Xong Ba Dia - the pride of the Hmong people

With 30 points (Mathematics 9.5; Physics 9.5 and Chemistry 7.5, plus 3.5 regional priority points), Xong Ba Dia, the valedictorian of Hanoi Pedagogical University 1, also achieved an impressive score of 26.5 points in Hanoi Medical University. He is a student at the Provincial Ethnic Boarding High School, a Mong ethnic minority from Muong Long commune (Ky Son district, Nghe An province).

To meet Dìa, we called the Chairman of Mường Lống commune, Lầu Bá Cải. On the other end of the line, the chairman exclaimed excitedly: "The commune just heard the news. We're so happy, journalist! For so many years, this is the first time a Hmong person has topped the university entrance exam. Dìa, the son of Mr. Nù, has been brilliant for a long time. He's the pride of our commune!" Having finished the university entrance exam the day before, Dìa packed his bags and headed back into the forest. While other students anxiously awaited their results, Dìa... went to the fields. After so many years, this was the longest time Dìa had been home. There was no telephone at home. The commune had no internet... but Dìa wasn't impatient. He was confident in his results. However, being the top scorer was something he had never imagined. When his friends told him he had achieved the highest score at the university he had always dreamed of, he fell silent. The first thing he did after hearing the news was rush to find his mother...

The chairman of the commune, Lầu Bá Cải, also lives in Mường Lống 1 village, near Dìa's house, so he knows the boy very well. He said that Dìa is a role model for the people in the village. From his days in primary school in the commune, he never once dropped out. Many of his peers dropped out halfway through, partly due to difficult circumstances, partly because they didn't like studying, were afraid of hardship, but Dìa didn't. In secondary school, Dìa was selected to attend Kỳ Sơn Boarding Secondary School, 60 km away from his home through the forest. He didn't have the means to go home, but every time the chairman went to the town for meetings, his mother would send him a box of pickled bamboo shoots and a few kilograms of wild plums from their garden.

We visited the Provincial Ethnic Boarding High School, the school where Dia had spent the past three years. Although it was summer vacation, the school's administration and subject teachers were all present. Ms. Vi Thi Tue, the school's vice principal, said: "By this time, the school has received news that many students have been accepted into universities, including Xong Ba Dia, who was accepted into two universities and is the valedictorian of the University of Education I. That is a precious gift that the students have given us." Unable to hide her joy, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tho, the homeroom teacher of class 12A1, told us about her Hmong student with a voice full of affection.

When she first started school, Dìa was just an average student. She wasn't even placed in the school's advanced class from the beginning. However, in just one semester, Dìa made remarkable progress. For three years, every morning, whether it was a freezing winter day or a sweltering summer night, Dìa was always the first to wake up and the last to turn off the lights. She was passionate about learning and eager to advance further on the path of knowledge. Thanks to her diligent studies, Dìa became a top student in her class. She was transferred to the advanced class A1 and achieved excellent grades every year. In the provincial-level student excellence competition, Dìa scored perfect marks in all subjects. She also won third prize in Mathematics and received the Odonvalet scholarship...

While delighted with her university entrance exam results, Dìa said that the happiest people right now are her parents. Dìa's father, Mr. Xồng Dua Nù, said that he and his wife will try to raise more cows and plant a few more hectares of tea and plums to help cover Dìa's educational expenses.

Nguyet Anh - Thu Huong