Poor female student in Nghe An becomes Ambassador of reading culture

Adversity of life

Hearing the news that Tran Thao Nguyen (born 2005, from Trung Son commune, Do Luong district), a student of class 10A7, Hermann Gmeiner High School, has just won a prize in the contestAmbassador of reading culture2020 organized by the Ministry of Culture - Sports and Tourism, relatives and friends all sent their congratulations. Because this is the result of a journey overcoming many difficulties and challenges of life.

Despite difficult circumstances, Tran Thao Nguyen always has the will, determination and confidence to excel in her studies. Photo: Cong Kien

Thao Nguyen recounted: “When I heard the news of winning the national prize, the first person I thought of was my mother, the person who instilled in me a passion for reading since I could read my first words. Today’s result is largely due to my mother’s efforts, I am very grateful to her…”.

Due to conflicts in marriage and family life, Thao Nguyen's parents separated when she was in first grade. The family has 3 sisters, the youngest follows her father, Thao Nguyen and her disabled sister live with their mother. Ms. Pham Thi Hue (born in 1973), Nguyen's mother, has congenital heart disease and poor health, so the life of the 3 mother and children is extremely precarious.

Passionate about reading since childhood, Tran Thao Nguyen has found many wonders in books. Photo: Cong Kien

Not strong enough to work in the fields, Ms. Hue had to take care of the sick, accepting to live far away from her children. Her sister also had to follow a charity group of disabled people to go everywhere selling toothpicks and singing on the street to make a living. There was a time when Thao Nguyen lived alone in the countryside, thanks to the care and support of relatives and neighbors.

Life is unhappy and unfair but little girl Tran Thao Nguyen always nurturesdesireand the will to rise up. People in Trung Son commune (Do Luong) always remember the image of a skinny girl, wearing worn-out clothes, diligently going to class every day, her hands rarely leaving her books.

Whenever she has free time, Tran Thao Nguyen goes to the reading room, library and engrosses herself with books. Photo: Cong Kien

“My family was poor, sometimes we had to work hard to make ends meet, but my mother still saved some money to buy books for me. When I worked as a maid, my employer had books and old newspapers, so my mother asked for them for me to read. My mother said that only books and knowledge could help me change my life, and not repeat the same miserable path as her. And books and newspapers became my close friends without me realizing it, helping me to put aside my worries and become more confident in life.”

Tran Thao Nguyen

Future aspirations

Being friends with books, Thao Nguyen has a solid knowledge base and a fairly deep understanding, especially of literature. This is the opportunity for her to join the Reading Culture Ambassador contest. Starting from being on the Do Luong district team to compete in the provincial Literature competition for excellent students, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the contest did not take place.

A 9th grade student at Ly Nhat Quang Secondary School (Do Luong) was extremely regretful because she had been studying hard for months without being able to try her hand. At that time, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism launched the Reading Culture Ambassador contest for students, and the Literature teacher encouraged Thao Nguyen to try her hand atuseful playgroundThis.

Tran Thao Nguyen (3rd from right) at the meeting with students who won the 2020 Reading Culture Ambassador Contest. Photo: NVCC

Once again, for several months, Thao Nguyen devoted her time and effort to completing her entry. With her passion and ability, Thao Nguyen decided to create her own entry and present it in both Vietnamese and English. This is also her first entry, titled “The Story of Giang May”.

“The story was inspired by the family’s own circumstances. From the perspective of an insider, I tried to portray the pain, unhappiness and extraordinary determination of Giang May. From there, I want to send to those in the same situation a message about love, the magic of books in life as well as the power of belief in the future life” – Thao Nguyen shared.

Tran Thao Nguyen (5th, right) at the award ceremony of the 2020 Reading Culture Ambassador Contest organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Photo: NVCC

The story revolves around the character Giang May - a 15-year-old girl, an ethnic minority in the mountains, with a very difficult situation. Her father left her for another man, her mother has a heart disease, and her younger sister is disabled and cannot walk. Her mother works hard alone, clinging to the fields to take care of Giang May and her sisters.

Although she was a studious and good student, due to family events, life became increasingly difficult. At times, her younger sister had to be sent to the military hospital for long-term treatment. Her mother had to leave the fields to take care of her. Giang May intended to quit school to help her mother with the work. Her literature teacher came to her house to encourage and motivate her, and gave Giang May a new uniform and the book “Dang Thuy Tram’s Diary”.

When Giang May learned that her teacher had also experienced hardships and had shown her love for her unfortunate student, she was deeply moved. Her teacher’s love and the miracles in the book gave her more will and determination. Giang May’s dream of becoming a doctor arose again, unable to bow down to fate, she decided to step forward towards the future…

Tran Thao Nguyen (left) participated in the exchange, sharing about her passion and aspiration to spread reading culture among young people. Photo: NVCC

The work “Giang May’s Story” won the prize for Best Bilingual Reading Promotion Story at the Provincial “Reading Culture Ambassador” Contest. At the national level, the work was awarded the Encouragement Prize and First Prize in the category of Best Bilingual Reading Promotion Story.

Tran Thao Nguyen shared: "Now, I have received a lot of help, as a member ofSOS Children's Village Vinhso life is no longer as hard and difficult as before. I will continue to stick with books to gain more knowledge of life, hoping to contribute to spreading reading culture among young people."

“Through contact and discussion about Tran Thao Nguyen’s entry, we see that she is truly passionate about reading culture. She is an intelligent, creative and confident female student in her approach and presentation of issues. The award she has received is a worthy reward for her hard work and efforts.”

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa - Deputy Director of Nghe An Library