The journey of light for the visually impaired young man.

Waking up in his hospital bed, learning that he had permanently lost his eyesight and part of his right arm, Sang was devastated, but then told himself: I must overcome this, continue living for myself and my family! This young man bravely embarked on his extraordinary life journey, illuminated by the light of kindness, the immense love of his parents, and the rare and close friendships of his family.

Live a meaningful life

Nguyen Sy Phi Sang (born in 1998) hails from Binh Son commune, a mountainous area in Anh Son district. Sang says he was fortunate to be born and raised in a loving family, with parents who devoted themselves to their children and siblings who were well-behaved and understanding. As the eldest son, after finishing high school, Sang chose to learn to operate an excavator and quickly found stable employment locally, earning an income to help support his family.

Life seemed to be going on peacefully until one fateful day at the age of 23, when Sang suddenly woke up in the pungent, antiseptic atmosphere of a hospital. “When I first woke up, I didn’t understand what was happening. Everything was pitch black, my whole body ached, especially my right arm, which felt numb and detached,” Sang recalled.

Out of love for their son, Sang's parents initially hesitated to tell him about the immense physical damage he had suffered; only later, when they could no longer hide it, did they tearfully reveal the truth. Phi Sang said he was too shocked, too heartbroken, too afraid of the future, too pessimistic and desperate. But night after night, whenever he pretended to be fast asleep to reassure his parents, Sang could clearly hear the silent, heart-wrenching sobs of his parents. In the darkness, Sang thought, "I am the eldest son, my parents' hope; I cannot give up."

After his injuries stabilized, Phi Sang gritted his teeth and practiced sitting up, standing up, and taking unsteady steps without eye guidance. He also practiced holding chopsticks and doing everything with only his left arm. Before this, Sang had never imagined that being a normal person could be so difficult, or that the simple things in life were such precious gifts from nature.

Some time later, encouraged by his family, Nguyen Sy Phi Sang made an effort to reintegrate into the community, starting by joining the Association of the Blind in Anh Son district. Participating in the Association's activities, Sang gradually got to know the members who shared his plight; patiently conversing with them, he was amazed to learn more about a world different from the one he had lived in for so long.

In that colorless world, Sang was deeply moved when she heard about the extremely difficult circumstances of blind and visually impaired people, living very hard lives, most of whom depended on government and family assistance, and some even received no care from their relatives. It seemed as if some light had shone into Sang's mind, urging her to do something meaningful, not only for herself but also for others. And Sang told her parents about her plan: a cross-Vietnam trip selling goods to raise funds for charity, helping those in similar situations and inspiring them with the spirit of overcoming their own limitations.

Initially, everyone tried to dissuade him, worried about the dangers they might encounter along the way. Crossing Vietnam is no easy feat; even for healthy people, there are countless worries, let alone for someone who is visually impaired… Fortunately, Sang had a dear friend, Pham Ngoc Sy, who enthusiastically supported his idea. Sy temporarily set aside his work, arranged his family affairs, and together they meticulously planned the trip, presenting the details to both sets of parents. Once they received their approval, they quickly set off.

Journey of Compassion

To ensure a smooth journey, best friends Sang and Sy decided to send their motorbike on a bus and buy tickets to Ha Giang. They planned to start their trip on April 8, 2023, departing from Ha Giang – the northernmost point of Vietnam. They traveled on Sang's motorbike, with Sy driving. Sy was both the driver and the eyes and legs of his friend. Along the way, Sy helped Sang "enjoy the scenery" by describing the landscapes along the road: "We're passing through some incredibly beautiful terraced rice fields right now, they're all golden!"; "There's a river here, wider than the river back home"; "The sky is clear today, it'll probably be very sunny at noon…"

As they traveled through provinces and cities, upon reaching residential areas, Sy would pull the motorbike over to the sidewalk, holding Sang's hand and leading her to a safe spot to sell her goods. Sang's basket, like any other mobile vendor's, contained toothpicks, cotton swabs, chewing gum, and a few pens… The products were sold at ordinary prices, and all the money earned from this special sales "campaign" was donated to a fund dedicated to charity. "My parents fully covered my food, accommodation, and travel expenses; not a single penny of the money earned from this trip was touched," Sang said.

After traveling through 63 provinces and cities in 101 days, Nguyen Sy Phi Sang said this was a journey he would never forget. There were countless sad and happy memories, countless hardships and obstacles, but also a dazzling display of trust and love. Many times, while traveling on the road and unable to find accommodation, with darkness falling and exhaustion overwhelming, the two friends would knock on the doors of houses along the way, asking to sleep there. “Some people agreed, some didn’t. Actually, I sympathized with them, because it’s natural to be worried when two tall young men suddenly ask to sleep there at night. When we couldn’t find a place to sleep, we would hang hammocks on the roadside, or sometimes we would find an abandoned house to rest in,” Sang recounted.

Street food, market porridge, instant noodles along the way; mockery, suspicion, contempt… all of it was experienced, but for that young man, hardship was nothing compared to the warmth he received. What remained after all was the kindness from strangers. The enthusiastic vendors of rice and drinks invited the two friends to rest and eat for free; elementary school children ran out and said, "Uncle, we don't have money to buy anything, we only have this cake and a carton of milk to offer you breakfast"; a group of students from Hue fanned out to help the two friends sell their goods; customers paid respectfully and without discrimination; countless wishes for good luck and success came from passersby…

Nguyen Sy Phi Sang said that he learned so much from this trip, gaining more faith and love for life, and giving him more strength to live a better life. Another unexpected joy for Sang and Sy was that when they posted a video clip of their trip on TikTok, it received a lot of love from people. Many people closely followed their journey and messaged, called, arranged to meet, chat, and offered practical help. Some videos attracted more than 2 million views, with thousands of comments expressing admiration for the special journey of the visually impaired young man.

That journey didn't end just because the two friends had completed their trip through all 63 provinces and cities in the country; it continues to be illuminated by the compassionate activities that Nguyen Sy Phi Sang provides to those in similar circumstances. Sang converted a portion of the more than 53 million VND collected from sales and donations over 101 days into goods and cash, which he sent to visually impaired people in difficult circumstances in Binh Son commune, Anh Son district. The remaining amount is being used for a larger plan: to raise capital to build a livelihood model for the visually impaired in the area.

"I want to instill confidence and affirm to those in similar circumstances that we may be disabled, but we are not useless; this society still has countless good things, so let's open our hearts to love and trust, live optimistically, and be useful," affirmed Nguyen Sy Phi Sang.