A Vietnamese woman has single-handedly provided vocational training and job opportunities for nearly 100 people with dwarfism over the past 20 years at the cost of her own nuptial bliss.

A musical variety performance group, called ‘Chim Canh Cut’ (Penguins), comprising a Snow White and seven dwarfs, was active and enjoyed great popularity in Ho Chi Minh City during the 1990s.

Their performances at different venues, including bars and discos, were not only their means of livelihood but also a source of solace and support.

The group, now known as Bach Tuyet (Snow White), has grown in scale and offers even more recreational and event staging services.

Nguyen Vo Thu Minh, now 40, who played Snow White back then, has been instrumental in the group’s hard-earned success.

Minh recalled that after leaving work one evening, she came across a dwarf named Tuan, who was plodding along forlornly with a stack of lottery tickets in his hand.

“His sad life story moved me deeply and motivated me to relieve dwarves’ inferiority complexes and help them live their lives to the fullest,” she said.

Soon after the chance meeting, Minh asked Tuan to move to her ‘castle,’ which was the warehouse of a café run by an acquaintance.

By 1998, when Minh managed to gather seven dwarfs, she began working on her long-held plan of forming the ‘Chim Canh Cut’ performance group.

From there, the woman patiently passed on her skill in playing musical instruments, singing and dancing acquired from her own training at a cinema and theater school to her students.

“The classes were arduous and time-consuming as the dwarfs were all at different levels. Several had previously worked as farmers while many others were introverted and suffered from complexes,” Minh explained.

A few months later, Minh and her students donned their Snow White’s and dwarfs’ costumes from the world-famous fairy tale and began giving performances.

She still distinctly remembered their maiden show which kept diners in a restaurant enthralled.

Minh was also troubled by how other small-statured people across the country were getting by.

Her band then made a cross-country tour and welcomed other undersized people to join their group.

Dwarfs are seen in their ‘home sweet home’ in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre

“The trip was particularly trying as we were constantly on the move and had a hectic performing schedule,” Minh recounted.

“Despite initial reluctance from restaurant and café owners, we were really lucky to have audiences embrace us wholeheartedly. Our message to other dwarfs was that everything will change for the better if they are willing to give things a try.” 

People with dwarfism were inspired to join the group at each of their stops during their journey.

When the group’s membership topped 12, she rented a house in Go Vap District for them to share.

As eight newcomers arrived, Minh made repairs to her family’s home on Doan Van Bo Street in District 4 with her savings and loans.

Her group has called the place ‘home sweet home’ since.

‘Snow White’ has since kept meticulous records on her dwarves’ backgrounds, though she knows them all like the back of her hand.

Rejected and isolated by their own families, several dwarfs sought her help, one had even attempted suicide.

Minh’s home later came alive as it was now receptive to female dwarfs.

Furniture and stairs in the home were also modified to fit their occupants’ tiny builds.

Minh also set aside a room and designed it as a bar and stage where her students could rehearse.

The group’s accolades, record certificates and photos taken over the time take dominant positions in the living room as reminders of their tremendous success.

Brighter prospects

One of the youngest female dwarfs in the home is Ho Thi Thanh Thoa, 24.

Standing approximately 1.2 meters tall, Thoa, who hails from the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre, boasts a fair complexion and a pretty face.

“I have been acutely aware of my condition since a tender age. At 12, I learned of Mother Minh’s group and drew a painting of Snow White and sent it to her by post,” the girl recalled.

She was turned down at that stage however, as she was too young.

Five years later, Thoa went to great lengths to attend a show by the group in Tay Ninh Province in the southeastern region of the country.

Ho Hoan My (first right), a Bach Tuyet group member, his wife, who is also a dwarf, and their two kids. Photo: Tuoi Tre

She has been a group member since.

Thoa revealed that she cannot imagine how her life would have been had she not been welcomed by Mother Minh and her peers.

Nguyen Ba Thao, 36, and Nguyen Ba Thanh, 33, joined Minh’s group 15 years ago.

In 1999, Thao left the north-central province of Ha Tinh for Ho Chi Minh City to eke out a living.

He was later admitted into Minh’s group.

“We made gradual progress with sister Minh’s painstaking guidance. We are allowed to stick to the skills we are best at, which makes our performances more compelling,” he said.

Six months later, Thao brought his younger brother, Thanh, from their hometown in Ho Chi Minh City to join the group.

Ho Hoan My, now 49, another group member, married Pham Thi Tuyet Hong, now 39, in 2003.

The undersized couple now have a healthy nine-year-old daughter and an adorable eight-month-old son.    Several other group members have also married each other, while others have able-bodied wives.

Minh said that she is full of admiration for the dwarfs’ immense efforts.

Some now run cafés, lottery ticket or motorbike repair shops, while several others are English teachers and athletes.

Though settling down abroad and keeping in constant touch with her kin-like students, Minh stays in Vietnam for three months each year to personally guide new members and run their event-staging company.

She has so far supported and mentored nearly 100 dwarfs, and her home remains open to newcomers.

The golden-hearted woman revealed that her family once frowned upon her activities with the group.

“For this reason, I don’t want to put the man who loves me in a dilemma by having to tolerate my dedication to the dwarfs,” she confided.

Her remaining concern is who will care for her beloved dwarfs as she gets older, as she knows she will not be around forever.

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