The Orphaned Student's Will to Overcome Difficulties

Be optimistic to pursue your dreams

Born into a farming family in Na Leng village, Thach Dan commune, Cao Loc district, Lang Son province, the life of Nung boy Ly Viet Truong encountered many difficulties. His mother died early when Truong was in 6th grade, the pain of loss became the motivation to help Truong pursue a steady path of study.

To get to grade 12, Truong had to cross more than 8km of bumpy roads interspersed with high passes to get to school. In winter, the cold weather in the mountains could not stop the studious student.

In grade 12, Truong's father suddenly passed away. With one loss after another, Truong suppressed his pain to optimistically pursue his dream of passing the university entrance exam. Truong confided: "The pain of losing my parents is irreparable, but I cannot let that make me fall. For me at that time, optimism to continue studying was the most important thing. I still had my grandparents and younger brother by my side, so I had to try harder."

“With diligence, iron will be turned into a needle”, Truong was admitted to the Faculty of History, University of Social Sciences and Humanities with high scores and was the valedictorian of the high school he attended – Can Loc High School.

Remarkable results

Ly Viet Truong received the Chung-Soo scholarship in 2014 for his efforts in studying and participating in the movement/Photo: Thanh Long

Entering the university with the enthusiastic help of the seniors in the Shock Brigade, Truong quickly got used to the new environment. Right from the first year, the Nung student became a member of the Shock Brigade and the Secretary of the class with active and enthusiastic activities.

With diligence, hard work and constant learning, Truong has achieved many successes in his studies. The student has participated in scientific research since his first year. In his second year, Truong conducted two scientific researches in parallel and won high prizes. Truong's academic ranking is always Excellent. Not only that, Truong also actively participates in writing articles for magazines with 6 articles published in the magazines Xua va Nay (No. 438), Buddhist Studies (No. 125, 127, 128), and Buddhism Today (No. 45).

Talking about his passion for research, Truong shared: “I don’t wait for the school to announce it before doing research. I have to be proactive in preparing with the help of teachers to hope for good results. In particular, when doing research, I often read a lot and go to the field to accumulate knowledge.” That is also the experience of doing scientific research that Truong wants to share with students who share the same passion.

The dream of the history student is to become a historical researcher in the future to contribute his efforts and intelligence to the country's research.