Six universities have informed Khanh, born in 2006, a former student at Phan Dinh Phung High School in Ha Tinh City, that he has been accepted at their schools.  

Thanh did not have to attend entrance exams or aptitude tests because of his exceptional record. The famous schools that offered him enrollment included Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities (a member school of the  Hanoi National University), the Hanoi University of Education No1 and HCM City University of Technology.

Khanh is the son of Nguyen Thi Thanh Tinh, 39, who is also visually impaired. The woman raised him alone and experienced very tough years.

When he was in sixth grade, Khanh lost his vision and could only differentiate day and night. 

According to Tinh, both she and her son suffered from sightlesness because of Agent Orange inherited from his grandfather. Since that day, Khanh has had to learn to live in the darkness, starting with holding objects around him.

“I got depressed and cried a lot. However, I later realized that I had to overcome all difficulties, because I am the only moral support of my mother. At first, I didn’t dare to put my feet into the ground and walk. But later, I began learning to sing, study with Braille and reconsider my plans in my life,” Khanh recalled. 

The grandmother and mother were the ‘fellow travelers’ of Khanh during 12 years at general school. Khanh’s mother could see things within a short distance, so she carried Khanh to school on her bike.

After school hours, Khanh and his grandmother reviewed lessons with exercises in textbooks. In class, he paid close attention to teachers’ lessons, because he could not take notes. However, Khanh was happy because his classmates supported him.

With his great efforts, Khanh was an excellent student in all 12 years at school and won high prizes at many competitions.

In 2023, Khanh was one of 10 students named by the Ha Tinh Youth Union and Ha Tinh Education and Training Department who overcome difficulties to study well.

Also in 2023, he was one of 21 outstanding individuals who received a certificate of merit from the provincial chair for his excellent achievements in learning. 

Of the six universities who accepted him, he has decided to study social work at the Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Thien Luong