The province's excellent math student skillfully sorts scrap metal and becomes a new student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics.

Che Hoang Du, who just passed the entrance exam to Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics, is a good math student from Tien Giang province. Since childhood, he has collected scrap metal with his mother and is familiar with all kinds of trash.

Mrs. Che Thi Phuong Dung's job is to collect scrap metal. Every day she earns a few tens of thousands of dong, or about 100,000 dong on a good day. This is the only income she can earn to support her two sons in college - Photo: MAU TRUONG

The wonderful scrap-collecting mother of two future bachelors

Du also has a biological brother, Che Hoang Duy, 21 years old, currently a 3rd year student at the University of Natural Sciences .

Du’s small house, located deep in an alley on Dong Da Street (Ward 3, Ward 4, My Tho City, Tien Giang Province), is these days filled with piles of scrap metal. Mrs. Che Thi Phuong Dung and her two sons are diligently sorting the scrap metal to prepare to transport it for sale.

"These past few days, my body has been aching and my legs have been unable to walk, so the scrap metal piles up. Since both of my kids have a day off from school and are visiting their mother in the countryside, they are helping out with the work," Mrs. Dung said shyly, as if justifying the messy house.

Mrs. Dung collects everything that other people throw away, turning it into the main source of income to support Duy and Du - Photo: MAU TRUONG

Amidst the mountain of scrap metal, Duy and Du skillfully tore open the cardboard boxes, then neatly stacked them into a bundle. Plastic bottles and metal bars were stacked separately, then put into large bags and stacked in a corner of the house.

Seeing the guests amazed at the skillful sorting of scrap metal by her two children, Mrs. Dung smiled and said: "The two brothers have followed their mother to collect scrap metal since they were young. At night, after finishing their homework, they help their mother sort and pack it. They have gotten used to it and the stench of the trash. Now one is about to graduate and the other is going to college, but they are not afraid to do such work."

Nearly 60 years old, but Mrs. Dung has never dared to rest. The jobs to make a living have been revolving around her since she got married. From selling on the street, cleaning, to collecting scrap, she has done it all. If she cannot collect scrap, she stays home to sort the scrap to sell.

Because according to her, the arduous journey for her and her three children is not over yet. "I have to hold on for another 4 years, until Du graduates from university, then I can feel secure. I'm afraid I won't be able to last until then," Mrs. Dung forced a smile, her hands squeezing her knees, which are often in pain.

Looking back to the distant years, Mrs. Dung said that after getting married and having two children, in her free time she pushed a cart to collect scrap. Even after that, although she changed jobs many times, she still found time to collect scrap to earn extra money.

Until one day, when Che Hoang Du was 6 years old, the couple separated, Mrs. Dung officially chose the job of collecting scrap metal to make a living. The money she collected from discarded items helped her raise her 2 children and pay off the debt her husband left behind.

Another reason that Mrs. Dung only told her children later was why she continued to collect scrap metal, which was to make use of old clothes and books so that her children would not have to miss out on their studies.

Che Hoang Duy and Che Hoang Du grew up and went to school thanks to their mother's scrap metal business - Performed by: MAU TRUONG - NHA CHAN - DIEM HUONG

Textbooks, clothes from scrap: Second prize in provincial math competition, admitted to Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics

The house of three parents and children is always full of scrap metal. This is the main source of income to support Mrs. Dung and her two children who are in college - Photo: MAU TRUONG

On the bookshelves of Duy and Du brothers, all are books selected from the pile of scrap metal they collect every day. From grade 1 to grade 12, the two brothers have never had to buy new books.

"When I was young, I was also very shy with my friends because all my school supplies and clothes were old. While everyone else had new things, new books that still smelled of paper. But by the end of my junior high school years, I was no longer shy. I even felt lucky because no matter how difficult our circumstances were, my mother never once thought of forcing my brother and I to drop out of school ," Du said.

"I remember when I first entered middle school, I just wore a white shirt to school on the first day of school and immediately my classmates pointed and smiled. A while later I realized that my shirt had another school's logo printed on it so they recognized me. I just laughed it off," Du recounted, adding that after that time, his classmates also considered it normal for him to wear old clothes, books, shoes, etc. to school.

