A Thai boy has been carrying his friend to school for 5 years.

(Baonghean.vn) - For five years, rain or shine, on the small road to school in Ta Co village (Chau Hanh commune, Quy Chau district, Nghe An province), Vi Van Khanh has never left the side of his disabled friend. Their friendship is as beautiful as a fairy tale in real life…

A turbulent childhood

This season, the Đá Đòng stream is overflowing with water, a source of livelihood for many people in Tà Cồ village (Châu Hạnh commune, Quỳ Châu district). Every afternoon, along with the villagers, young Vi Văn Khanh carries his disabled friend to the stream. After helping his friend sit on the bank, Khanh busily searches for any remaining clams and crabs in the rocky crevices. Whether few or many, having them means that Khanh and his friend no longer have to eat rice with sesame salt.

Vi Van Khanh's family is among the poorest in the village; his parents are frequently ill. Because they lack the money for medical treatment and rely solely on herbal remedies gathered from the forest, their health has steadily deteriorated. All the household chores have fallen on the shoulders of this 11-year-old boy. Because of his early maturity and hard work, he looks much older than his age.

Because of her own difficult circumstances, she felt even more empathy for her childhood friend, Vi Nhat Canh, who had to face disability at a young age. Over the years, their friendship has grown stronger, earning the admiration of the villagers and serving as an example for the other children in the village.

For five years, Vi Van Khanh consistently carried his friend Vi Nhat Canh (who suffers from polio) to school. Photo: Nga Nga

Speaking of Vi Nhat Canh, he is quite disadvantaged as he was born with cerebral palsy. From a young age, he has been unable to walk like his peers and has difficulty speaking fluently. His mother is also a disabled woman, so when he was born, his biological father heartlessly abandoned them both and went away. Since then, he and his mother have lived in a makeshift charity house built by their neighbors, barely surviving on meager meals.

When I was three years old, a man from Tan Lac Town, while building a house for hire in Ta Co village, learned about my mother and me. He took pity on us and married my mother. From then on, my stepfather became a strong support for me and my mother. He was always kind and encouraged me to go to school so I could socialize with my friends, and most importantly, so I could learn to read and write and become a useful member of society.

Every day, outside of class, the two friends study together at home. Photo: Thanh Quynh

With his father's encouragement, Canh harbored a dream of going to school. However, due to his self-consciousness, he remained withdrawn and isolated from the outside world.

One day, her neighbor, Vi Van Khanh, shared her dream and offered to carry her to school, making it a reality. Since then, Khanh has become her friend's legs, the legs of determination and faith, giving strength to her disabled friend to go to school and overcome the obstacles along the way.

The path to school of the two brave tin soldiers.

The small road from home to school, nearly 1.5 km long, was far from peaceful. The Đá Đòng stream was fine during the dry season, but in the rainy season, when the water level rose, the two young friends gambled with death against the rushing current and slippery rocks.

After crossing the stream, the two children had to climb steep slopes. Seeing his friend's shirt soaked with sweat, Canh sobbed several times on his friend's back. Those were also the moments when he promised himself he would study hard so that his friend's sweat wouldn't be wasted because of him.

It wasn't until 2014 that the road from their home to school was repaired, and the once treacherous Đá Đòng stream was replaced with a large, wide bridge. The road is now better, and the two children have grown older, but those difficult days remain vividly etched in their memories.

Recalling the first time she carried her friend to school, Khanh was moved: “In the first few days of going to school, we had to wake up at 5 a.m. to get ready. The road wasn't very long, but because our legs were tired and we were exhausted, we had to rest many times. Canh was naturally weak and had leg pain, so even though she was being carried, she easily got low blood pressure. But we both still tried our best and promised each other that we would go to school so as not to disappoint our teachers and parents.”

A touching image: Khanh carrying his friend to receive a certificate of merit at the end-of-year school ceremony. Photo: Nga Nga

Five years have passed, and rain or shine, Khanh has never let his friend miss a single day of school, or even be late. More than anyone else, Khanh knows that his friend has irreplaceable shortcomings; missing a lecture, a class, or even a single word of instruction would make it incredibly difficult for him to keep up with the curriculum.

At home, Canh relies entirely on his parents' help with all his personal activities, while at school, Khanh volunteers to be his friend's hands and feet, from fetching books and pens to going to the restroom or doing any other chores.

Both were consistently high-achieving students in their class, receiving numerous awards and certificates from the school. For many years, Canh consistently achieved high academic results. Speaking about himself, he always attributes all the joy, happiness, and success he has achieved not only to his own efforts but also to the hard work and dedication of his friend who has always been kind, supportive, and encouraging throughout the years.

Standing alongside the two young students was their homeroom teacher, Ms. Tran Thi Thuy. Admiring their pure friendship and their determination to overcome adversity, she was the one who proposed to the school to waive all class fees for the two boys. On some rainy days when Khanh couldn't carry his friend home, she would drive both of them all the way home.

Sharing her thoughts with us, she said: "Both students are well-behaved and studious. Despite their difficult family circumstances, they never miss a class and are always ready to help their friends when they are in need. This is a source of pride for the class in particular and the school in general. The school staff has always shown concern and support for them and believes that they will succeed."

The end-of-year school ceremony has passed, but the image of the two children carrying each other to receive their certificates of merit from the school brought tears to the eyes of their teachers and classmates. Although the road ahead is still full of difficulties, with their friendship, their compassionate hearts, their willingness to share, and their determination to overcome challenges, one day soon, these two brave little soldiers will fulfill their dreams: the dream of living a meaningful life.

Let's watch these two friends carry each other to class:

T.Quynh - Ng.Nga