Top 8 Most Exemplary Evidences of Good People and Good Deeds in Vietnam

Before becoming the world's billionaire and the richest person in Vietnam, Mr. Pham Nhat Vuong had a challenging childhood, full of hardships. However, this didn't deter him; he was determined to pursue education. After completing high school with outstanding academic achievements, he was selected to study abroad in Moscow (Russia) at the Geological Mining School, majoring in geological economics.

Mr. Pham Nhat Vuong started his entrepreneurial journey with a restaurant and instant noodle production in Kharkov, Ukraine. Rising from humble beginnings, he achieved the unimaginable. From a food company needing loans to build, he transformed it into a powerful conglomerate with remarkable development speed like VinGroup. VinGroup is consistently evaluated as a strong multi-industry brand in the Vietnamese economy. Particularly in real estate, the group has continuously built large-scale projects with international stature, such as Times City, Royal City, Vinhomes Riverside villas, and soon Vinhomes Nguyen Chi Thanh apartments. Pham Nhat Vuong, Chairman of the VinGroup board, has played a significant role in creating a leading brand in the national economy.

In addition to his business acumen and contribution to family economic development, he also has a philanthropic heart. He founded the Thien Tam Fund, where he, his family, and Vingroup staff contribute a substantial amount. For many years, the Thien Tam Fund has traveled to impoverished areas nationwide, delivering meaningful gifts like scholarships and computer-equipped classrooms to excellent poor students, distributing thousands of breeding cows to farmers in Ninh Binh and Ha Tinh, constructing tens of thousands of gratitude houses for families with merit, and providing numerous scholarships to needy students. The Dong Loc Bell Tower (Ha Tinh), dedicated to honoring the fallen heroes in the former bombarded areas, was also significantly contributed to by the Thien Tam Fund. Various other charitable activities... These are the most precious gifts of the only Vietnamese USD billionaire - Pham Nhat Vuong.

All of today's achievements are built by him through his experiences, passion, and unwavering determination. Alongside this, the billionaire also earns admiration for his business philosophy aimed at developing his homeland. 'The world should know not only a heroic Vietnam but also an intelligent, classy Vietnam.' That is his desire. Therefore, he continuously nurtures the future, evident in unexpected projects with outstanding stature. The inspiring quote: 'Once you become a person, you cannot afford to live a wasted life.'

Khang A Tua was born and raised in a H'Mong family in Hang Tau De village, Che Cu Nha commune, Mu Cang Chai district, Yen Bai province. Tua is the eldest of 5 siblings, and their lives revolved around a few cultivated fields.

Living far from school, Tua had to leave home to study since the 3rd grade. Without money to rent a room, Tua and his younger brother lived in a makeshift tent near the school. Tua shared, 'At that time, our family was very poor, and our parents could only give us 5,000 VND per week to buy food. So, our meals mainly consisted of white rice and watercress. There were times I felt discouraged and wanted to drop out, but with encouragement from teachers, I continued attending school.'

With determination, Tua passed the entrance exam and enrolled at the Hanoi University of Science and Technology. On his first day, Tua only had a mere 3 million VND borrowed from the bank. To cover living expenses, Tua decided to sell instant noodles during the evenings. Despite being a second-year student at Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Khang A Tua made a surprising decision: to drop out of university and dedicate time to realizing his dream of preserving H'Mong culture.

When Tua informed his father of his decision, he said, 'I'm leaving because I feel there's nothing here that I want to learn. But it doesn't mean I'll drop out permanently. I'll learn outside of the academic environment, in social activities that I engage in. One day, I'll choose a school that I want to attend.'

Tua's father, a man who vowed not to let his children miss out on education, a father who went to great lengths to persuade his son to attend school, ready to study alongside his son in class, ready to build monkey bridges for his son to cross terraced fields, willing to do tasks that could cost him his life to support his son's education... yet, this time, he said, 'Son, study in the way you want, choose what you think you should do.'

During the year after dropping out, Khang A Tua, along with H'Mong friends, established the project 'Action for Hmong’s Development.' Tua worked part-time at restaurants to make a living while spending time traversing the high mountainous regions of the H'Mong, collecting folk stories. He compiled them into a book in both H'Mong and Vietnamese, sending them to highland schools, hoping that teachers in the highlands would use these stories to teach H'Mong children. Tua worked for non-profit organizations like ISEE on projects he believed could help his community.

A recruiter from Fulbright University Vietnam (FUV) coincidentally discovered Tua in such a social project and encouraged him to apply to Fulbright University Vietnam. When applying to Fulbright, Tua's English proficiency was only the basic English he learned while serving Western tourists at a restaurant.

'To write the essay in the application, I used Google Translate 100%' – Tua's honest admission. In Tua's admission file, the FUV Council explicitly stated: 'Tua was chosen because he told a convincing story and accurately demonstrated the qualities Fulbright seeks in co-creating students: a spirit of curiosity, pioneering spirit, community orientation, and persistent effort.'

