother, Le Song Thuy Dung, only learned the specific contents of the letter after her daughter was informed that she had won first prize in the Southern region of the competition. Ms. Dung confided that she was very surprised and proud of her daughter's achievement.

“Van’s older brother is Do Duc Tam, born in 1999. Unfortunately, he has cerebral palsy since birth. Van and her brother have loved and been very close to each other since childhood.”

“Van loves her older brother very much. Every time she comes home from school, she greets him, tells him first what she does, and especially dotes on him. At home, she often hovers around him to see if he's uncomfortable or needs anything so she can help him or call her parents,” Ms. Dung shared.

The full content of the winning letter from Do Ngoc Thuy Van:

To my dearest brother Tâm,

This afternoon, my teacher gave me a form to participate in a letter-writing contest organized by the school, expressing my feelings to someone I cherish. The first person I thought of was my older brother.

My dearest older brother, when I was little, I often wondered why you couldn't sit up and play with me, why you couldn't walk. But as I grew older, I understood that your illness prevented you from moving like other children, like me. This caused your limbs to atrophy, just like in the science lesson my teacher taught me. You can't speak; you only communicate through your eyes, your smile, and your demeanor. You have to try so hard to pronounce my name at home – Su – which makes me so happy. I know you love me very much, but I don't understand why you love me so much. Perhaps it's because you only have one younger sibling?

I remember, after Tet, Mom was counting the money in the red envelopes, and she asked my brother if she could keep it. He refused and held back, but when Mom said, "Give it to Su," he held up one finger and smiled happily.

There are many, many more things, but one story will always stay with me. It was a long time ago, when I was in second grade. I poked a stick into my older brother's ear, making him bleed. Mom found out and asked him who did it. He didn't answer. Mom asked, "Was it Su?" He held up two fingers to indicate it wasn't him. When Mom asked me, I confessed and asked my older brother. He smiled shyly, embarrassed that he had covered for me. That's how much he loved me; how could I not love him back! Does my older brother know how much I love him?

Every time I came home from school, I would greet my older brother. His eyes lit up with joy; I knew he was delighted to see me. He listened attentively to everything I said. Whenever I showed him my good homework, he would listen carefully, his eyes brightening with happiness. I knew my older brother loved having me around, so outside of school hours, I would always cling to him. When I studied at home, I would set up my desk right next to his bed. My mother said I was his hands and feet, so I had to be close to him so he could ask me for help, right? When my older brother needed me to do something, he would try very hard to call my name. Understanding his intentions, I did as he asked. When he was busy, I would say, "Wait a moment." He would reply, "Yes?" Even just that one word, carefully uttered from his mouth, showed me he understood I was busy and was willing to wait for me. He was sick, but he didn't want anyone to know he was sick. He would gesture, "I'm not sick." He really liked being complimented on his good looks. Many friends came to my birthday party, and they all greeted me with folded hands: "Hello, Mr. Tam!" He was delighted and smiled with me, showing how happy he was. I love him so much!

My older brother's only companions are the television and a laptop. Every day he watches TV from the moment he wakes up. He likes watching football the most. I understand that he can't exercise on his own, so I'm always by his side. When I go out to play with the neighborhood kids, they have siblings to play with, but I don't have my brother to play with, and I feel sad. I think about my brother being home alone and lonely, so after playing for a little while, I run back home and don't play anymore. At home, I often take out books and read aloud to him. I don't know if he understands, but he pays attention. I asked Mom to buy more books and stories so I could read to him too. When something funny happens, I laugh, and he laughs along with me in a hearty way. I read fairy tales about fairies or benevolent spirits, and if a fairy could grant me three wishes, my first wish would be: "I wish my brother could be as healthy as a normal child." Then we'll go to school together, play together, it'll be so much fun, right, big brother?

Later, I will be the doctor who treats you and Mom. I will try my best to study hard to make Mom and Dad proud, and to make you, my older brother, happy. I have so much more to say, but this letter is already long, and I have to study for my upcoming English exam, so I'll stop here. I wish you a good night's sleep and good health, my older brother. Your little sister will always love you very much, my only brother.

I love my older brother very much.

Do Ngoc Thuy Van

According to Vietnam.net