Father is a colonel, daughter is a beauty queen: Untold story about Bao Ngoc's family
Miss Bao Ngoc shares about her father, a military doctor, who inspired her and taught her lessons about dedication, discipline and service.
- Bao Ngoc is always proud and happy to have a father who is a military doctor. What about your father has inspired you the most?
My father, a military doctor, was not only good at his profession but also energetic, proactive, creative, and passionate about his work. What he did helped me realize that in life, we need to devote all our heart to the things we love to achieve bigger goals, including making positive contributions to society.
The greatest thing I learned from my father is the spirit of service and contribution for the common good. The common good here is the benefit of the community and the collective above personal interests. That is also the ideal I pursue in social work and climate change because I want to contribute to a better planet and life.
- Your father spent his life doing research and healing others. How did this influence the way you view values?The value of compassion and kindness, is also the noble spirit that a beauty queen always strives for?
Regarding the value of kindness, my father taught me a great lesson - nothing is more precious than human life from a humanistic perspective. That influenced me with my charity trips to learn, to feel the emotions and feelings of others.
- Was there a difficult time in your life that your father helped you overcome?
When I first won the title of Miss, I had to study and work at the same time, so it was difficult to balance and a bit tiring. My father did not show it through specific advice, but I saw the steadfastness and will in his story and the military spirit. Those are the things that helped me adapt and become more resilient.
- As a colonel and specialist II, your father has strict principles in life and work. What beautiful things from him have become the guiding principle in your life?
For his daughter, he did not apply discipline or anything too strict. But I saw for myself that he was very disciplined in the way he worked - everything had to be neat, and if he did something, he had to do it thoroughly.
- You once shared that your family wanted you to become a doctor, but in the end, you chose a different path. How did your father accept and support your decision?
My parents are medical professionals so they only know a lot about medicine, but not about other fields. They were concerned when I chose another field. At that time, I had a conflict with my family, but when I decided to follow my own path, both my parents supported me.
For example, when I talk about the concept of business or sustainable development, my parents do not understand clearly but gradually they start watching related news programs. Every time they watch, my father texts me to show off that he has just watched this or that. It is a very heartwarming moment. My mother is the same, sometimes she learns to the point of finding out things I have never heard before.
- On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Vietnamese Doctors' Traditional Day (February 27, 1955 - February 27, 2025), how do you feel about the contributions of your father - a military doctor who spent his whole life serving in the military medical sector?
I admire the contributions of my father and the military doctors who serve society. Sometimes they forget themselves, their health, their food and sleep, staying up all night to ensure that when patients are in emergency, someone will respond promptly. Those are very precious values and that is when I truly see that my father being a doctor is not just a profession but a mission.
- The geographical distance between Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho sometimes makes it impossible for you to be close to your father. How do you maintain contact and express your love for your father when you cannot visit him often?
My father and I often chat online. My father and I are quite close, so sometimes he has something to share or calls me, and so do I. Every time we go back to Can Tho, we go out to eat together. It is a simple activity but a favorite of both of us.