VietNamNet Bridge – There are many people who are still healthy at the age of 90-100 in Vietnam, but Mrs. Le Thi is the most special because she still paints, writes books, reads news on the web and Facebook.

Mrs. Thi surfs Internet every day.

Born in 1920, currently residing in Xa La - Ha Dong District in Hanoi, she is known as “Lady Teen”.

Daily, she surfs  the Internet for the latest information about Vietnam and the world and visits literary forums, where she writes many comments.

Mrs. Thi said: "I learned to use the computer in 2000. At first I intended just to use the computer to write my autobiography Upstream but then my grandchildren taught me how to search Google, to use Facebook and Yahoo. It was hard to use computer initially, but I gradually got used to it. Because of my poor health I don’t use the computer as much as I did, before but I surfed the Internet every day for information and read books."

Twice a week, the woman “chats” with her grandchildren in Russia. She said she could not type with all of their fingers so her typing speed is slow.

Revealing the secrets of learning technology, Mrs. Thi said: "You have to learn what you don’t know and you can learn new things at any age. I took two days to get acquainted with the keyboard, then I tried to remember how to get to the network, to open websites or log-in to forums."

To prove her skill, she opened her laptop and typed the password. She showed her Facebook with plenty of followers and friends. She said previously she used Yahoo to "exchange" with her friends but she has changed to Facebook. Most of her online friends are those who have passions for painting and writing.

In 2009, Mrs. Thi launched her 600-page autobiography. She spent two years writing it. Currently Mrs. Thi is writing a novel called The Whirl of Life.

Mrs. Thi writes about everything in life, about philosophy, love and meaningful lessons about life. She said some days she can write nearly 40 pages but only several lines for other days. A few years ago, she could write the entire night but now she works for a few hours a day.

She also writes poetry and paints. She has made about 2,000 paintings, mainly countryside landscapes.

Her love and talent for painting and writing has inspired many people. In 1997, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Khoa Diem paid a visit to Thi’s house and presented her with a certificate of merit. The Minister also helped organize a personal exhibition for her.

Mrs. Thi said that she did not study drawing or writing at school but had a passion for them when she was a child. Her father was a teacher and had many books. Thi read her father books whenever he was not at home.

Mrs. Thi is still healthy and has a sound mind. She still gets up early every day to do morning exercise, cook and sew clothes for herself and her family.

Asked about the secret of longevity, she said: "I do not have any secret, just creating pleasure for myself. For me, each day of living must be a day of work and contribution. Each day must be a special day. I avoid anger, hatred and delusion."

Thanh Hai