Thien and his students made paper lanterns, while celebrating the Mid Autumn Festival.

VietNamNet

Tonight, on the last train from Phan Thiet station to HCM City, the blind teacher’s mind is laden with concerns about his poor students. Despite 400km between the two cities, Thien just has enough time for a quick breakfast and a rush for lectures in HCM City. He has spared no effort to establish a free English class for poor children in Mui Ne Ward, Phan Thiet City, central Ninh Thuan Province.

Teaching English has been his main income for his mother and him for over a decade. 27 years ago, an accident blinded him. However, despite the hardship and difficulties, it could not make him leave his poor students.

Special students

Over half a year, when visiting Hong sand dune in Mui Ne with his students from HCM City, he heard the children invite foreign tourists to hire their sand sledges in broken English. They fought each other for customers.

“I listened to the children, I knew that everyone had their own family situation, and almost none of them had ever been to school. Day after day, they work under blazing sunshine from 6am until late evening,” he recalled.

Their parents were also poor and illiterate. The children had to make a living by working on the dunes.

“I saw that they would have a bleak future if they did not get an education,” he says.

Deeply sympathising with the children who did not have their parents care and an education, he decided to set up a free English class for them.

“By experience from charity classes in HCM City, I know that most children are obedient if we give them proper education,” he says.

His dream was shared by two of his students in HCM City, Le Thi Bich Thuy and Lam Kim Hong. The girls volunteered to be his eyes for his journey from HCM City to Phan Thiet. His friend, Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan went to every household and asked parents for their children to attend Thien’s classes in spite of her disabled leg. A month later, the class was established.

Special class

Week by week, every Friday night, Thien and one of the two students catch a late train from Sai Gon Station to Ninh Thuan Province. Travelling over 400km, they catch two more xe om (motorbike taxis) and a bus to take them special classes in Mui Ne.

During the day, he goes to the sand dune with the children and teaches them not only English, but good behaviour so they can approach foreigners more easily. In addition, he also teaches them how to protect the environment by getting them to collect litter.

In the evening, both the teacher and students sit together at a yard of Luong Bich Thuy’s house – a poor Mui Ne woman, who has provided her house for the class. Thien’s class is divided into two age groups.

He is always patient in teaching them pronunciation, reading and speaking until all of them can speak fluently.

However, the morality lessons he gives to the children are the most meaningful thing to him.

Positive changes can be seen in the area’s children. Their English has improved day by day. They can have conversations with foreign visitors, and have seen an increase in their incomes. They no longer behave badly with visitors, use swear-words or litter the environment. Songs and poems written by the blind teacher have sown the seeds of love in their minds.

Nguyen Thi Cam Nhung, 13, can now speak fluently in English, despite never having gone to school.

“We all love Thien. He teaches us both Vietnamese and English. He also teaches us how to be good children,” Nhung says.

Tran Van Lam, 15, another student showed his delight when talking about the class, “I’m able to speak with foreign visitors in English without any hesitance”.

“He is my first teacher. If he leaves us, we will be very sad. Who will teach us English, and lovely songs and poems?” Lam says.

Local people are still surprised by the changes.

“No one can believe that the polite children used to be naughty ones a few months ago,” Thien said.

Nguyen Xuan Lan, Thuy’s mother could not hide her happiness when talking about her son’s progress. His English has improved quickly and he often gets high marks at school.

“Last week, the weather forecast bureau said we’d have a storm. We thought Thien wouldn’t come. But he still came despite the pouring rain,” Lan says.

She says that every week, the teacher has to pay VND700,000 (US$40) for his travel and other expenses from HCM City to the class. It means that he has spent around VND3 million ($160) a month for the class.

“It is not a small sum compared to his income,” she says.

She adds that he also gives notebooks, pens and learning tools to the students by their own money and other donations.

Up to now, the class has 90 students, accounting for around half of the children at the sand dune.

According to Doan Ngoc Thanh, head of residential area 15 in the city, visitors are pleased with polite and good-natured children with their standard English sentences.

“They are convinced by Thien’s humanity and love,” Thanh says.

Being asked about his plans for the future the 37-year-old man has no intention of getting married, “I’m afraid of not having time for my own family because I spend all my time on work and teaching.”

Thien says he will continue to teach the children ethics and working manners to turn the sand dune into a friendly tourism site.

“I want to sharpen their English and find good jobs for them at resorts and other tourism sites,” he says.

He hopes there will be other teachers help him to teach more children here.

“Next week, you will come here, won’t you? Please don’t leave us, teacher! If you don’t come back, we will cry so much.” Every Sunday evening for over a half of a year, the tearful leave-taking moments between Thien and the poor students leaves everyone highly emotional.

Maybe there will be more teachers who want to share Thien’s idea in the future, but now people regard his and Loan, Thuy, and Hong’s work as a modern-day legend.

“I wish Thien’s eyes could see again!” Nhung said.

Nhung also dreams of helping the poor children here, so perhaps one day, another legend will be written on the sand dunes.

VNN/VNS