Bac Son Learning Village

(Baonghean) - Bac Son village (comprising Bac Son 1 and Bac Son 2 hamlets in Bac Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district), nestled at the foot of Ru Gam mountain, has a renowned tradition of valuing education. Regardless of the circumstances, the people here strive to create the best conditions for their children to attend school. Generation after generation, they continue to strive for academic excellence, upholding this tradition of learning.

The old teacher teaches English for free.

The free English class in Bac Son 2 hamlet is organized by village teacher Hoang Danh Vuc, 68 years old. Formerly a lecturer at Vinh University, he later transferred to work at the Yen Thanh District Continuing Education Center, where he served as its director until his retirement.

Teacher Vuc shared: “English is becoming increasingly important, especially in today's integrated environment. It not only helps students achieve good academic results but also gives them opportunities to choose careers and succeed in life. Therefore, I want to help students understand the role of English, as well as create conditions for them to consolidate and improve their knowledge.”

Mr. Hoang Danh Vuc's free English class in Bac Son village, Bac Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district).

From those concerns, the village's free English class was formed. During the summer, when students had free time, the teacher organized two classes, held in the afternoons. The number of students was large, and the teacher couldn't handle it alone, so he collaborated with other teachers in the village to ensure effective teaching. Entering this new school year, due to students focusing their time on school, only one class is currently maintained for 6th and 7th graders.

The village of "one hundred teachers"

Over the centuries, Bac Son village has developed into a prosperous and distinctive community. According to Mr. Hoang Danh Vinh, head of Bac Son 2 hamlet, education has always been a top priority in the village. Throughout the fields and villages, there are names associated with learning, such as "the pond for academic pursuits" and "the inkwell."

In the genealogies of the Ngo and Hoang families, "Grandfather Tu Ca" and "Grandfather Tu Hai" are respectfully recorded... Currently, over 150 people from Bac Son village are working as teachers throughout the country. It can be said that this is a tradition of the people in the village. There are families with many generations involved in teaching, such as the family of Associate Professor Dr. Ngo Sy Tung, and the family of teacher Ngo Xuan Lap…

The Nghe An Provincial Library donated books to the Bac Son village library.

The studious nature of the people of Bac Son village stems from a low-lying, impoverished area where life depends on potatoes and rice. The villagers yearn for their children to escape poverty and achieve success through education, so no matter how difficult the circumstances, they strive to ensure their children attend school.

To support future generations of students in attending school, the village's educational promotion efforts are always prioritized. Every year, students from Bac Son village achieve high rankings in academic competitions, and those from particularly disadvantaged backgrounds who excel in their studies are recognized and given encouraging gifts. Last school year, the educational gifts from the two hamlets totaled nearly 4 million VND. The education of the children is also a special concern for the clans. The village has large clans such as the Hoang, Ngo, Phan, and Nguyen families, each with an annual educational fund exceeding 10 million VND.

"Mr. Lac's bookshelf"

As previously arranged, we returned to the community center to meet Mr. Nguyen Van Lac, the founder of the village's library, affectionately known by the locals as "Mr. Lac the library owner." The library was established in 2010 and is located within the grounds of the Bac Son 2 hamlet's community center.

Mr. Lac, formerly the Director of the Yen Thanh District Cultural Center, was busy sorting through a stack of books recently returned by readers when he told us: “While I was working, I frequently inspected the activities of the library system in the communes and noticed that the libraries were not very effective. People were quite hesitant to borrow books from the communes, especially students. Furthermore, some hamlets and villages are far from the commune's administrative center, making travel inconvenient, and the money for purchasing books depended on funding from higher levels, leading to many difficulties. After retiring and having more free time, I saw that students had to pay quite a lot for books at the bookstore near their homes, and the selection wasn't diverse. So I sought the opinion of the Party branch and received the support of the people to establish a library.”

For nearly five years, every Thursday and Sunday afternoon, Mr. Lac has opened his bookshelf to serve readers without asking for payment. He only hopes that the children and grandchildren in the village will study diligently to live up to the expectations of their parents and bring pride to the entire village. Currently, the bookshelf has nearly 2,000 books covering various genres such as literature, art, law, travel, advanced books, and Buddhist teachings. Mr. Lac said that this is the result of mobilizing the people and children of the village who work elsewhere to contribute to its construction.

When it was first established, the village's Party members contributed money to buy a bookshelf, the commune's People's Committee provided 47 books, and the villagers contributed a number of additional books. Later, Mr. Lac found ways to encourage people to contribute. I was quite surprised that at his age, Mr. Lac used the method of posting pictures of the bookshelf on Facebook to promote it. Thanks to this, the villagers' children and grandchildren, who work in various places, learned about it and contributed to building the bookshelf. Using this method, he publicly announces the list of those who supported the bookshelf construction every month so that everyone knows.

Thanks to the diverse selection of books, local people frequently come to read them to learn more about animal husbandry and farming techniques, while housewives read cookbooks... Whenever someone donates new books, he announces it over the loudspeaker so that everyone knows and can come to read if they need them.

Text and photos:Thai Orchid