A sticky rice vending girl

01/11/2005
It is normal to pass an entrance examination to University, but passing with maximum scores in all 3 subjects is rarely seen. Surprisingly, one of few people who broke the record was a sticky rice vending girl in Nghi Xuan commune, Nghi Loc district, Nghe An province - Nguyen Thi Quynh Giang, the champion among newly admitted students of Vinh Pedagogy University.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nguyet, mother of Giang told that: “that afternoon, she rushed to me and shouted happily: Mum I’ve got 30 points. I was so happy to tear. Thus my girl was admitted to the University, if her dad is still alive he would cried out for joy too. Approaching the exam day, she still helped me with sticky rice vending at the market, I told her to stay home to prepare herself for the exam, but she insisted to help me and said she would definitely pass the exam”

 

Due to a big loss in trading in 1992, Ms. Nguyet and her husband had to sell their house in Cua Lo, left their two elder children to their grand parents and brought the youngest child with them-Giang to wander in Sai Gon for earning their livings. Giang was 6 years old at that time. Luckily, with the help from her uncle who was living in HCM city, Giang was admitted to a primary school. Two years later, not standing the work of hired labor, Nguyen and her husband brought their child back to their home village, opened a sticky rice vending tent in Trang market for family daily income. o­n the 6th grade at school, Giang started being a fellow accompanier with her mother sticky rice vending. Going to school half day and helping her mother’s business for the rest of the day, she was still learning so well and entitled “excellent student” every year.

 

When Giang was at the 10th grade, her dad suddenly passed away. The burden of meeting the basic needs of 4 persons in the family plus paying outstanding debts were poured o­n her mother’s shoulder. At that time, her eldest sister and older brother had entered university and college. To cope with emerging difficulties, Ms. Nguyet has to sell more and more volume of sticky rice. Giang, besides helping her mother in selling sticky rice at the market, she also tried to do mentoring in the evening for the small kids in the neighbour for little pays. The light in Giang’s studying corner stood latter every night. She was slimmer then. For all that, this girl had won the first provincial prize in a chemistry contest of 11th grade and a consolation prize in the previous year contest. In the final year of secondary school, this student of Cua Lo Secondary School won the provincial second prize o­n chemistry. During 12 years of schooling, Giang recorded 4 provincial prizes and titles of excellent student. Her excellent record in schooling has somehow helped to ease her mother’s burden of taking care for the whole family.

 

“She asked for my advice o­n which areas of study she should choose. I said “you should choose any o­nes that suit you and easy to look for a job as I can not find a job for you. Actually, Giang has decided to become a teacher. Giang told “I was impressed o­n the teachers of mathematics, chemistry and literatures at my school. Although they are young but competent, dedicated and love their students very much”. The 2 applications for admission to Hanoi No I Pedagogy University and Vinh Pedagogy University were then sent and the little girl could not decide which o­ne to choose. Approaching the exam day, Giang decided to head for Vinh Pedagogy University because of its near distance to her house so that she could have time to help her mother.

 
Question: Becoming a student, do you continue with your sticky rice vending? Giang smiled charmingly: “Perhaps, yes. It is 10 km to the University so I can go home every day to help my mother at the market, otherwise, how could my mother earn enough money for my studying”

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