People who overcome adversity

Try to "have enough to eat"

Following Ms. Nguyen Thi Van - President of the Association for the Protection of People with Disabilitiesdisabilityand orphans of Vinh city visitedhomeof Mr. Tran Khanh Duong (born in 1979), in Yen Son block, Ha Huy Tap ward, and cannot help but be surprised. Mr. Duong's home is a newly built 3-storey house, very spacious and airy, located on Ly Tu Trong street. It is known that up to now, this house is almost completed, the total construction cost is estimated at over 2.8 billion VND... The new house of Mr. Duong and his wife has been, is and will be the dream of many people.

Mr. Tran Khanh Duong's new spacious 3-storey house. Photo: Thanh Chung

Talking about the process of overcoming adversity, developing himself and building his family, Mr. Tran Khanh Duong smiled gently: "My life is nothing special, just constantly trying and then adding the element of luck"... Mr. Duong is the eldest in a family of 3 brothers. At the age of 4, after an illness, he unfortunately became paralyzed in both legs. He could not go to school during his childhood, but that did not stop him from studying and dreaming. He studied by himself and learned to read and write by eavesdropping on his younger brother. Not wanting to be a burden to his family and everyone, at the age of 15, Mr. Duong asked his parents to go to Hanoi to learn the trade of electronic repair. After more than 1 year of studying, he started working and gradually affirmed his brand thanks to his honesty, diligence, gentleness and efficiency.

Tran Khanh Duong's career path is as slow as each wheel of a wheelchair overcoming the bumps of gravel and rocks, step by step. At the age of 16, Duong worked as an electronics repairman for a shop in Vinh city that specialized in taking "second hand" items from Cua Lo Port to repair and then resell to others. After 4 years of working, his salary was just enough to eat. In 1999, with the support of the Red Cross Society of the ward, he opened his own repair shop. Being both a worker and an owner, his work was more proactive, but it was not much better. In 2003, he "joined" a company specializing in computer repair and Internet installation. In 2004, Duong returned to open a phone repair shop in front of Nghe An University of Economics.

Working as a worker and then becoming his own boss, Tran Khanh Duong has accumulated a lot of experience as well as a little capital. He himself has realized many things in the process of establishing himself and his career, that is: "I am inherently disadvantaged, so I cannot go fast on my own. If I had a companion, a partner, it could be different. To develop myself, I need to have a stronger, bolder change of direction". In 2008, Mr. Duong officially said goodbye to the "outdated and competitive" electronics and phone repair profession to open a coffee shop at home and establish a company specializing in car interiors on Nguyen Sy Sach Street. At this time, Duong was already the "boss".

And thanks to this career change, Mr. Tran Khanh Duong met and became friends with his wife, Ms. Vo Thi Luong (born in 1983). Ms. Luong became an accountant for Mr. Duong's company. From their working relationship, she gradually developed feelings for and loved him. In 2010, they got married and in 2011, their love blossomed with their first son... Having a wife and then a child, Tran Khanh Duong planned to do business sustainably and long-term. He stopped operating the coffee shop and doing auto interior repair business. From 2011 to now, his company has become an official agent for a beer company specializing in distributing products in Vinh city. Currently, his and his wife's company has nearly 10 employees.

The family of Tran Khanh Duong and Vo Thi Luong is always filled with love and laughter. Photo: Thanh Chung

Mr. Tran Khanh Duong shared: “That is the summary of the work, but in reality, there are many hardships, failures, and hardships. Acting slower than others requires double or triple the effort, and so does thinking and reasoning. I have also had painful failures. For example, in 2017, I bought an 18-ton truck and joined the freight transport business from Hue to Hanoi. But then the oil price was high, and the labor wages were high. This business lost about 1 billion VND. There were losses and losses, but they did not discourage me. If I lose one game, I will set up another. Fortunately, I have many people who love me and are willing to help me, so life has gradually improved... Now, life has improved, we have a house, a car; my wife and I just have to make ends meet.”

Raising children to be good people

Ms. Nguyen Thi Van - President of the Association for the Support of People with Disabilities and Orphans in Vinh City said: In Vinh City, Mr. Tran Khanh Duong is a shining example of overcoming adversity to develop himself and build a prosperous and happy family. Currently, in addition to taking care of his family's economic development, Mr. Duong also actively participates in social activities, such as being the group leader of the "People with Disabilities in Nghe An" Group (with the participation of many people with disabilities in Ha Tinh and Thanh Hoa provinces). The group regularly organizes many activities to support and help each other develop together.

Nguyen Thi Quynh Nhu talks about her studies and her two siblings with her parents. Photo: Thanh Chung

Not far from Tran Khanh Duong's house is the family of Nguyen Huy Hai (43 years old) and Nguyen Thi Vinh (40 years old). The veston tailor shop is also the home of Hai and his wife, located on Tue Tinh Street in Yen Son Block, Ha Huy Tap Ward (Vinh City). Although small, it is very cozy and full of love... Hai and Vinh are both deaf and mute due to serious complications of a serious illness. They met when they were students studying literacy and vocational training at the Nghe An Province Center for Education and Vocational Training for the Disabled. They got married in 2001 and have 3 children together. Notably, all 3 of their children are very obedient and good at studying. The eldest daughter is currently a 2nd year student at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Vinh University.

Nguyen Thi Quynh Nhu - the eldest daughter of Hai and Vinh said: "Both parents love and take care of the three children very much. Understanding the family's situation, all three children try very hard to study. I myself also try to help my parents teach my younger siblings"... Through sign language, Hai asked his daughter to share her feelings: "In life, each stage has its own difficulties. However, my husband and I always try to overcome them. Thanks to our good skills, the number of customers coming to order clothes is also steady. Now that our jobs are stable, "food and clothing are eternal needs", my husband and I have no intention of changing. My husband and I only have one wish: to try to raise our children to have a full education, not to let them suffer; we hope all three children will graduate from university".

Thanh Chung