Orphan boy passed 2 universities

(Baonghean)Orphaned of both parents when the eldest sister was in 11th grade and the youngest brother was only 6 years old, but with extraordinary determination, the 3 orphaned sisters in Hamlet 2 Long Son, Anh Son have made miracles in life, continuing the unfinished dream of their parents...

In recent days, the news that the orphan boy Tran Van Duc was admitted to two universities at the same time (Block B of Hue Medical University with 26 points (including priority points) and Block A of the University of Economics, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (20.5 points) has stirred up the village of Long Son (Anh Son). Everyone is happy and admires Duc's determination to overcome difficulties, and the sacrifice of his two older sisters... On the happy day, Duc choked up with tears when asked about his family's situation. His father, Tran Van Tam, once fought in the Southern battlefield and was imprisoned by the enemy in Con Dao prison for 7 years.



Tran Van Duc and his sister.

After leaving the army, he went to school and then worked at Hanh Lam Tea Farm. There, he met Nguyen Thi Chung, a worker at the tea farm. Having experienced the war and being veterans, the two sympathized with each other, fell in love and became husband and wife. Happiness smiled on this veteran's family when three children were born: Tran Thi Thuy (born in 1982), Tran Thi Luan (born in 1984) and Tran Van Duc (born in 1994). Life went on peacefully... But then disaster suddenly struck this small family. In 1996, he fell ill and had to stay in the hospital for a long time. She packed her bags and took her youngest son with her from one hospital to another. Military Hospital 4 (Vinh) and Military Hospital 103 (Hanoi) became temporary shelters for the couple and little Tran Van Duc.

Exhausted from taking care of her husband for two years, Ms. Chung's heart disease relapsed and she died in 1999, while her husband's illness became more and more serious and he still had to stay at Hospital 103. To mourn her mother, the second daughter, Tran Thi Luan, temporarily stopped studying and went to Hanoi to take care of her father. But then, the after-effects of years of brutal torture in Con Dao prison, the relapse of the wound took his life, leaving behind three orphaned children in a dilapidated house and a few fields. At that time, the eldest sister was only 16 years old, the youngest brother was just 6.

Suppressing their pain, the three Duc sisters encouraged each other to fulfill their father's dream of studying hard. At that time, Thuy was in grade 12, her younger sister was in grade 10 and the youngest brother was in grade 1. One day at school, one day at home, the three sisters divided up the work to make ends meet. Outside of school, Thuy and Luan worked hard in the fields, cut grass to feed cows and raise pigs and chickens. Duc was 6 years old but was already proficient in household chores such as cooking, washing dishes, cleaning the house... Working hard all day, but the three sisters never neglected their studies. Many times, after finishing all the work, it was past 10pm, at which time the three sisters had time to sit down at their desks to study, but every school year, all three sisters achieved the title of excellent students of the school, advanced students. Many nights, the youngest brother was sleeping and crying, missing his mother. Tears rolled down his cheeks as the two older sisters hugged their younger brother and comforted him...

In the 2000-2001 university entrance exam, Thuy Do entered Nghe An College of Education, Luan entered grade 11 and Duc went to grade 2. “When I received the admission notice, I felt more sad than happy, more worried than happy. If I went to school, who would take care of my two younger siblings at home? At that time, I thought I would drop out of school to raise my younger siblings. With the encouragement of teachers, friends, relatives, especially my two younger siblings, I had to move on...” The eldest sister went to Vinh to study, worked hard to support herself and saved every penny to have a little to send back to her two younger siblings in the countryside to study. At home, Luan and her younger siblings encouraged each other to study and work at the same time. In 2002, Luan passed the entrance exam to the Faculty of Geography Education (Vinh University), with no other choice, unable to send Duc to relatives, the three sisters closed the shop, contracted all their fields and gardens, and moved to Vinh to stay and study. Duc was admitted to Hung Loc Primary School (Vinh City).

Life in the city is expensive, with rent, tuition... hundreds of things to worry about. Thuy and Luan work hard to cover their living expenses.

Hardship and hardship seemed not enough to test the will of the three orphaned sisters... In grade 3, Duc fell ill, after a long time in the provincial Children's Hospital, Duc was diagnosed with hydronephrosis in the right kidney, kidney function was severely impaired and had to undergo surgery soon. Taking a leave of absence from school, taking care of the transfer procedures for him, Thuy packed her bags and took him to the Hanoi Children's Hospital for surgery. After a month in a foreign land, the money donated by relatives, brothers, teachers, and friends for Duc's hospitalization was exhausted, and they had to borrow money everywhere. Duc was discharged from the hospital, but his health had seriously declined, he was emaciated, and needed a special diet. Duc's two older sisters had to work extra jobs, both to pay off the debt and to earn more money to buy nutritious food for him... Despite the torment of illness and the lack of love from his parents, throughout his primary school years, Tran Van Duc was always at the top of his class and school in terms of academic achievement, becoming an excellent student in the province in grade 5.

In 2003, Thuy graduated and was fortunate to be accepted to teach at Phuc Son Secondary School (Anh Son). To make it easier to take care of her younger sibling, Thuy transferred Duc to her hometown to study. In secondary school, Duc passed the entrance exam to the district's specialized school. Pitying his sister's hard work, Duc studied very hard and was an excellent student in the district for many years. In high school, Duc was selected to study in the specialized natural science class at Anh Son 1 High School.

Before the day of enrollment, new student Tran Van Duc still had many concerns: “I heard that the cost of studying at a medical school is quite expensive. My health is such that I cannot do any extra work, and I am not even allowed to participate in physical activities or sports. My two sisters have raised me for more than ten years, and now they have their own families, so it is very difficult. Studying at Hue University of Medicine is a long time, and the cost is expensive, I am afraid my sisters will have a hard time handling it. I really hope to receive help from everyone...”

Unstable health (only one kidney is working), combined with difficult family circumstances, makes the 18-year-old student smaller than his friends, with white hair and sad eyes. For Duc to realize his dream of becoming a doctor to treat himself and help the poor, he needs support from the community and society...

Thanh Phuc