Ly was born into a poor family of four in Suoi Lo village, Bac Ai Dong commune. Her parents toiled year-round on the fields, struggling to make ends meet, so their children’s education was often overlooked. Ly’s childhood was tied to days helping her grandmother on the farm, harvesting cassava, and herding cows. 

While many peers dropped out of school to marry, Ly persisted with her studies. “If I had followed that path, I’d be stuck with the fields my whole life. I wanted a profession to support myself and help my family escape poverty.”

Her path to the dream of becoming a teacher was far from easy. After graduating high school, her parents urged her to stop education, believing that “girls with higher education will find it hard to get married” and worrying that “teaching offers few job prospects.”

Ly recalled that when she announced her application to Nha Trang Central Pedagogical College, her family fell silent for a long time.

“My father yelled that if I would have to fund the study myself, as my family would not, because of difficult conditions. Hearing that felt like my heart was being squeezed, I was very afraid I couldn’t follow this dream anymore,” she recounted. 

Fortunately, luck smiled on her: an uncle working far away understood her aspirations and came forward to help finance her enrollment, keeping her dream of university alive. 

That determination helped Ly overcome difficulties. In early university days, Covid‑19 broke out, classes went online, and Ly was able to save somewhat on expenses. When things stabilized, she traveled to Nha Trang to enroll in the school and gradually adapted to the new environment. 

In the dormitory, thanks to the government’s subsidy of VND3.6 million per month for pedagogy students, Ly was able to cover living and study costs without asking for family support. 

“That was a time when I told myself to try my hardest and never give up, knowing that today’s struggles were a stepping stone to a brighter future,” Ly said.

Young woman sows literacy 

In 2024, after graduation, Ly didn’t choose to stay in big cities for a stable, higher-paying job. Instead, she returned to the mountains of Bac Ai, where her childhood was tied to cornfields, smoky kitchens, and red roads.

On her first days teaching at Phuoc Thang Kindergarten, Ly felt uncertain facing the wide-eyed children, many of whom couldn’t speak a full sentence in Vietnamese. But instead of backing down, she patiently started with the simplest things: teaching them to say “teacher,” to greet, and to sing songs.

She patiently spoke to the children in Raglay, then skillfully wove in Vietnamese through familiar songs and games. She understood their fear, having experienced it herself when she left for the city to study. Over time, the crying lessened, replaced by babbling voices and cheerful laughter.

“I hope the children will not only learn to read but also have the chance to go further, so they can return and uplift their homeland,” Ly said.

From that small school, the journey of a young Raglay woman to spread literacy began - quietly, unassumingly, like resilient seeds taking root in forest soil. 

Ly believes a seed only grows quickly when planted in its homeland. Knowledge is that seed. She chose to return, rooting herself deeply in Bac Ai’s mountains. Her journey is a story of resilience and aspiration. From a poor Raglay girl, overcoming challenges to pursue education, to a young teacher sowing the seeds of knowledge for a new generation, she proves that education can change destinies.

“When she said she wanted to keep studying, everyone in the house was worried. Going to school is costly, how will she support herself? But she was firm, saying that if she didn’t study she’d be trapped on the fields forever. I both pitied her and feared she would suffer. A few years later, now the whole family is very proud of Ly, especially her parents,” said Chamaléa Thi Nham, Ly’s grandmother. 

“Ly returned not just to do a job but to prove that young Raglay people can be different. They can dare to learn, dare to dream, and dare to give back,” Huynh Thi Tuyet Hoa, principal of Phuoc Thang Kindergarten, said.

Xuan Ngoc