A disabled person with great willpower.

(Baonghean)The people of Dinh Son commune (Anh Son district) admire the resilience of Mr. Nguyen Dinh Cong, who has been blind and deaf since birth. Now, 54 years later, and having endured hardship and misfortune for just as long, this disabled man has overcome his fate with extraordinary strength, finding joy and meaning in his life...

Upon arriving at Mr. Nguyen Dinh Cong's house in Hamlet 3, Dinh Son Commune (Anh Son District), we learned that he was tending his cows in the fields. Following the recently harvested rice paddies, it wasn't difficult to spot him – a healthy man with a hearing aid and a slightly bewildered look in his eyes. When we struck up a conversation, Mr. Cong proudly said: "I have two cows. This female cow cost 17 million dong nearly two years ago. A few days after I bought her, she gave birth to this calf. The calf is also about to give birth soon..."

He continued to recount his ability to train cows to obey commands. Suddenly, he raised his voice, "Hey cow! Hey cow!", and the little cow, engrossed in grazing, immediately ran to his side, gently nudging his arm with its head. Mr. Cong then put his arm around the cow's neck and patted it affectionately. Then he explained, "Herding cows is very difficult because I can't see or hear, so sometimes the cows wander off or eat other people's crops. That's why I was determined to train it to obey me. At first, it was very stubborn, but with persistent training, it eventually became obedient."

Making broomsticks is Mr. Cong's main source of income.

Sitting right by the rice field, Mr. Cong told us about his life. He was born in 1959 into a large family. From the moment he became self-aware, he noticed that his eyesight and hearing were not as good as those around him. During the day, he could only see dimly the objects nearby, while at night everything was pitch black. He could only hear faint sounds around him, and to understand anything, he had to strain his ears. However, he had a strong physique and could carry heavy objects.

Thinking their son had a congenital disability, with almost complete blindness and hearing impairment, his parents didn't want him to go to school. However, every day, he would follow his friends to class, sit and listen to the teacher's lectures, and learn how to write each letter. Seeing their son's eagerness to learn, his parents changed their minds and asked the school to allow him to attend. Moved by the boy's unfortunate circumstances and impressed by his perseverance, the teachers happily agreed. He was always seated in the front row, close to the teacher's desk, so he could absorb as much of the material as possible.

Knowing his disability, he always reminded himself to do his best so as not to disappoint his teachers and parents. Year after year, young Cong diligently attended class every day, rarely missing a single lesson. However, his limitations greatly affected his academic performance, requiring him to complete one class for two to three years. But this did not discourage him; instead, he persevered and continued his studies until he finished secondary school.

Unable to attend high school, Nguyen Dinh Cong decided to stay home and help his parents with household chores. Despite his limited eyesight, his hardworking nature and good health allowed him to do many things, from chopping wood and roofing to building roads and weaving household items. In addition, Nguyen Dinh Cong actively and enthusiastically participated in the Youth Union's activities, almost never missing any gatherings or events organized by the branch. His active participation in the Youth Union helped alleviate his feelings of loneliness and isolation, giving him more friends to share his life with and strengthening his confidence in the future.

Through youth group activities, the relationship between Nguyen Dinh Cong and his neighbor, Duong Thi Van, grew closer. Van was healthy, three years younger than him, and their families lived just a few steps apart. When her mother learned that her daughter had fallen in love with a disabled man, she not only didn't object but enthusiastically supported the relationship. In her opinion, although Cong had poor eyesight and hearing, he was healthy and hardworking, so she felt confident in choosing him as her daughter's lifelong partner. Before the wedding, he spent several days diligently working with saws, chisels, and planes to complete the wedding bed himself, much to the admiration of everyone. This simple yet sturdy fan-shaped bed has been a companion to their happiness for nearly 30 years. Then, one day in 1984, a special wedding caused a stir in this peaceful rural area. Amidst the shared joy of family, relatives, friends, and neighbors, the blind young man confidently took his young wife's hand and walked into the wedding hall.

For an average man, getting married is a major event. For someone with poor eyesight and hearing, it's a mountain of worries. Aware of this, Nguyen Dinh Cong believed that fate had still favored him, granting him good health, so he had to work diligently and find a way to make a living to build a stable family, especially when his children were born. Having made up his mind, he asked his friends for help, offering to teach him sawing, carpentry, and lime kiln operation. He devoted himself to learning each trade and soon became proficient, providing him with additional income to improve his family's life.

As their three young children were born one after another, the burden of life weighed heavily on their shoulders. Besides sawing wood and burning lime in the kiln, whenever he had free time, Nguyen Dinh Cong would split bamboo and weave various items such as baskets, sieves, and chicken coops for his wife to sell at the market. His woven products were both durable and beautiful, selling well and providing his family with extra income. At that time, life was full of hardships and difficulties, but with love, sharing, and resilience, the couple overcame the most challenging years of their lives. And their greatest happiness was their healthy children growing up day by day.

To date, all three of their sons have grown up, have their own families, and the couple have grandchildren. Their youngest son and his wife still live with them. At 54 years old, Mr. Cong's eyesight is nearing zero, and his health has deteriorated somewhat, yet he still works tirelessly. If he's not weaving brooms, he's doing basket weaving; if not weaving, he's tending the cows to graze, and at the end of the day, he's making his way to the kindergarten to pick up his grandchildren. He's almost never idle. Not long ago, a relative gave Mr. Cong a hearing aid, which has made communicating with people much easier.

We followed Mr. Cong home. After tying up his cows, he continued working on the brooms he was weaving. Mrs. Van hadn't returned from work yet. In recent years, broom weaving has become his main source of income. Indeed, fate doesn't give everything to everyone, nor does it take everything away from anyone. Although his eyesight is almost completely gone and his hearing is impaired, Mr. Cong possesses skillful hands. He weaves brooms while chatting, yet the brooms he makes are sturdy and beautiful. For an average person, achieving that is difficult. He learned this broom-making craft from someone in a similar situation, and before long, he was able to teach others in similar circumstances.

Not only did he teach the craft to blind people in the district, but the Association of the Blind in many other districts also invited him to teach their members. Hearing about Mr. Cong's durable and beautiful brooms, people in the commune came to buy them. Then people from all over came to place orders. But misfortune struck. Last year, all the capital he had stored in his warehouse was lost, forcing him to reduce production. He shared: "Now, I hope to receive support with preferential interest rates to consolidate and expand broom production. My biggest wish is to build a broom-making facility to guide and gather people in similar circumstances, helping them earn more income to improve their lives." Mr. Cong also said that he regularly watched the "Overcoming Challenges" program on television and wanted an opportunity to try his hand at it to pay off debts and repair his house, which was cracked and leaking.

Towards evening, Mrs. Van hurried home to prepare dinner for the whole family. Before saying goodbye, we asked Mr. Nguyen Dinh Cong why, despite not fully experiencing the light and sounds of life, he still had the strength to rise above it and take control of his own destiny. Without a moment's hesitation, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Cong replied: "It's very simple. Willpower and faith have given me the strength to stand firm in life. To be honest, I've never thought about compromising or surrendering to fate. I always think of ways to overcome fate and circumstances to assert myself." That, according to him, is "very simple," though not easy for everyone!

Text and photos: CONG KIEN