Learn to understand, to love, and to be a good person.

(Baonghean) - 1.During a visit to the centuries-old house of writer and translator Ong Van Tung in his hometown of Nam Dan, we were fascinated by the carvings on the rafters. Through the dust of time, the exquisite carvings of the ancients recounted the legend of the carp leaping over the dragon gate, as if conveying to the roof of his house the aspiration for "success and fame" through the path of learning...

For hundreds of years, education has always been highly valued. Even the lullaby sung by mothers in Nghe An to their children contains this fervent hope: "My child, remember this: Study diligently, as important as food and clothing." It's no wonder that the debt of literacy burdens the poor students of the countryside, giving rise to the "Nghe An scholar." The ancients spoke much about the rationale behind learning: learning to become an official, learning to escape the life of "following the buffalo," learning to broaden one's horizons... these seem true, but they are insufficient. The aspiration for learning is far greater: learning to become a good person. To be a useful person, a confident person, a proud person, a person with wisdom to help the country "stand shoulder to shoulder with the world's great powers."

Dawn in the land of learning. Photo: Sy Minh

2. Let's talk again about January 9th being chosen as Vietnamese Student Day. Sixty-four years ago on this day, the National Salvation Youth Union and the Saigon-Chợ Lớn Student Union mobilized and organized over 2,000 students and more than 7,000 citizens to protest, demanding guaranteed educational security and the release of students arrested during the struggle against French colonialism and American intervention. In the conflict with the police and Foreign Legion soldiers, student Trần Văn Ơn – a model of patriotism and the indomitable fighting spirit of students – was killed. The question raised at Trần Văn Ơn's funeral – who died honorably, who lived shamefully – ignited a fire of hatred and a fierce fighting spirit in the younger generation. Thus, January 9th is not simply mentioned to remember an event or a person, but it is chosen to commemorate that those students in school years ago knew how to transform their "learning" into action. They didn't learn to become officials, to advance their careers, or to escape hardship, but they learned to understand and love their country more, to fight against injustice, irrationality, evil, and wickedness...

3. Returning to the mothers of Nghe An, I urge my children to cherish learning from the cradle. Our homeland has remained the same for generations: the Lao wind, the white sand, the high mountains shrouded in mist, the deep streams and wide rivers… The silver-tinged áo dài (traditional Vietnamese dress) of mothers and fathers still shines in the fields and on the hillsides. The path to education is fraught with worries and hardships. But we are truly proud that among today's students, we continue to have shining examples of willpower, intellect, and creativity. The "Hoa Trạng Nguyên" (top students) and "Sao Tháng Giêng" (January stars) in the honoring ceremonies sparkle with smiles and also with the salty sweat of their labor. Nghe An remains among the top provinces nationwide in terms of the percentage of students who excel in national competitions and those who pass university entrance exams. We are proud, but we also cannot help but ponder how to make this "learning" even more strongly evident through changes in our homeland. How can we ensure that the smiles of our mothers and fathers are no longer tinged with bitterness and hardship? How can we step out into the wider world and still return to the land that gave us our rice with gratitude and a sense of reciprocity? It's about learning to understand, to love, and to be a better person!

Nghe An Weekend