The son of Dan Lai is full of enthusiasm.
Born in the impoverished village of Co Phat (Mon Son commune, Con Cuong district), a place plagued by hunger year-round and where meals consisted only of cassava and yam, La Van Vinh, a young boy of the Dan Lai ethnic group, did not stop at simply learning to read and write like his peers. He also harbored the ambition to become a doctor to treat the people of his village. That dream gradually became a reality when La Van Vinh was accepted into Vinh Medical College.
(Baonghean)Born in the impoverished village of Co Phat (Mon Son commune, Con Cuong district), a place plagued by hunger year-round and where meals consisted only of cassava and yam, La Van Vinh, a young boy of the Dan Lai ethnic group, did not stop at simply learning to read and write like his peers. He also harbored the ambition to become a doctor to treat the people of his village. That dream gradually became a reality when La Van Vinh was accepted into Vinh Medical College.
In 2008, after graduating from the three-year program at Vinh Medical College, La Van Vinh returned to his village to bring his knowledge and love as a son of his homeland to care for the health of his people. As a health worker in Mon Son commune, he always wholeheartedly dedicated himself to his patients. Despite the poor and outdated facilities of the commune's health station, through his efforts and dedication, La Van Vinh was able to diagnose difficult cases, enabling villagers to seek timely treatment at higher-level facilities.
La Van Vinh at the ceremony honoring outstanding young people from ethnic minorities.
In 2011, La Van Vinh was assigned to Khe Khang – a place that requires an 8-hour trek through the forest from the center of Mon Son commune to reach. Here, the Dan Lai people still cling to outdated customs; for example, when sick, they don't go to the health station but instead invite a shaman to perform rituals to drive away forest spirits. As a result, some patients are only transferred to higher-level hospitals when their condition is already severe. Undeterred by the difficulties, La Van Vinh trekked through the forest and waded through streams to reach each household to examine patients and provide medicine. From then on, the people truly trusted and admired him, and everyone wanted their children to receive an education and become as capable as Officer Vinh. According to him, only practical actions are the most effective way to spread awareness to the people in this remote area.
In addition to his professional work, La Van Vinh is also an energetic Youth Union official. As the Secretary of the Youth Union branch of the Mon Son commune's health center, driven by love and compassion, he enthusiastically campaigned to persuade villagers to abandon outdated customs and not migrate back to their old villages. To achieve this change in the villagers' awareness, he spent an entire month visiting each house, talking to them, and persuading them until they finally understood.
Meeting La Van Vinh at the ceremony honoring outstanding young people from ethnic minorities, Vinh said that he gained prestige among the Dan Lai ethnic community thanks to the Party and the State's trust and affection for ethnic minority people, which created opportunities for him to study medicine to treat and save lives, and which led to the honor he receives today.
Thanh Nga