Even the study desks of Duy and Du were salvaged and refurbished. But that old, patched desk also served as a stepping stone to guide the two brothers into the university lecture hall.

Despite living in poverty, with all household items made from scrap, Du always achieved high academic results and excelled as a new finance student at the University of Economics, Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: MAU TRUONG

Che Hoang Du was an excellent student for 12 consecutive years. In grade 12, Du won second prize in the provincial high school math competition.

Du is also one of the excellent students recognized by Nguyen Dinh Chieu High School. Previously, in the entrance exam to grade 10 of Nguyen Dinh Chieu School, Du ranked 40th out of 700 selected students.

Recently, Du became a new student majoring in finance at Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics.

Hunting for scholarships to cover living expenses

Despite his impressive academic achievements, Du never considered himself a good person. Du said: "My studies are like my mother's job of collecting scrap metal. My knowledge is accumulated slowly through exercises, while my mother's scrap metal is accumulated day by day."

Now, the burden of scrap metal collection on mother's shoulders became even heavier as both brothers entered university, one after another, and studied in the most expensive place in the country.

Du relied on his academic performance to get scholarships, including the Tuoi Tre Newspaper's Support to School scholarship to reduce the financial burden on his mother.

Mr. Le Lien Hoang - Party cell secretary, head of residential area 3 (ward 4, My Tho city, Tien Giang province) - said that Mrs. Che Thi Phuong Dung's family is a poor household. "The family has 3 mother and children, two of them go to school, the mother has been collecting scrap metal for decades. Recently, seeing the difficult situation, we have mobilized sponsors to repair the house, which has helped ease some of the hardship.

However, now that her two children are in college, Ms. Dung's income from the scrap business is not enough to cover the expenses. I hope there will be a sponsor to help Ms. Dung and her three children, Mr. Hoang said.

We invite you to join us in School Support.

Tuoi Tre newspaper's 2024 School Support Program launched on August 8, expected to award 1,100 scholarships with a total cost of more than 20 billion VND (15 million VND for new students with difficulties, 20 special scholarships worth 50 million VND/scholarship for 4 years of study and learning equipment, gifts...).

With the motto "No young person can go to university due to poverty", "If new students encounter difficulties, there is Tuoi Tre " - as a commitment to support new students in the past 20 years of Tuoi Tre .

The program received contributions and support from the "Accompanying Farmers" Fund - Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company, Vinacam Education Promotion Fund - Vinacam Group Joint Stock Company and the "Quang Tri Affection" Club, Phu Yen; "Supporting Students to School" Club of Thua Thien Hue, Quang Nam - Da Nang, Tien Giang - Ben Tre and Tien Giang, Ben Tre Entrepreneurs Club in Ho Chi Minh City, Dai-ichi Life Vietnam Company, Mr. Duong Thai Son and friends with businesses and a large number of readers of Tuoi Tre newspaper...

In addition, Vinacam Group Joint Stock Company also sponsored 50 laptops for new students with special difficulties and lack of learning equipment worth about 600 million VND, Nestlé Vietnam Company Limited sponsored 1,500 backpacks worth about 250 million VND.

The Vietnam-USA Society English Language System sponsored 50 free foreign language scholarships worth 625 million VND. Through the State Bank, Bac A Commercial Joint Stock Bank sponsored 1,500 books on financial education, guiding financial management skills for new students...

Businesses and readers can support scholarships for new students by transferring to Tuoi Tre newspaper account:

113000006100 VietinBank, Branch 3, Ho Chi Minh City.

Content: Support "Support to school" for new students or specify the province/city that you want to support.

Readers and businesses abroad can transfer money to Tuoi Tre newspaper:

USD account 007.137.0195.845 Ho Chi Minh City Foreign Trade Bank;

EUR account 007.114.0373.054 Foreign Trade Bank, Ho Chi Minh City

with Swift code BFTVVNVX007.

Content: Support "Support to school" for new students or specify the province/city that you want to support.

In addition to sponsoring scholarships, readers can support learning equipment, accommodation, jobs... for new students.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hoc-sinh-gioi-toan-cua-tinh-phan-loai-ve-chai-thuan-thuc-thanh-tan-sinh-vien-dh-kinh-te-tp-hcm-20241108203055239.htm