The inspirational journey of young Vietnamese people with disabilities

Overcome illness to master life

Ms. Hoang Thi Nhan (born in 1992, Tan Tien commune, Hung Yen province) is the youngest child in a poor family with two sisters. Her father died early, and her mother worked hard to raise her children alone. It was even more difficult when both Nhan and her sister suffered from brittle bone disease - a rare disease that makes bones brittle and easily broken, and even a slight fall can leave them bedridden for months.

Nhan’s childhood was filled with hospitalizations and her mother’s heartbreaking cries as she watched her child suffer from broken bones. Someone once offered to help Nhan go to school, but her mother refused, fearing that she would be in more danger. So for many years, she could only sit by the window, quietly watching her friends happily go to class, wishing that one day she could go to school.

Nhan's love for letters grew as she watched her friends go to school. She borrowed books to study, and then her mother took a risk and asked for her to go to first grade. Happy to be able to go to school, Nhan studied very hard, even though she often had to miss school due to accidents. At times, she considered dropping out of school because she didn't want her mother to suffer more, but in the end, her passion for knowledge won out. From second to twelfth grade, Nhan was an excellent student every year.

Recalling that time, she shared: "I was afraid that if I didn't try, the opportunity to go to class would disappear forever."

The desire to become a teacher and the dream of entering the Hanoi Pedagogical University once burned in that little girl. But family circumstances did not allow it, so Nhan was forced to put her dream aside and apply to work as a garment worker to help her mother. That was the turning point for her to boldly start a business and take control of her life.

In 2015, Nhan married a gentle, simple man who always accompanied and encouraged her to overcome difficulties. A small family with two good children became the motivation for her to try harder.

With the encouragement of her mother and the preferential loan policy of the State, Nhan decided to open her own garment factory. From the early days with only a few workers, the factory has now developed with 25 workers, most of whom are people in difficult circumstances, women with young children, the elderly or those with poor health. Each worker has an income of 5-10 million VND/month. For her, this is not only an economic success but also a way to share responsibility with family and the community.

In addition to developing production, she also actively participates in social work. She has sewn hundreds of hats to give to children in the highlands, contributed to the "Spring of Love" program, sent gifts to lonely elderly people, orphans, supported children with congenital heart disease and children in charity homes. All of her volunteer activities come from the sympathetic heart of a person who has experienced many losses and understands the hardships of the disadvantaged.

Sharing her journey, she confided that illness may weaken her body, but it cannot break her will. She chooses to live optimistically, chooses faith to move forward. She believes that even if the journey is slower than others, as long as she does not give up, nothing is impossible.

These efforts have been recognized by the Certificate of Merit from the Provincial Association for the Protection of the Disabled and Protection of Children's Rights, and the Certificate of Merit from the Executive Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union. As a member of the Provincial Disabled Youth Club, she not only actively participates in activities but also contributes to spreading the spirit of positive living, building a confident, united and developed disabled community.

Hoang Thi Nhan is a living testament to the power of willpower. Illness can weaken the body, but it cannot break the will and desire to live. From a girl who once dreamed of going to school, Nhan has now become a garment factory owner, a pillar of support for her family and many other workers.
Her story is not only the pride of her homeland, but also a strong source of inspiration for those facing adversity: as long as you don't give up, nothing is impossible.

The will to continue writing dreams

Born in 2002 in Quang Ninh, Pham Tuan Hung is the youngest son in a working-class family. Life was peaceful until an incident happened when Hung was just two years old. In an accident, the boy was bitten by a bear, seriously injured and had to have both legs amputated. Doctors advised the family to give up because his condition was too serious, his blood was rare, and the hospital did not have enough blood to transfuse the boy who was too young. But Hung's mother was determined to keep him, running everywhere to find someone with the same blood type. Thanks to two timely blood donors, the boy's life was saved.

Tuan Hung no longer remembers that terrible incident clearly, only hearing his mother tell it. Hung shared, he did not know how he went through those days, only knew that his mother cried a lot. It was his mother who held him back to this life.

Having lost his legs at a young age, Hung had to adapt early. At first, he could only sit on a plastic chair to practice moving from room to room, climbing stairs with both hands, and practicing walking from the house to the kitchen. The scratches on his hands and knees were proof of each step of training. But then the boy gradually learned to be independent: cooking, doing laundry, and cleaning the house.

"I always tell myself to try harder so that my mother will have less trouble," Tuan Hung said.

Hung did not give up on his studies. During his primary school years, his mother was the one who took him to school every day. When he reached high school, his classmates took turns helping him. Despite the difficulty of moving, Hung still completed 12 years of school and passed the high school graduation exam.

Sports came to Hung very early, becoming a joy and motivation. Football was the first sport he approached.

"I started playing football when I was 5 years old and played with my hands. When I was on the field with my friends, I was assigned to be the goalkeeper. But seeing everyone scoring goals, I also wanted to try. I practiced using my other leg to juggle and kick the ball. It only took me nearly a year to get used to it and control the ball," Hung shared.

From the goalkeeper position, Hung gradually became a special player, surprising many people with his technique and determination.

Along with football, swimming opened up a new horizon for Hung. His house was near the river, so he often sneaked out of his mother's sight to follow his friends to practice swimming.

Sharing about his first days of learning to swim, Hung said, “At first, I was very scared because I had no legs and it was dangerous to go deep. But then I realized that when I was in the water, my body felt lighter and more confident. I just focused on my arms to push my body forward. Although my technique was bad, I felt happy.”

The big turning point came in 2020, when the coach of the Vietnam Paralympic Swimming Team discovered and invited Hung to train. After only 21 days, the young man brought home a bronze medal at the National Paralympic Swimming Championship. That was the beginning of a series of impressive achievements: national silver medal 2022, national gold medal 2023, 4th place in the 100m breaststroke at the Southeast Asian Championship, and was selected to attend the ASEAN PARAGAME in Cambodia.

Not only asserting himself in sports, Hung has also become an inspirational face on social networks. His TikTok channel currently attracts more than 600 thousand followers. Videos recording his training, competition or daily life all strongly spread the spirit of optimism. Initially, it was just to preserve memories, but thanks to the support of the community, Hung decided to seriously invest, come up with ideas, film and create content himself. He also combined the sportswear business - both suitable for his passion and creating an additional source of income to support his family.

Mrs. Mai Thi Thu, Hung’s mother, could not hide her pride when talking about her son: My son lost his legs but he still tries to do everything, and even achieves achievements in sports. Sometimes I think if he had legs, he would have done more.

With his perseverance and determination, Pham Tuan Hung has been recognized with many awards: Certificate of Merit for "Outstanding achievements in overcoming difficulties" in the period 2019 - 2024, Certificate of Merit for "Outstanding achievements of disabled people" in 2023 of Quang Ninh province.

Hung looks at his journey with a calm mind: Everyone has difficulties in life, even normal people. Sometimes I feel unfair, wondering why I am in such a situation. But then I think again, I am still luckier than many others. I still have family, friends, and opportunities to try. I do not allow myself to fall.

Now, Pham Tuan Hung is not only a national swimmer, a legless player full of determination, but also an inspirational face for millions of people. From his hands as a fulcrum, Hung has built a world of faith, of aspiration and of endless efforts.

People with physical disabilities today continue to strive, affirming their bravery and strong will to live. They have turned difficulties into motivation, turned limitations into opportunities to contribute and inspire, contributing to portraying the image of a resilient, humane and ambitious young generation.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/nguoi-tot-viec-tot/hanh-trinh-truyen-cam-hung-cua-nhung-nguoi-khuet-tat-tre-viet-nam-20250927113408548.htm