When people meet Y Sacien Kbuor (of the Ede ethnic group, commonly known as Sacien) currently living and working in HCMC, their first impression of the young man is his calm demeanor and gentle smile.

Sacien was born in Dhung village, Cu M'gar commune, Dak Lak province. More than 30 years ago, when he was just two months old, his father suddenly passed away due to illness. His poor mother single-handedly shouldered the burden of raising six young children.

Despite her hardships, his mother possessed a highly progressive mindset: she was determined not to let her children remain uneducated. Because his mother had to go to the farming plots early in the morning, when Sacien was only six months old, he was entrusted to the care of his sister. She would carry Sacien on her back to school and raise him on bowls of plain rice porridge.

Sacien’s educational journey was incredibly arduous. It was not until he was in the ninth grade that his village received electricity from the national grid; before that, the siblings had to study by the light of kerosene lamps. 

In high school, the quest for education became even more grueling, as he had to walk 5km every day up steep hills, navigating muddy and waterlogged paths on rainy days.

During a year when his hometown suffered a severe drought, his mother had to sell two cows, the family's greatest asset, to get money for her children's tuition fees and to buy rice. Ignoring the gossip and whispers, the mother remained resolute in sending Sacien to school.

During his school days, while watching the news on a neighbor's black-and-white television, Sacien dreamed of becoming an English-speaking international reporter traveling everywhere. This distinct dream nourished his spirit and provided the motivation to pull him out of the well-trodden paths of his village.

The day he received his admission letter to a university in HCMC, Sacien fell into a fierce internal struggle. Looking at his mother’s slender shoulders, he understood that the expensive cost of living in a major city would be an overwhelming burden.

Finally, he decided to study at Tay Nguyen University to reduce expenses.

Here, he majored in English Linguistics. To earn money to cover his own living expenses and send back home to help his sister buy fertilizer for the fields, Sacien did all sorts of jobs, from tutoring, waiting tables at restaurants, and distributing flyers to working as a bar security guard.

His thirst for learning touched the hearts of many customers, who gave him extra money, while his colleagues gave him lighter workloads so he would have time to read books.

A major turning point came in his third year of university when he met a delegation that needed an English interpreter for a tourism project in Thailand. Sacien sought advice from his homeroom lecturer and decided to step out of his comfort zone.

That first trip abroad not only brought an income for the young man but also opened up a whole new horizon, becoming the motivation for him to continue mastering a series of other languages.

Foreign languages completely transformed Y Sacien Kbuor's life. Right after graduation, he joined the Song Da Corporation as an interpreter for hydropower projects in Laos, and then taught himself Lao to better serve his work.

In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic struck, disrupting his journey for a year. Far from stopping, Sacien actively participated in domestic social projects.

Once the pandemic stabilized, he continued to Malaysia to work for two years, before moving to work as an interpreter for a diplomatic agency in Bangkok, Thailand.

At the end of 2025, during a vacation back to his hometown, a question from his family left him deep in thought: "Why don't you try returning to Vietnam to work, Sacien? You've been abroad for quite a long time; come back to work close to home so it's convenient to visit the family."

That simple reminder touched the heart of the expatriate son. Sacien realized that being near to take care of his aging mother and contributing his efforts to his homeland were the true values in life.

He decided to submit his resignation in Bangkok, closing his cross-border traveling journey to return to the country, and later join a French corporation based in HCMC.

Tuan Ninh