Dan Lai ethnic group (Nghe An) has the first female student to take the high school graduation exam.

In the history of the Dan Lai ethnic group, La Thi Hoai was the first candidate to take the 2012 high school graduation exam.

With extraordinary will and determination, La Thi Hoai (born in 1994, residing in Co Phat village, Khe Khang, Mon Son commune, Con Cuong district, Nghe An province) has been the "leader" for many years, taking Dan Lai students across the forest to the lowlands to set up tents to study.

"Leader" La Thi Hoai

Meeting candidate La Thi Hoai at the Muong Qua High School Examination Council (Con Cuong) after the third exam, Geography on June 3, we saw that she was very excited. "Yesterday, I finished both Literature and Chemistry and today, Geography. This year's exam is not too difficult, within my ability. There are other exams ahead, but I believe I will pass this graduation exam," Hoai confidently said.

Asked about her dream, Hoai confided: "I will take the entrance exam to a teacher training college. I dream that after graduating, I will become a teacher and spread knowledge to difficult mountainous areas like my hometown." "I am eager to learn. Because I think that only by studying really well can I escape poverty and backwardness, so in 6th grade, I invited some friends to travel more than 50 km of forest roads with many dangerous rivers and mountains to go downstream to find knowledge. The three of us set up a tent by the Giang River in Thai Son village, Mon Son commune to stay and study. After that, I continued to mobilize 6 more Dan Lai students to come and study," Hoai added.

It is known that the Dan Lai students are all from poor families and cannot get food supplies, so they all live on government subsidies and have to provide their own food. Hunger is a common occurrence for these students. All 9 students who live in a hut by the Giang River rely on their "leader" La Thi Hoai. Hoai shared: "I encourage them that if they want to escape poverty, they have to study. So when we have time off from school, we divide up the work of going into the forest to pick bamboo shoots, chop bamboo, and fish to sell to earn money to buy rice. The difficulties seem insurmountable, but with determination, everything passes."

Teacher Nguyen Thi Tung - Teacher of Muong Qua Secondary School said: "In the past, Dan Lai students only finished primary school and then stayed home to get married, but Hoai is a typical student with extraordinary will and determination to excel in studying. Although she rented a room and lived independently with many difficulties and shortages, Hoai almost every year achieved the title of excellent advanced student. Not only that, she also did good mass mobilization work to encourage disadvantaged students who dropped out of school to return to class. This is the first time the Dan Lai ethnic group has had a candidate taking the high school graduation exam."

The Dan Lai ethnic minority currently has only about 3,000 people. They mainly reside in Co Phat village, Khe Khang - Mon Son commune, Con Cuong mountainous district, Nghe An province - at an altitude of 1,200m above sea level. This ethnic group lives in deep forests, hunger, poverty and many backward customs.

According to Danviet-M