The orphaned student struggled to make a living to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor.

In a shabby and damp rented room behind the Trauma and Orthopedics Hospital, Hung Dung Ward (Vinh City), Hoang Thanh Tuan (born in 1996) told us about his misfortune, poverty and hardship.

Having been attached to Vinh city for nearly two years, the medical student feels close to it like his second hometown, because here he is loved and helped by many people.

Tuan shared: “I am lucky to have teachers and friends who care and help me when I come here to study. The landlord rents me a cheap house and always creates favorable conditions for me to find part-time jobs. That is the spiritual motivation that helps me overcome difficulties and feel secure in my studies.”

Hoang Thanh Tuan in an old and damp rented room. Photo: Cong Kien

Tuan's hometown is in Phuc Hoa commune, Quang Trach district (Quang Binh) - a rural area known for its poverty. His mother died when Tuan was only 3 years old, and his younger brother was just learning to walk. Living as a single father, the father had to struggle to earn a living and raise his two young children.

Working himself to exhaustion, the father contracted cancer and passed away when Tuan was only 11 years old and his younger brother was only 9. From then on, the two children fell into a state of loneliness and helplessness in a dilapidated and rickety house, often suffering from hunger and cold. Relatives and neighbors joined hands to help, but only to a certain extent, because most of them lived in poverty.

Tuan and his younger brother Hoang Van Anh continued to go to school, all expenses were waived or reduced by the school. After school, Tuan went to work in the fields, growing corn and cassava and working for hire to support his two brothers, the burden of making a living weighed heavily on the shoulders of the boy who was growing up.

Born into hardship and deprivation, Tuan and his brothers could not fully appreciate the hardships of life. They only felt sorry for themselves when they lacked the care and love of their parents. Tuan could never forget the stormy, rainy nights when the house seemed to collapse, water leaked everywhere, and thunder and lightning continued. His younger brother was so scared that he jumped up, hugged his brother, and cried.

Feeling sorry for his brother and his own loneliness, Tuan also wanted to cry. But if he cried now, his brother would be even more afraid, so he had to hold back, spread his arms and hold his brother tightly, making him a support to help him feel less afraid. Then there were times when Hoang Van Anh was tormented by stomach pain, late at night with the sky pitch black, not knowing who to call, he could only sit and rub his brother's stomach to ease the pain and wait for the morning. With Hoang Thanh Tuan, he always told himself not to get sick, because if he was sick he couldn't go to class, there was no one to take care of him, he couldn't go to work to support himself and his brother.

Whenever he feels sick, Tuan usually tries to eat a lot and exercise a lot to have enough strength to overcome the disease. I don't know if this method is effective or because he is used to being in the rain and sun or because the weather is kind to him, but he rarely gets sick. If he does, he only needs medicine for a few days to get better.

Medical student Hoang Thanh Tuan takes the opportunity to study documents after class. Photo: Cong Kien

Struggling to make a living, taking care of his own activities and teaching his younger brother on behalf of his parents, Hoang Thanh Tuan's academic performance was always good, his academic results were always at the top of his specialized class. After graduating from high school, he registered for the Military Medical Academy but was unlucky because he missed by exactly 1 point.

Not discouraged, Tuan decided to leave his younger brother with his grandmother and go to Da Nang to work and earn money, to support himself, send money back to his younger brother and save up for the exam next year. In one year in Da Nang, Tuan struggled with many different jobs, from sales, restaurant service, flyer distribution to bricklayer, painter, waterproofer, he experienced everything. Whenever he had free time and a suitable job, he did it, not minding the hardship or difficulty.

In 2016, Hoang Thanh Tuan took the entrance exam and was admitted to Vinh Medical University, his dream of becoming a doctor was initially fulfilled. His luggage for admission consisted of only a few old clothes and a little savings, Tuan and his friend from Ha Tinh found the cheapest room to rent. In the first year, he still had free time, so he found part-time jobs, mainly as a painter, construction worker and waterproofer to earn money to pay for his studies.

These jobs were extremely hard, always in a state of exhaustion, constantly breathing in dust and toxic fumes, not suitable for the strength of a student. On days when he came home from work, lying down on the bed, he felt like he didn't have enough strength to get up. With a small amount of money, the medical student's daily meals consisted of only rice and vegetables, at most a few meals a month with tofu or sea fish.

Last year, during Tet holiday, Tuan went to Da Nang to sell goods to earn income and cover his tuition for the second semester. In the second year, his studies started to get busy, he didn't have much free time, but he still tried to go to work on his days off. Luckily, the workers understood his situation and were willing to create conditions for him to work extra.

Hoang Thanh Tuan's daily meals usually consist of only rice and vegetables, occasionally tofu and sea fish. Photo: Cong Kien

During the recent Tet holiday, after finishing his final exam, Tuan hurriedly took a bus to Da Nang to apply for a sales job, and after the holiday, he hurriedly returned to school to keep up with his schedule. That means, during the two Tet holidays, the orphaned student could not return home to visit his grandmother and younger siblings, could not clean the house, and could not burn incense before his parents' altar.

Although he was very sad and felt guilty towards his parents, due to the circumstances, Tuan had to accept and endure. In the afterlife, his parents must have been tolerant and blessed their poor son.

There are still 4 years of study ahead, studying medicine is not only time-consuming, but also hard and busy, the cost of purchasing documents and tools for studying and practicing is very high. With Hoang Thanh Tuan's situation, these are really not small challenges, if not to say too much.

But with a burning dream of becoming a good doctor to cure and save people, to help the poor and unfortunate, and with the will that has been forged since childhood, Tuan will overcome. Because around him there are many good people who are willing to help.

Saying goodbye to Hoang Thanh Tuan as he was preparing to leave for Hong Linh Town (Ha Tinh) to participate in painting a construction site, we held hands tightly – the hands of a medical student full of calluses. Those hands have been doing so much hard work to nurture his dream of becoming a doctor...