At FUV, Tua stands out among his peers with his distinctive H'Mong hairstyle and traditional ethnic clothes, patiently sewn by his mother over a whole year. 'I don't want to forget who I am, where I come from' – Tua explains.

Tua carries many concerns about his H'Mong ethnicity, his family, education, the future, and the fate of the H'Mong people. Perhaps that is why Tua is one of the first 54 students chosen by FUV to co-create the history and future of this institution. Tua's name in H'Mong means 'change creates turning points.' Ironically, Tua's life seems always to face changes and turning points.

Recently, in the area of Lương Sơn commune, Thường Xuân district (Thanh Hóa), the story of an 83-year-old woman, earnestly requesting to escape poverty, has garnered attention and admiration. Her story is becoming a source of inspiration, portraying a spirit of determination and self-respect.

About a year ago, she appealed to the commune authorities to remove her name from the list of impoverished households, but until now, it remains unaddressed. Therefore, she recently cycled to the commune to inquire and request removal from the impoverished households list. Mrs. Mơ explained that she no longer considers herself impoverished; on the contrary, she is assisting many others facing difficulties. Furthermore, she aims to escape poverty to serve as an example for others in the local community.

According to Mrs. Mơ, “The policy towards the poor involves sharing and providing timely and necessary support. It is a humane policy that upholds the tradition of giving a piece of bread when hungry and a full meal when full. However, I request to be removed from the impoverished households list to make room for those in more challenging circumstances. I may not be wealthy, but I can sustain myself and currently, I am also helping those in more difficult situations. I accept what is deserving.”

Many admire Mrs. Mơ for being a rare case, an admirable and respectable figure, making younger individuals feel a sense of shame. Many households with working-age individuals, despite being at a laborious age, choose not to work and instead voluntarily join impoverished households. Mrs. Mơ's example of self-respect is truly worthy of emulation.

Mr. Lương Xuân Thiêm, Chairman of the People's Committee of Lương Sơn commune, stated, “Currently, Mrs. Mơ is enjoying social welfare benefits for the elderly. This is the second time she has raised the issue of escaping poverty. The first time was in 2018, but the commune did not resolve it then due to ongoing difficulties. Based on the current conditions, monthly income, and Mrs. Mơ's wishes, the commune will process the paperwork for her to escape poverty by the end of 2019. Her desire to leave impoverished households is a commendable action. Through this, we will disseminate and promote Mrs. Mơ's case as an exemplary model of someone who always strives, works hard, does not rely on others, and anticipates enjoying state policies and benefits,” said Mr. Thiêm.

In recent days, the online community has continuously shared a video capturing the scene of Phạm Trọng Đạt - a 6th-grade student at Long An Secondary School - picking up trash from a drainage ditch in Long An commune (Long Thành, Đồng Nai).

Without anyone requesting or knowing that there was a camera recording, the boy decided to stop his bike and take a moment to do this kind deed under a heavy rain. After finishing, he got back on his bike and continued on his way. Seeing the image of the student without a hat, in the raincoat, voluntarily doing something without waiting for praise, many people suddenly smiled at this adorable character.

When asked about his actions on the afternoon of June 16th, Đạt said: 'That afternoon, I cleared about 10 trash-filled drain openings. I just cleaned them casually.' The student also revealed that whenever it rained and he saw a blocked drain opening, he would often stop and do the same. This is one of the small actions that impress many people with his attitude and silent acts of responsibility to the community, without seeking praise or recognition.

Hà Việt Hoàng, one of the two contestants with the highest scores to date, scoring 140 points in the Vietnam Super Intelligence program, one of the most challenging memory programs today.

Two years ago, Việt Hoàng was one of the four contestants who made it to the final of the Road to Mount Olympia in the 17th year. At that time, the young man from Sóc Sơn was considered a formidable opponent of 'Google boy' Phan Đăng Nhật Minh. In this competition, Việt Hoàng left his mark in the Obstacle Crossing section with a score of 100/120. At the end of the competition, the student from Sóc Sơn gained 235 points, ranking third overall.

In addition to the achievements in the 2017 Olympia final, Việt Hoàng also impressed by entering the top 70 of the Language Link Hanoi city English Olympic exam in 2010 - 2011; third prize in the city-level online English Olympic exam (IOE) in 2010 - 2011; National-level IOE exam bronze medal in 2010 - 2011; third prize in the ViOlympic city-level exam in 2012 - 2013... In 2017, the male student also won the first prize in the competition on learning about the history and culture of Proud Vietnam. In 2018, Hoàng was awarded a certificate of merit by the Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training for his outstanding achievements.

Currently a second-year student at the Faculty of Electronics - Telecommunications, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Việt Hoàng attributes his success to no single person, but his parents have always been the ones he consults and shares his decisions with.

