Admiring the orphan boy who raised pigs for 2 years to save money for school
His mother died early, his father is missing, Hieu lives with his aunt and uncle. He was given a pig 2 years ago, Hieu took care of it and it gave birth to 3 litters.
The story of Ho Minh Hieu, a 5th grade student at Nguyen Thanh Primary School, Binh Quy Commune (Thang Binh, Quang Nam) - recorded by photographer Dinh Chi Trung (Binh Phuoc) - attracted much attention.
Hieu lost his mother at a young age, his father left. At the age of 12, he only studied in 5th grade, because after his mother passed away, he was sent to Laos to live with his uncle. Life on the other side of the border without anyone caring for him made Hieu almost forget his mother tongue. When he was sent back to Vietnam at the age of 7, Hieu just started going to school.
Currently, Hieu lives with his aunt's family. Her husband and their second child are unable to work due to mental illness. Her aunt has to go to Ho Chi Minh City to wash dishes for hire. At home, Hieu and another cousin take care of the two mentally ill people.
This is the sow that my grandmother gave me as capital, it is also my small fortune. Hieu takes good care of his pig. Every day, he cuts vegetables and goes to the market to ask for leftovers to feed it. He bathes it, looks at it and caresses it like one would a pet.
Now that the mother pig has just given birth to three piglets, Hieu's joy has multiplied many times. Mr. Le Van Dung (27 years old, Hieu's cousin) said: "Hieu has raised this pig for 2 years, giving birth to 3 litters. Every time I sell piglets, I am very happy. The previous litter the mother pig gave birth to 8 piglets, but it was during a low price period, so I could only sell it for a few hundred thousand. The next litter had 3 piglets, and sold it for 900 thousand. Hieu used that money to go to the market and pay for his studies."
At school, although he is older than his classmates, if you look at Hieu's small body, you can't tell.
Ms. Ho Thi Tri, 51 years old, (Hieu's aunt) said that every month, she earns about 5 million VND from working for hire and sends 3 million VND back to Hieu, to spend with her husband and son. "Hieu raises pigs to have work and happiness, basically I still raise the baby. Because my husband and son are still being treated for illness, I usually call Hieu to tell him what to buy at the market. He is very good at going to the market." She also said that the boy's father has lost contact since his wife passed away, when Hieu was nearly 4 years old.
After school, other children would go home to eat dinner or watch TV, but Hieu had other things to do. He stopped by the market to buy food to prepare dinner.
Hieu came home with a basket of vegetables and fish. He bragged that he would give all the pigs he sold to his cousin to keep. Every day, his cousin would give him money for breakfast and groceries.
After that, I will help my uncle cook dinner, then prepare dinner for my pig. Since Dung works late at night, Hieu usually bathes his pigs too.
Ms. To Thuy Hang, vice principal of Nguyen Thanh Primary School, said: "When he was first brought back from Laos, Hieu had many scabies on his body. When he first started school, Hieu could not communicate. When asked, he would shyly smile or run away."
After that, the school held a meeting to find a solution for Hieu's situation. During recess each day, the teacher would stay behind to help him speak Vietnamese. Hieu was encouraged to participate in traditional games, gradually he communicated fluently, was loved by his friends and studied well.
"Hieu is young but he is sensible and honest. One time I took off my raincoat and dropped my bracelet in the school yard. I searched for it for a long time but couldn't find it. My brother picked it up and knew it was mine, so he ran to return it. At school, everyone knew about his situation and took care of Hieu. Even the street vendors outside the gate often gave him food," Ms. Hang added.
Mr. Dang Nhan - head of Quy Thanh 1 village (Binh Quy, Thang Binh, Quang Nam) said that Hieu lost his mother a long time ago. He currently lives with his grandparents and his aunts and uncles.
Hieu's only wish is for his aunt to return to her hometown to work, so that the whole family can live together happily.
Photographer Dinh Chi Trung, author of the photo series "Hieu and the small fortune" said he found Hieu through many sources, on the journey to carry out the project "100 stories of Vietnamese children".
