For nearly three years, Ho Minh Tuong, a grade-10 student in Quang Tri Province, north-central Vietnam, has voluntarily given his classmate, Luu Quang Vu, piggyback rides to and from school.

The two boys are students of Dakrong Middle and High School in the namesake district.

Vu has suffered from muscular dystrophy since he was two years old and the disease has been increasingly severe.

His first-grade brother also lives with the same disease.

"Unexpectedly, one day, the weather shifted abruptly, and my limbs went numb, rendering me unable to walk. By the second semester of eighth grade, I was completely paralyzed in my legs," Vu recounted.

Tuong has been Vu’s classmate since they were middle school students.

"In seventh grade, we became close. Witnessing him paralyzed, unable to run or go outside, filled me with sympathy," Tuong said.

Since then, Tuong has voluntarily carried his friend to and from class on his back.

Every day, Vu’s father drives him to the school gate. From there, Tuong picks him up and carries him to the classroom and anywhere else he needs to go throughout the day. 

He even carries him on his back for games in break time.

If Vu’s father is too busy to drive him to school, Tuong picks him up on his electric bicycle.

“I don’t want him to be absent from school, so I encourage him and bring him with me," Tuong said.

“I will continue to help Vu go to school as long as we are classmates."

Nguyen Khuong Chinh, vice-principal of Dakrong Middle and High School, noted that the two students exemplify a spirit of solidarity, supporting each other through challenges and serving as positive examples to their fellow students.

The school also helps by arranging for Vu’s classes to be on the ground level.

At the beginning of the 2023-24 academic year, the school mobilized donations worth VND20 million (US$814) to help both Vu and Tuong’s families with VND1 million ($41) a month.

Like us on Facebook or  follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!