As a victim of Agent Orange, Mr. Le Ba Thanh (born in 1978) lost the ability to move, but the love of his wife helped him have a complete home, a spiritual support for him to rise from adversity.
Smile after tears
The entire audience seemed to quiet down when they saw Ms. Le Thi Trang Nhung (born in 1982) carefully pushing her husband's wheelchair into the hall of the discussion commemorating the 63rd anniversary of the Agent Orange disaster in Vietnam, held in Vinh city.
Sitting in a wheelchair, Mr. Le Ba Thanh (born in 1978) smiled brightly to greet everyone. That smile truly radiated happiness, suppressing the feelings of misfortune when he carried within him the after-effects of Agent Orange.
Mr. Le Ba Thanh and his wife at the seminar commemorating the 63rd anniversary of the Agent Orange disaster in Vietnam held in Vinh city. Photo: Thanh Quynh
During the break of the seminar, I had the chance to chat with Mr. Thanh and Ms. Nhung, and was really impressed with their special life and love stories.
When he was born, Le Ba Thanh was a normal boy like any other child. However, at the age of 4, Thanh's legs gradually atrophied and he could no longer move. His father joined the army far from home, and his mother worked alone, taking him to large and small hospitals for treatment, but all in vain. Later, his mother learned that his terrible illness was caused by Agent Orange, a side effect of his father's wartime experience in the Quang Tri battlefield. From that moment on, his family had to accept the fact that their son would be disabled for life.
Le Ba Thanh and his wife received much love from relatives and friends and became an inspiration to other victims of Agent Orange. Photo: Thanh Quynh
One disaster after another struck when Le Ba Thanh's mother suddenly passed away while she was pregnant with her second child. After his mother's death, Thanh was raised by his grandmother. At that time, Thanh had never gone to school because his grandmother was old and weak and the daily pain prevented him from going to class. Out of love for her grandson, her grandmother only taught him to read and write simple words. Gradually, Thanh learned to read and write on his own and updated his knowledge through books and newspapers given to him by friends and relatives.
Although God took away Thanh’s legs, he was given a special talent for repairing electronic devices. At the age of 12 or 13, Thanh was able to repair watches and simple farm tools in his family. From that passion, at the age of 16, Le Ba Thanh decided to learn a trade at an electromechanical workshop in Vinh city.
Mr. Le Ba Thanh (born in 1978) and his wife, Ms. Le Thi Trang Nhung (born in 1982) at their family's factory. Photo: Thanh Quynh
At first, when he saw Thanh, the workshop owner was hesitant because no one wanted to hire a disabled person. Only when he saw his diligence, hard work and a bit of talent through the repairs of equipment at his workshop did the owner agree to hire him officially. After years of studying and working hard, Thanh accumulated capital and experience to open his own small mechanical shop at the foot of Kenh Bac bridge.
Mastering his time, he developed a passion for agricultural machinery, from which he improved and produced machines such as sugarcane presses, animal feed processors, and electronic welding machines. These products were widely accepted by the market inside and outside the province. Thanks to that, by 2007, he had accumulated capital to open a mechanical workshop larger than 300m2.2in Hung Loc commune. Looking at his property, no one would think that it belongs to a disabled person.
Although he never went to school, Thanh was able to research and improve many important farming tools. Photo: Thanh Quynh
Inside that property, he divided it into two parts, one for production and one for living. The small house was built with many hopes for a future home. He always believed in the good things in life, believing that he would have a wife and healthy children. And then, that belief became reality, bringing radiant happiness after the suffering he had to endure...
Love overcomes all barriers
Following the introduction of Mr. Ta Quang Du - Chairman of the Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin in Vinh City, we visited Mr. Le Ba Thanh's house on a day in early August.
Welcoming us, Ms. Le Thi Trang Nhung - Mr. Thanh's wife said that the crystallization of love between her and Mr. Thanh is two cute twins. Their love story started from a chance, going through many challenges to bear sweet fruit like today.
Ms. Nhung used to be an active student at Hong Lam College of Economics and Technology (Vinh City). Being a native of Nghia Dan, unlike her peers, Ms. Nhung soon developed a passion for electronics and engineering. Therefore, after graduating from high school, she decided to go to Vinh City to study a trade.
The happy smiles of Mr. Le Ba Thanh and his wife amidst the hustle and bustle of life. Photo: Thanh Quynh
Coincidentally, Mr. Thanh's workshop was close to the school she was attending. Therefore, in addition to studying at the lecture hall, she applied for a part-time job at his workshop to improve her qualifications and earn extra income to cover her studies.
Through the time working at the factory, she gradually understood Mr. Thanh's personality, realizing that he was a very emotional and thoughtful person towards everyone around him. Along with that, his will to overcome difficulties and his intelligence and creativity in work really moved her.
After graduating, she continued to work at Thanh's workshop. Thinking back to those days, she confided: "I lost my father early and Thanh lost his mother, so we both sympathized with each other. From that sympathy and understanding, he and I became closer and love came naturally.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhung, Mr. Thanh's wife. Photo: Thanh Quynh
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After meeting him, my mother was very supportive of our relationship, because she felt the efforts he had made. The support of both families helped us to nurture our love and grow, and was a support for the couple to overcome difficulties and hardships together. This home, though simple, is very complete to us."
Ms. Le Thi Trang Nhung
After stabilizing their family life, Thanh and his wife still sympathize with people in similar situations. They are willing to support free training for many disabled people and orphans over the years so that they can have jobs and stable income. Among them, many people still remember the young man Vi Van Dung (born in 1996).
Mr. Le Ba Thanh has accompanied and created conditions to help many disadvantaged and disabled workers at his factory. Photo: Thanh Quynh
Dung is a native of Quy Hop. He was paralyzed in both legs since he was a child. His family was very poor, so his condition became more and more serious. In 2016, when he was 20 years old, Dung learned about Thanh's production facility and decided to come to him to learn a trade. Understanding his determination, Thanh and his wife accepted him for training with a salary of 7 million VND per month.
After 7 years of working with Mr. Thanh's facility, with the capital and experience he accumulated, in 2023 he opened his own small workshop in Chau Ly commune, Quy Hop district. Looking back on the journey he has traveled, Mr. Dung still feels deeply grateful to Mr. Thanh and his wife for bringing valuable changes to his life.
What impressed Vi Van Dung and the 6 regular workers working at the factory about Thanh was his optimism and joy amidst the hustle and bustle of life.
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Rarely seeing Mr. Thanh sad, he often encouraged us: "Everyone has their own fate, he himself was also very sad when he lost his legs and his beloved mother. But only by overcoming it can he stand up and continue to live a meaningful life. That is the thought that we - the unlucky people - carry within ourselves to have joy after loss...".
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