97-year-old woman, the most Internet-savvy woman in Vietnam, appeared in Singapore newspaper

At her rare age, Le Thi is proficient in using Skype, Facebook, and the Internet to satisfy her desire to learn new things.

At first glance, Mrs. Le Thi, living in Hanoi, looks like any other old lady. 97 years old, almost all her teeth have fallen out, her back is hunched, she moves slowly, she spends most of her time lying in bed, chewing betel nut, according toChannel News Asia.

However, when talking about his passion for composing, painting and, above all, learning new things, he immediately sat up, his eyes lit up, and he smiled brightly. He recounted his life in Vietnam during the French colonial period more than half a century ago, his Skype chats with his nephew living in Moscow and his writing at the age of 87.

"If there are 10 things I don't know, I want to learn as much as I can," he said. "You know, when I was a child, I was illiterate."

Mr. Thi and his grandson. Photo: Mediacorp

"Forever young"

Her love of learning and passion for knowledge has made Le Thi the most Internet-savvy grandmother in Vietnam. Every day she reads the latest news on Google and Yahoo. She actively updates her Facebook page, keeping in touch with family and friends on this social network and via Skype.

He also often goes to literary forums and enthusiastically comments. Mr. Le Thi started learning to use a computer in 2007 because at that time he was writing an autobiography but his hands were shaking and his eyes were blurry, making it difficult for him to hold a pen to write on paper.

Seeing this, her grandson bought her a laptop and taught her how to type. Three years later, she published her 600-page autobiography, "Upstream."

The autobiography "Upstream" by Le Thi. Photo: Mediacorp

Young people admire and call him "forever young" and "teenager".

"Although I am nearly 100 years old, my soul is only 20," he said with a smile.

Do not accept fate

Thi was born in 1920, when male chauvinism was very prevalent in Vietnamese society. His own brother did not even let Thi stand near him.

"My brother was very mean. He said: 'Women, you're dirty, go somewhere else,'" he recalled. "He wouldn't even let me sit on the same chair."

Thi was the 8th child in the family. At that time, she was very depressed because she was born a girl, "everyone could look down on her". As a girl, Thi was not allowed to go to school, even though her father was a teacher. However, she loved books and drawing.

"Seeing my father and brother reading books made me angry because I was illiterate. I did not accept being born female, thinking that if men could do something, I could do it too," she said.

He secretly tried to teach himself to write and draw.

"My father had many books. Every night I secretly read under the blanket," he recalled. "I burned tree branches and wrote on the floor. I could write and draw anything."

Her patriotism inspired her to join the Viet Minh front, participate in the resistance against the Japanese in World War II and finally the resistance against the Americans. That was also where she met and married her husband, a teacher. Her husband died after 17 months of marriage, and they only had one son.

At 97 years old, Mr. Thi is still diligently composing. Photo: Mediacorp

"I don't hate any individual or country. I just hate war. I want Vietnam to be better so everyone can live in peace," he said.

The greatest enemy of life is ignorance.

Many years later, despite having done countless jobs, from raising livestock to sewing and embroidery, Le Thi has never given up her passion for books. She lives in a sunlit room where she still reads, writes stories, surfs the internet and paints every day.

Talking about his son and three grandchildren who all have high degrees, his voice is full of pride. Mr. Thi has painted more than 2,000 pictures, written about 50 books of stories and memoirs. However, he has not stopped and is nurturing another project: writing the novel "The Whirl of Life".

"I'm writing down my thoughts on modern life," he revealed. "The world is now a spiral of materialism. People think that money will bring happiness."

"However, for me, happiness is freedom, knowledge, and science," he said. "I feel sorry for those who are wasting their time."

At his rare age, Mr. Thi admits that age has affected him, as composing is not as easy as before. He used to stay up all night to compose, but now, he gets tired after just sitting for a few hours.

However, he still had no intention of giving up, even though it took 10 years to complete the book.

"I want to pass on my knowledge to my children and grandchildren. The greatest enemy of life is ignorance," he said. "There are millions of things I want to know. It may take me another century to learn, but I am willing to do so."

According to VNE