The young teacher borrowed money to help her boyfriend get plastic surgery.

Feeling sorry for her boyfriend who couldn't find a job after graduating from university because of his abnormal jaw, Thu Thảo used her savings and borrowed money to help Thục have his jaw repositioned.

More than a month after undergoing jaw repositioning surgery in Ho Chi Minh City at the end of May, young man Vu Dinh Thuc and his girlfriend Ngo Thu Thao are preparing to travel south for a follow-up examination. Thuc is recovering very quickly and is much more confident with his now neat and normal-looking face.

With his jaws misaligned by more than 2.2 cm, unable to close properly for 24 years, the young man, a graduate of the Chemistry department at Hanoi Pedagogical University, faced much teasing from his friends. Because of this physical disadvantage and poor pronunciation, despite having a good grade and winning second prize in the National Student Olympiad, Thuc applied everywhere but couldn't find a job since 2014. The young man from Nam Dinh had to temporarily put aside his dream of teaching, taking on tutoring jobs to earn money while continuing his studies for a master's degree.

Understanding the hardships and difficulties her boyfriend had faced during their six years together, young teacher Ngo Thu Thao secretly wrote a letter seeking help from doctors in a charitable surgery program in Ho Chi Minh City and was fortunate enough to be selected. Thuc's case was assessed by the doctors as a difficult and very complex one. If the jaw surgery failed to resolve the situation, it could lead to the risk of deafness.

The doctor assessed Thuc's surgery as very difficult and complex.

After waiting for over five hours outside the operating room for her boyfriend, Thảo felt like she was sitting on a hot coals. She was incredibly worried, fearing Thục was in pain. She secretly thought that if anything happened to him, she would regret for the rest of her life that she had signed up for his surgery. All of Thảo's worries and anxieties vanished when the doctor announced the surgery was successful. Seeing her boyfriend with both jaws completely closed, a sight that was both strange and endearing, Thảo wept with happiness.

For nearly ten days, she single-handedly cared for her boyfriend in the hospital. Everyone was impressed by the petite yet agile and diligent girl who did everything herself, spoon-feeding him porridge and encouraging her lover. But if they knew the pure love story that began in their high school days, many would admire even more the path of love taken by these two outstanding students.

Thuc and Thao were both chemistry students at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted in Nam Dinh, one year apart in their grade level. They met while studying for the national team selection exam. Back then, Thao was impressed by Thuc because he was an excellent student, enthusiastic, and always kind and helpful to the younger students. Meanwhile, Thuc had secretly admired the pretty girl with the charming smile but didn't dare confess his feelings due to shyness and insecurity about his appearance.

"Occasionally, he would ask me if I was going home for the weekend, and if I had any difficulties, I could ask him for help. We studied together until 1 or 2 in the morning, and if I had anything I didn't understand, I would text him. At the end of that year, my family faced a major crisis, and I was at risk of not being able to continue my studies. At that time, he was the one who encouraged and advised me, giving me the motivation to continue studying for the national team. When I was sick, he cooked me a bowl of onion porridge, and I was so touched that I ate it all, even though I normally never eat onions. My heart fluttered a little, but I decided we were just friends because I was still in school," Thảo recounted.

Knowing that Thuc had a crush on her, Thao shyly tried to avoid him by arriving late and leaving early. During recess, she didn't even dare go out onto the balcony for fear he would see her pink high-heeled shoes. Meanwhile, the upperclassman was always looking down at the courtyard, searching for the only girl in the school who wore a cap to school.

That year, Thảo wasn't selected for the official team, while Thục won second prize in the national chemistry competition and was directly admitted to Hanoi Pedagogical University. On the last day of the school year, Thục finally dared to ask Thảo out. Upon hearing the request, "I want to give you a ride to school once in my student life," Thảo shyly agreed. That day, a cool summer morning in 2010, a lovely girl in a white ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) sat cheerfully on the back of her senior's bicycle.

Thuc and Thao when they were high school students at Le Hong Phong Specialized High School, Nam Dinh.

While Thuc was eagerly preparing for her first day of school, her father passed away. Thao even went to his house for the funeral. "That day he asked me, 'Can you wait for me?', and I replied, 'I will wait for you my whole life.' To this day, I have never forgotten that promise," Thao recounted.

A year after Thuc graduated, Thao also won third prize in the national chemistry competition and was directly admitted to a teacher training university. During their year apart, filled with pressure and difficulties, Thuc repeatedly tried to break up with Thao due to his insecurities about his appearance and circumstances, but Thao refused. She continued to encourage him and resolutely refused to give up on their relationship.

"When I first came to Hanoi and hadn't started teaching yet, I used to wait for him at the end of the alley near my rented room in the evenings. We'd meet briefly when he came home from his tutoring sessions. The feeling of waiting for the jingling sound of his bicycle was so simple yet so full of love. Later, every day he would give me a ride to my tutoring sessions before going to tutor elsewhere. Sitting behind him, seeing the sweat on his old shirt, I felt boundless affection for him," Thảo recalled.

During their impoverished student years, they never went out to expensive places; instead, they cycled around Hanoi together, enjoying the scenery. They even shared a piggy bank, saving their scholarship money and teaching earnings so they would have enough for their wedding later.

Thuc before and after surgery.

Thảo graduated with honors and was immediately hired by a high school in Nam Định. Meanwhile, Thục remained in Hanoi, teaching and pursuing her postgraduate studies.

When Thao learned that Thuc was eligible for surgery, but it wasn't completely free, she had to scramble to borrow the remaining money. Their piggy bank only had about 17 million VND, so Thao asked her mother to borrow 50 million VND for her, and then borrowed from friends everywhere to cover her boyfriend's surgery costs. Seeing Thuc worried about the expenses, Thao encouraged her boyfriend, saying, "Money can be earned, but being unemployed is much harder."

Speaking about what his girlfriend did for him, the 24-year-old man said emotionally, "Before, I never thought I would have surgery. It's all thanks to Thao's determination that I had the courage. Thao worried and worked so hard for me, so I told myself I would repay her later. After the surgery, I've become much more confident and no longer shy about socializing like before. I'm always grateful to life for letting me meet Thao and to be able to love her."

The young couple plans to get married in three years when they are both settled. For now, Thao's dream is simply for "him to be healthy, free from complications, and find a job, becoming a teacher as he has always wanted."

According to VNE