Hmong Girl, Full Master's Scholarship, Beijing

Hang Thi Sinh was born in 2003 in Ban Pho village, Chi Ca commune, Xin Man district, Ha Giang province (old), now Xin Man commune, Tuyen Quang province. Sinh's family has 6 siblings, her grandparents passed away when her father was only 5 years old.

“My parents worked on the fields all year round, doing all kinds of jobs to provide for us. In the past, each time they carried oil lamps to sell 30km from morning to night, they could only make a total profit of 15,000 VND a day,” Sinh shared.

Father Sinh understood how hard it was not to study, so he always thought of ways to earn money to send his children to school. From a poor mountain girl to a prestigious ticket to Beijing was not an easy journey for Hang Thi Sinh.

At the master's level, Sinh only applied to one dream school, which was suitable for her development orientation. Sinh still remembers very clearly, around 9am on July 14, she held her phone in her hand but did not dare to open the email, for fear of failing. At that time, Sinh's father stood next to her, gently comforting: "You can do it."

When he opened the email and saw the congratulatory results for his admission to the Master of Finance program at the Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing, with a full scholarship from the Chinese Government, Sinh was so happy he cried.

Hang Thi Sinh wears traditional Mong ethnic costume.

However, Sinh was also worried about going to school, there was no one at home to help her parents financially, while her two younger brothers had just entered university. For a family that lived mainly on farming, this was a great pressure. However, the Mong girl always believed that knowledge was the path that could change her destiny.

The scholarship Sinh received was the CIS B Scholarship (International Chinese Teacher Scholarship) - a full scholarship including: full tuition exemption, dormitory, health insurance, and a monthly living allowance of 3,000 RMB (about 11 million VND).

In grade 12, Sinh prepared documents to apply for a scholarship to study abroad in China, but because she studied high school at the Viet Bac Highland School in Thai Nguyen, traveling to complete the documents was very difficult. She had to research and handle all the procedures by herself, without anyone to support her, and the COVID-19 outbreak made completing the paperwork even more difficult, so Sinh had to temporarily put her dream on hold.

She decided to study Chinese Language at the School of Foreign Languages – Thai Nguyen University to cultivate a solid language foundation in preparation for further steps. Here, Sinh strived to study and practice and achieved outstanding results.

At the same time, she planned to find a suitable scholarship early, ask for recommendation letters from teachers, review and take the HSK certificate exam, and practice Chinese through reading books, listening to podcasts, communicating with native speakers, as well as learning about the culture and history of Vietnam and China, determined to conquer the path of studying abroad with her own efforts.

Hang Thi Sinh received a certificate of Merit for 5 Good Students at the University level at the Conference Center, Thai Nguyen University, school year 2023 - 2024.

During that process, the biggest difficulty the female student encountered was the lack of information and experience in administrative procedures. In addition, balancing between studying and preparing documents was not easy.

“There were nights when I sat up until 2-3 am reading a Chinese passage over and over again and still didn’t understand it. Exhausted, I could only hug the book and cry silently, wondering: Am I capable enough? Is the dream of studying abroad too far away?” Sinh said. The Mong girl also had to face prejudices from those around her. Many times, Sinh felt sad when hearing the dissuasion from relatives and neighbors: “Why do girls study so much, they will get married anyway?”

To achieve her goal, she disciplined herself with a strict schedule. During the day, she went to class, at night she self-studied and taught Chinese online, and on the weekends she searched for materials and practiced HSK tests. Each tear, each time she bowed her head in exhaustion, then got up and continued, forged the perseverance and determination that helped the Mong girl win a ticket to a top school in China.

Sinh arrived in Beijing and studied Finance at the Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing. The first days in a foreign land were inevitably difficult, far from home, lacking relatives and friends, Sinh tried to adapt to the rather stressful learning environment. Moreover, studying in a different field also forced her to work harder than usual.

Sinh's biggest dream is to become a lecturer in the field of Financial Economics, where he can pass on knowledge to students and contribute to training quality human resources, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of the country.

Having participated in many volunteer activities, Sinh realized that sometimes just a small action can open big doors for children in the highlands.

Mr. Hang Khay Lu, Sinh's father, shared that in his parents' eyes, Sinh has always been a trustworthy and capable person. " My wife and I are illiterate and have never been to school, so most of the important decisions in the family, from whether Sinh and her siblings can go to school or not, where to study, what major to choose, are all determined by our daughter," Mr. Lu confided.

Ms. Do Thi Thuy Ha, Deputy Head of the Chinese Department, School of Foreign Languages - Thai Nguyen University, said that what impressed her most about Sinh was his unflinching efforts and clear direction.

Sinh (left, far right) took a photo with his parents and siblings at home in Ban Pho village, Xin Man commune, Tuyen Quang province (new), in January 2025.

Looking back on her journey, Sinh realized that the starting point does not determine the destination. Hang Thi Sinh wants to tell young people to never give up on their dreams just because of the difficulties ahead. She believes that the starting point may be low, but if you are persistent, disciplined and believe in yourself, you will definitely go far.

Vietnamese girls always whisper to themselves: " The Mong people or anyone can reach out to the world."

Le Thu

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/co-gai-mong-gianh-hoc-bong-thac-si-toan-phan-den-trung-quoc-ar967078.html