14-year-old girl in Kim Thanh is strong-willed and has impressive academic achievements.

Having raised and cared for her two grandchildren since birth, more than anyone else, Mrs. Vu Thi Nhuan - Luyen's grandmother - understands the hardships that her children have to endure. At the age of the other side of life's slope, tears silently fall down her old face when she remembers the day her two grandchildren became orphans without a father and mother.

“In 2009, Luyen’s father died in a traffic accident. At that time, she was still in her mother’s womb, and her older sister was only 1 year old. When she was 1 year old, her mother went abroad to work and then remarried, and has not returned since. When she went to school and saw her friends being picked up and dropped off by their parents, she felt sorry for herself and went home to cry to her grandparents. I could only hug her and cry,” Mrs. Nhuan said, choking up.

Although they suffered many disadvantages compared to their friends, that made Luyen and her sisters understand things very early. Even without anyone to guide them, both of them were bright students. What Mrs. Nhuan regretted the most was that Luyen's older sister had to drop out of school after finishing 9th grade to go to work.

“I felt sorry for my grandparents’ hard work, so I thought about quitting school to work to support my younger sibling so that he could continue his studies. My family and school actively encouraged me to continue going to school, but I didn’t listen. I said my family was poor and my grandparents were getting older…”, Mrs. Nhuan’s voice choked up at that point.

Understanding her sister's sacrifice to leave her ambitions to her, 14-year-old Do Thi Luyen is continuing her sister's unfinished dream every day. Her will to succeed urges her to wake up at 4am every day to sit at her desk to study. In addition to studying at school, Luyen also seeks out more knowledge from other sources using her grandmother's old phone. At this time, studying well is the simplest encouragement she can give her grandparents and sister.

Sympathizing with her situation, local authorities and organizations have been creating all conditions for Luyen to confidently go to school.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Kieu Anh, Principal of Phuc Thanh Secondary School - where Luyen is studying, said: "The school has exempted all contributions, including extra tuition, for her 4 years of study. Luyen is a good student and studies very well, so she not only receives attention from the school but also receives active support from the Red Cross, the Commune's Association for Promoting Education, and philanthropists."

With 9 consecutive years of being an excellent student and many awards, most recently the fourth prize in the Provincial Science and Technology Competition, Luyen has become the pride of her family and school.

From the love of her grandparents and everyone, now little Luyen is building her dream of becoming a teacher. Every morning before the rooster crows, the light in her small room is diligently lit like the fire of determination of Luyen's will to overcome difficulties.