The maid became an excellent student in Australia

The winter weather in the North is freezing cold, but 13-year-old Dang Thi Huong still works hard on the streets with a half-full basket of sticky rice, which is the only way she can make a living to support her family in the countryside.

Exactly 14 years later, in November 2013, she became the first and only Vietnamese student to receive two prestigious awards: “Outstanding International Student of the Year 2013 in Victoria” and “Outstanding International Student of the Year 2013 presented by Victorian Premier Denis Napthine”.

Dang Thi Huong receives award from Victorian Premier Denis Napthine (right cover)

Photo provided by the character

92 kilometers of willpower

That was the distance from Huong’s house in Lap Thach district (Vinh Phuc) to Hanoi, a distance that twice a year, on Tet and her father’s death anniversary, the skinny maid was allowed to return home by her employer. Her mother gave birth to Huong right in the corner of the house. A decent roof became a very distant dream. “On rainy days, the whole family hid under the bed, afraid that the house would collapse and kill everyone. My mother struggled to build a house that was half brick and half earth,” Huong said about her house.

Only Huong, the healthiest in the family, could support her mother, while her brother and sister were constantly sick. Knowing that her mother planned to let her quit school when she entered 7th grade, all that year Huong just wished for each day to pass slowly, dreaming of a miracle. Huong told her mother about her dream of becoming a literature teacher, but her mother said nothing, but in the morning she saw her mother's pillow was soaked. Huong stopped wearing her uniform, and did not hesitate any longer on the opening day of 8th grade, but followed her mother to the field, starting her lessons with rice grains, with the harsh sun and rain of life.

Working in the fields was not enough to make ends meet, and her father's illness became more serious. Huong asked her mother to go to Hanoi to work as a maid. Alone in the bustling city, Huong asked to take care of a child for a wealthy family whose only assets were the lullabies her mother taught her. Working hard all day, despite the criticism and scolding from the homeowner, she was able to send 150,000 VND each month to her mother.

But her desire to study never disappeared. At 18, Huong went to the 8th grade of the continuing education program at the continuing education center and was fired. With no money or place to stay, Huong stayed under the stairs of a slum that had just enough space for a bed with a broken leg. She woke up at 2am to cook sticky rice to sell, then cleaned houses for rent, in the afternoon she sold all kinds of cakes, and after school she sold cakes until midnight. Her two-hour sleep each day was fitful, she huddled alone, sometimes covered in dust by people going up and down the stairs. “At that time, the only thing I thought about was that if I stopped, my brother and sister would definitely have to drop out of school, and my mother’s fields would never be enough, so I could never give up,” Huong said.

Touch Cinderella's Dream

In 2006, Huong passed the entrance exam to KOTO - a social enterprise specializing in training street children in restaurant and hotel services with a strict selection process when she was just 20 years old. Studying at KOTO, Huong was determined to complete the general education program. At KOTO, Huong felt self-conscious, lost confidence and always avoided people. Knowing this, Jimmy Pham - the sponsor of the students at KOTO - listened and talked with Huong for 30 minutes. "Since coming to Hanoi, this is the first time a door has not been slammed in my face" - Huong shared.

After that time, Huong opened her heart and tried to get used to English. Huong was accepted to work at the InterContinental West Lake Hotel, then returned to work as a KOTO employee to help street children. KOTO marketing director Nguyen Tuyet Trinh commented: "Huong's ability to grasp the job quickly, even though she has not learned any basic marketing skills or knowledge, always brings surprising achievements and she is our great pride."

Having a stable job and a good income, Huong suddenly applied to study business administration at Box Hill Institute (Australia). Her family objected because "a 25-year-old girl should think about marriage and children instead of going to school" but Huong still went. Studying in Australia was not simple, but she told herself "if you don't know, then study". Huong stayed up all night to study, including the calculations with the rice basket and chicken of her mother back home in the economics lesson at school, causing the professor to exclaim: "I have to call home to thank my mother because she is the best economics teacher".

Outside of school, Huong works part-time for a hotel and volunteers in the marketing department of KOTO International. She never has a free moment, but on weekends she dedicates herself to charity activities to raise funds for street children in Vietnam, with one program that Huong has raised 10,000 Australian dollars. These contributions, along with her good academic achievements, helped Huong become the international student ambassador of Box Hill Institute in 2013. Most recently, she won two prestigious awards, including a full scholarship of 20,000 Australian dollars at RMIT University majoring in business. "I want to learn about starting a social enterprise, solutions to problems related to children in difficult circumstances" - Huong shared her dream with a clear voice that had no trace of the self-conscious, lost girl in the streets back then...

According to Gia dinh.net