The indomitable spirit of a student from Nghe An province who was orphaned twice.

A disadvantaged past

In the recent high school graduation exam, Nguyen Van Hieu (born in 2004) was a student.achieve the highest scoreHieu graduated from Herman Germainer High School in both the C00 (total score of 27.5) and D (total score of 26.95) subject groups. As an exemplary student, actively participating in various movements and consistently maintaining excellent academic performance, Hieu was admitted to the Party while still in school. He is also well-known as the Chairman of the Youth Self-Governing Council at the SOS Children's Village Vinh. However, few people know the story behind that impressive record, the hardships Hieu has endured over the past 18 years.

Nguyen Van Hieu, a young boy, in his early days at the SOS Children's Village Vinh. Photo: CSCC

Hieu was admitted to the SOS Children's Village Vinh at the age of 4, shortly after his mother passed away, leaving only his elderly grandmother. Seeing the bright, innocent-eyed boy from Do Luong, bewildered in his new home, everyone felt a pang of sympathy.

Staying at the Village, Hieu was compensated by the love of the mothers, aunts, uncles, and cousins, living in large families with brothers and sisters who were united and supportive of each other. As he grew older, he became aware of himself and the disadvantages of being an orphan that fate had bestowed upon him and his siblings in the Village. Hieu also understood that he had a wonderful foster mother, who, though not his biological mother, cared for him meticulously, listened to his confidences, and always praised and encouraged him for his small achievements… Hieu loved his foster mother very much and always wanted to be a good, studious child to make her happy.

It seemed life had compensated Hieu with a complete and happy family, but no, in the 7th grade, Hieu was shocked to once again experience the pain of losing his second beloved mother. This time, Hieu felt the full extent of the pain of losing his mother and began to become more introverted.

“Fate brought my mother into my life, making her my mother, the most important person and my greatest source of emotional support. Then fate took her away. I kept thinking, why do I have to go through this loss twice? That question devastated me for a long time,” Hieu recalled.

Hieu (bottom row, second from the left) with his uncles, aunts, and friends at the SOS Children's Village Vinh. Photo: SOS Children's Village Vinh.

The third mother, as well as the uncles and aunts...SOS Children's Village VinhAlways by Hieu's side, helping him get through those saddest days. Listing the most important people in his life, Hieu expressed his deepest respect and gratitude to these non-blood relatives. He confided: “Mother Hien directly encouraged and healed my emotions; Uncle Luong – the Village Director – always cared for, trusted, and provided the best conditions for my studies; Uncle Thanh, Uncle Hoa, and the other uncles at the Youth Dormitory helped me grow and become stronger in life… I understand that I need to strive to be worthy of the unconditional love I am receiving from these mothers, uncles, and aunts.”

In 2019, upon entering 10th grade, Hieu bid farewell to his mother Hien and siblings to begin life at the boys' dormitory. Carrying a baggage of both loss and love, Hieu proved himself through significant milestones.

Deserving of love

“I knew about Hieu’s special circumstances beforehand and welcomed him to the boys’ dormitory with the hope that his future journey would be filled with joy, happiness, and love to compensate for his hardships,” shared Mr. Pham Ngoc Hoa, in charge of the boys’ dormitory at SOS Children’s Village Vinh. He still vividly remembers Hieu’s shy and self-conscious eyes in those first days of his new life. Already quiet, Hieu became even more withdrawn in his new environment, sadness seemingly always present on the thin shoulders of the young boy.

With his academic achievements and contributions to various movements, Nguyen Van Hieu was admitted to the Party while still in school. Photo: CSCC

“When I first moved to the dormitory, I missed my mother and my family so much, and I was always downcast. Everyone didn't leave me alone to wallow in my sadness and encouraged me a lot. I remember the uncles and aunts telling me to embrace this change as a turning point, to be confident and learn as much as possible, so that after three years of high school, I would transform and become the best version of myself. Those things truly awakened me and ignited my passion,” Hieu recalled.

After observing him for some time and recognizing his exemplary behavior, intelligence, and leadership abilities, the senior members of the dormitory guided Hieu to take on the role of Vice-Chairman of the Youth Self-Governing Council. From this role, Hieu observed and learned many skills from the senior members, perfecting his organizational, managerial, and communication skills, and gradually regaining his self-confidence. Just one year later, Hieu was entrusted with the role of chairman, skillfully managing over 40 young men in the dormitory and ensuring the smooth operation of the council.

Hieu shared: “To take on this role, I had to be disciplined and exemplary, but also sociable, a good listener, and someone who could share. In addition, understanding the psychology of team members and knowing how to persuade people also made management easier. What I didn't expect was that this role made me realize I was truly interested in and capable of human resource management. This is a major turning point in my life.”

Hieu is considered a diligent, intelligent student who always strives to achieve his goals. (Photo: Provided by the interviewee)

Seeing the path he wanted to take, Hieu knew what he needed to do. In 11th grade, he decided to switch to the humanities/social sciences (Block D) instead of the sciences (Block A) and threw himself into studying English to make up for his previous lack of foundational knowledge. Hieu's journey to conquer his dream university began with a lot of support from those around him. The elders in the village agreed to give Hieu a used computer to facilitate online English learning and provided tuition for him to attend some suitable exam preparation classes. To maintain maximum focus, Hieu was very strict with himself, even refraining from using his mobile phone for months leading up to the exam.

Hieu shared: "It's not just me; all the children in the Village receive dedicated career guidance and support from the elders."12th grade students"We were all exempted from labor activities, regularly participated in healthy recreational activities to relax, the management office always had printers and ink available to serve the students practicing exam questions, in addition to our daily meals we also had late-night snacks to help us study for the exams. Even though the weather wasn't too hot to turn on the air conditioning, the university entrance exam preparation group was always prioritized by the staff... Not only that, the teachers at Hermann Gmeiner Vinh school also organized free exam preparation for us, with volunteer students teaching via Zoom or coming to teach each group in person. During the study process, if anyone got sick, the staff would take care of them like their own children with porridge and milk... With everything I received from everyone, I feel incredibly happy and lucky."

Nguyen Van Hieu (far left) with his teacher and classmates at his high school graduation ceremony. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

These days, Hieu is preparing for his journey as a student in the Human Resources Management Faculty at the University of Commerce (Hanoi) and eagerly anticipating the next step in pursuing his dreams. “Even though I haven’t started school yet, I know for sure that my upcoming student journey will continue to be filled with love from the older students who grew up in the village, who lived in the same house… Perhaps fate didn’t give me a normal happiness, but it has compensated me with a different, special happiness. I will live to be worthy of the love I have received,” Hieu shared. I believe he will achieve even more.