Since childhood, Việt Hoàng has shown the characteristics of a curious and intelligent boy. Hoàng loves to acquire knowledge through newspapers and other mass media. Hoàng's luck is that he has always been strongly supported by his parents and provided with the conditions to explore what he likes. Initially, it was just remembering words, phone numbers, or license plate numbers. Later, Hoàng's father bought many books and introduced him to the Internet early on so that he could learn from various sources of knowledge. 'I think that being able to explore the world outside from an early age helps me develop the ability to memorize and analyze information. At the same time, I also find the thinking method that suits me best,' explained Hoàng.

Despite being one of the two contestants with the highest scores to date, Việt Hoàng remains humble, considering the knowledge he possesses as just a tiny fraction: 'If you consider the treasure of knowledge as 100%, then what I know is just a tiny, tiny, tiny part of it, like a grain of sand in the universe.''

Mr. Tran Phuoc Hoa is the owner of Thiên Phuoc, a plant-based meal eatery offering dishes for 5,000 VND, located on Nguyen Chi Thanh Street, District 11, Ho Chi Minh City. Nearly 20 years ago, like many other poor laborers, Mr. Hoa wandered around to make a living, and finally, he chose to settle in Saigon. Having worked in various manual labor jobs, facing numerous challenges to build his career, Mr. Hoa now owns a renowned fried banana business in the city with an income that can be considered modest. Despite not having much, Mr. Hoa still wholeheartedly opens Thiên Phuoc, his plant-based eatery, as a token of gratitude for the good things that Saigon has brought to him.

The first charitable plant-based eatery opened in 2013, and to this day, Mr. Tran Phuoc Hoa, the owner of Thiên Phuoc, offering 5,000 VND plant-based meals, has successfully opened four charitable plant-based eateries in Ho Chi Minh City and Ben Tre. For him, the motivation to help others is very simple. He enjoys the feeling of relief when leaning back every night, recalling the good things he has done throughout the day.

He sets an example for the youth by sharing the difficulties of others and finding joy in providing sustenance for others.

Le Thanh Thuy battled bone cancer at the young age of 16. Thuy is an extraordinary example of living with exceptional resilience, having undergone two surgeries to remove her entire right leg. She was recognized by the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union as one of the five outstanding young citizens since 2006. Her optimistic outlook on life, her love for life with a sunflower-like smile, facing cancer and death, remaining strong, and living purposefully make her unforgettable.

Thuy always approaches life with the motto 'In front of me is a wall, and I have to break it to overcome.' During her treatment at the hospital, Thuy engaged in various activities for cancer patients, such as writing the blog 'Thuy's Dreams,' organizing charity events, mid-autumn festivals, outings, and giving gifts for the birthdays of cancer children in the city. Two main locations were the Cancer Hospital and the Orthopedic Trauma Hospital's Cancer Department. Even bedridden, Thuy continued her charity activities and participated in the mid-autumn festival for the children at the Ho Chi Minh City Cancer Hospital. Her only wish was to bring smiles, happiness, and hope to these children during their challenging days battling this cruel disease.

Now, Le Thanh Thuy has departed, reflecting on her last entries, Thuy advised: 'I'm about to fall. Please help me maintain Thuy's Dream program. The poor children are pitiful. I love you all...' Though Thuy is gone, her beautiful and noble aspirations continue to live on in the 'Sunflower Festival,' continuing Thuy's dream, attracting the participation of many people, especially the youth.

Undoubtedly, the whole country, and specifically Ho Chi Minh City, cannot forget the days of battling the Covid-19 pandemic. Many volunteered on the front lines to assist the medical teams, and Miss H’Hen Nie was no exception.

H'Hen Nie expressed that Saigon has given her countless opportunities for self-improvement. In her thoughts, Saigon is a vibrant and beautiful city, a land of promise for life-changing desires for both locals and newcomers alike. However, now, every day returning from volunteering, Hen sees Saigon as quiet, deserted, and affected by the pandemic, which truly saddens her. This has become the motivation for her active participation in volunteering, aiming to overcome the pandemic together and return to our normal lives.

To amplify these noble actions, the Central Youth Union and the United Nations in Vietnam cooperated to organize a commemoration ceremony with the theme: 'Youth Participation: Youth Power Contributing to Sustainable Development Goals.' The event directly connected with many young people, inspiring them. H’Hen Nie's story of volunteering on the front lines of the pandemic deeply moved many.

Like many others, H'Hen Nie is a volunteer. When she wears this uniform, she is no longer a Beauty Queen, nor a celebrity. H' Hen Nie wholeheartedly participates in any volunteering activities, regardless of the tasks or challenges. Compared to the hardships faced by doctors and nurses working on the front lines, her small acts of kindness are truly admirable.