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When universities
announced the results of the university entrance exams, they brought joy
to talented students. However, the results also produced concern among
some students who fear they don’t have enough money to pay for their
studies.
Half day at school, half day on rice field
Born into a farming family with seven members in Ung Hoa District in
Hanoi, Le Minh Vuong participated in fieldwork everyday to help her
parents earn a living. Vuong went to school in the morning and then
spent the other half of the day on the rice field. During harvest time,
Vuong had to take time off from school to help her mother harvest rice.
However, she still excelled academically. Vuong said she could never
afford to go to examination preparation centers and she reviewed for the
exams by herself. She borrowed books from friends and did the exercises
from her books. In the days before the exams, Vuong held her baby
brother in one hand, and held her books in another hand.
Vuong always had to stay up late at night to learn. She said sometimes
she felt very sleepy, but she only managed to get a bit of sleep and
then got up to continue studying.
Vuong’s great efforts have been repaid: she came in first on the
entrance exam for Hanoi Medical University, with an astounding 29 score.
She also received a 29 score for the entrance exam to Hanoi Foreign
Trade University. “I will pursue studies at the medical school. I want
to become a good doctor who can cure people,” she said.
Sitting exams with half a portion
There is another talented person in Vuong’s class. His name is Pham Van
Khanh. He came in first on the entrance exam to the Hanoi University of
Technology with a 29.5 score, the youngest child in a poor farming
family. His elder sister is studying at the Hanoi Foreign Trade
University, while his father is suffering from schizophrenia and cannot
work. As a result of his family’s difficulties, Khanh and his mother
handle all the work in the family.
In the days before the exam, the talented student’s meal was just a
small portion that he shared with his mother. The news that he came in
first on the university entrance exam brought him great joy but also
great concern. He still does not know how he can earn money to pay his
tuition fees. Students who pursue technical studies spend five years at
school. Meanwhile, his sister cannot help, because she needs money to
pay her own tuition.
Hoang Van Quy, a student at HCM City University of Technology, has the
same concern over tuition. His father is a mason while his mother is a
worker at a rubber plantation. His family’s total income is about 3.5
million dong a month. With such a modest income, Quy’s parents have to
save every dong to feed their three children. Quy does not have time to
play like other students. During his free time, Quy helps his mother and
father with their work so that they can earn more money. Quy’s biggest
dream is to obtain a scholarship to study abroad.
“I will tutor so I have money to keep studying”
“I’m so happy to hear that my daughter came in first on the HCM City Law
University entrance exam, but I don’t know how I can earn money to
support her studies,” said Nguyen Thi Thuc, the mother of the talented
student Ho Hanh Thao.
In previous years, her family grew vegetables to earn a living. If
vegetables sold well, they could get enough money to buy rice. However,
Thao’s family had to relocate to another place six years ago, where
there is no land to grow vegetables. Thuc opened a small café on the
pavement and works as a babysitter to earn money to feed her family.
When asked about her plans to study at the university, Thao said she
will tutor other students to earn money to pay for the tuition, so that
she does not become a burden to her mother.
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