On the occasion of Vietnam Family Day, June 28, Lao Dong reporters had a meeting with students from hometown and family away who came to Hanoi to study. For these students, when they reach the threshold of maturity, they have a different view of their family, of the nostalgia for the home that nurtured their entire childhood.
In a small rented house on Quan Nhan Street, the suffocating heat seems to have become a familiar part of the life of Dang Thi Mai Nguyen (21 years old), a student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
This year, the school increased tuition fees, plus tuition fees for majoring and military fees, so Mai Nguyen chose to stay in Hanoi during the summer to work extra to help her parents make ends meet.
Taking advantage of the summer vacation, Nguyen registered for 2 working sessions/day at the same time. There were days when she worked all 3 shifts, without time to rest.
Mai Nguyen was born into a poor family. His father worked as a carrier at construction sites, his mother was sick and could no longer work. The financial burden fell on her father alone, making Nguyen always worried. The total income of the family, including the money Nguyen sent back from overtime, was only about 10 million VND.
"After high school, my time with my parents has become less and less. Coming to Hanoi, I was very excited at first because it was my first time in the city, and I planned to go out. But living here for a while, when I returned to my hometown, I was sometimes scared and didn't want to return to Hanoi anymore.
In the countryside, there is food cooked by my mother and fresh air. Hanoi has a high-rise, crowded house, and a boarding house is so stuffed that it is suffocating. I just want to go back to my hometown to live with my parents. But in a locality with few job opportunities, I still try to stay in Hanoi so that my family can have a better life in the future."
5km away, in the boarding house on Giai Phong Street, Xuan Nga sat studying in a room - both a kitchen, a bedroom, and a learning corner.
Xuan Nga is a first-year student from Hoa Binh returning to Hanoi to study. Talking to reporters, Nga proudly showed off many certificates of merit, certificates and especially the i IELTS 7.5 exam results that she achieved in the past year.
"Although my mother comes from a poor family, cannot learn English, and has lived a hard life, she still takes care of me to study well. Not only did she encourage me to study well, she also ran around to earn money so I could... learn English. My mother said I had to study English well, to escape hardship, to have a better future.
You are both the motivation for me to pursue my dream and a part of my dream. My mother's market runs and working nights help me understand how much she has expected me. I always try because I am very "venerable", having to fulfill both of their dreams", Xuan Nga confided.
For Nguyen Thi My Tam, a third-year student majoring in Journalism at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, her student life is difficult but it helps her better understand life.
As a Tay ethnic girl living in Bac Giang, My Tam had countless worries and thousands of questions when she first set foot in Hanoi. She overcame her homesickness by asking her mother to send her food and items from her hometown every month. Tam said that he eats other flavorful dishes from his hometown in Hanoi.
The hot days, living around in a cramped dormitory made My Tam miss home, and realized that her family was originally a peaceful place: "After 3 years at home, I realized that my family was a part of me, an inseparable part of me. That is the place that gives me life, faith and love, helping me to stand firm against the waves of life.
For young people like me, when conquering their passion, having a family to cheer them on is a lucky thing, precious and I am extremely grateful for that. My father said a saying: "I believe you can do it" and this saying has followed me throughout the past journey, a fulcrum for me to continue on the journey regardless of my hard work or my fall.
What strength has helped these students overcome difficulties? The answer lies in the two words "family" and "dream". Her parents in the countryside were ready to do anything, her father was a carrier, her mother ran everywhere... so that her children could go to university.
Young people - they understand that they are not only trying for themselves, but also carrying the hope of the whole family, of their relatives who have sacrificed so that their children have the opportunity to change their lives.
