Little-known stories behind the achievements of a youth volunteer in Nghe An

Silent love

When she was a girl, Ha Thi Hoa (born in 1973, from Dong Thanh commune, old Yen Thanh district) was admired by many people for her pretty, gentle and graceful appearance. Among many suitors, her heart chose Vuong Trung Uy - a skinny, small, but diligent, emotional and filial young man. That simple, sincere love brought them under the same roof, together nurturing the simple dream of a warm home filled with love.

The marriage began with many hardships. They built their first house in a remote place, deserted all year round, without any neighbors. Mr. Uy was then the Secretary of the Youth Union of the hamlet, then the Deputy Secretary of the Youth Union of the commune. With a meager income, they took care of the village work, hoed and built the house, built the kitchen, dug a pond, and built a barn. Ms. Hoa recalled: "On the nights when we built the house, after putting the children to sleep, the couple went out to light oil lamps to build. We lacked everything, but because we were in harmony with each other, we were still happy."

Life at that time was associated with dozens of jobs: making tofu, brewing wine, raising pigs, plowing 7 sao of rice fields. Every day, Ms. Hoa woke up at 2 am to make wine, at 5 am brought the beans to the market, and at 11 pm she was busy grinding the beans after tutoring her children. For many years, she never once complained, just silently endured and made efforts for her husband and children.

Diligent and hard-working, but family meals at that time were still heartbreakingly frugal. “Don’t laugh, my family made tofu but we never got to eat the whole piece. The family’s “special dish” was minced fatty meat mixed with burnt tofu, fried salty. We let the children eat first, and the rest was mixed with burnt rice at the bottom of the pot for the two of us to eat together. Whenever we bought a bunch of small fish, we would take the meat for the children, and the heads and tails for the parents…”, Ms. Hoa recounted with a smile on her lips but her eyes were red.

In 1998, a decision changed the whole family's life: Mr. Uy - at that time the Secretary of the Commune Youth Union - volunteered to take up a mission in the Youth Force.youth volunteersin Ky Son district (old), 200 km from home. At that time, Ms. Hoa was only 26 years old, single-handedly taking care of 3 children: the oldest was 6 years old, the youngest was only 2 years old.

Without her husband, she became even busier. She worked alone in the fields, raised pigs, fermented bean sprouts, salted mosquito nets, sold goods, and brewed wine – she had to do everything. Days with only 2-3 hours of sleep and nights spent quietly wandering around the empty house had become a habit.

Every year, he only comes back a couple of times, hurriedly staying for a day and then leaving again. The short phone calls from the cooperative are enough to make her cry with joy and sadness. She hides her longing and hardships in her heart so that her husband can feel secure in his dedication. "Dad is on duty," she always tells her children, so that they understand, be good and know how to wait. "I dare not cry, dare not be weak, because I know he has a greater mission than the family. I have to shoulder his work at home so that he can feel secure in completing his journey," Ms. Hoa shared.

Deserved happiness

After many years of silence, the small family of Mr. Uy and Ms. Hoa has turned a new page in life. Thanks to their tireless efforts and dedication, Mr. Uy was successively appointed Deputy Team Leader, then Team Leader of the 9th Youth Volunteer Team.

With his outstanding dedication and contributions, Mr. Uy was promoted to Deputy Team Leader and then Team Leader of Youth Volunteer Team 9. At home, Ms. Hoa saved some capital and expanded her business. The simple house of the past has now been replaced by a spacious and beautiful house.

What makes Mr. Uy and Ms. Hoa most proud is the maturity of their 3 children. Since childhood, the children have been aware of their family circumstances, so they are very independent and hard-working. In 6th grade, they already know how to cook and wash their own clothes so that their parents can work with peace of mind. Everyone praises them for being obedient and filial. "From hardship and deprivation, we learned a lesson from our parents that we must be diligent, thrifty and love to work. It is our parents who have become the motivation for us to strive and make efforts for a meaningful life, with ideals and ambitions," shared Ms. Vuong Anh Hong, the youngest daughter.

Currently, all three children of Mr. Uy and Ms. Hoa have stable jobs and are highly educated. Notably, two children and two sons-in-law are doctors, working at prestigious hospitals. For them, it is a worthy reward for a long and arduous journey full of sacrifice.

Looking back on the past journey, Mr. Uy could not help but be moved: "I am lucky to have my wife's companionship in taking care of the family and raising the children. Without my sympathetic wife and obedient, understanding children, I would not have been able to confidently complete my duties and contribute to the Fatherland."

The story of the family of Mr. Vuong Trung Uy and Ms. Ha Thi Hoa is not only the story of a family overcoming difficulties, but also a picture ofpatriotismsilently, about the noble sacrifices of Vietnamese women. They are the nameless "rear" but are a solid support, a boundless source of motivation for young volunteers like Mr. Uy to confidently devote themselves to the Fatherland. Together, they have built not only a warm home, but also a shining example of a traditional Vietnamese family, where love and sacrifice are always an endless source of energy, cultivating lasting values. Stories like these will forever be a warm flame, inspiring many generations.