A woman and her husband have turned their company into a ‘life university’ which offers former inmates, drug addicts or unruly people in Vietnam a second chance to start their lives afresh, and guides physically and mentally challenged youths toward a brighter future. For the past few years, residents in Chau Thanh District, located in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, have said jokingly that if any youth does not excel in their studies, they can go to ‘Hoan Vinh University.’ The ‘university’ is indeed Hoan Vinh Co., a garment company based in the locale which is run by Nguyen Tan Thanh and his wife, Phan Thi Xuan Thu. Their company has earned affection for helping some 100 people with criminal records, Agent Orange birth defects or physical and even mental disabilities make a living and find significance in life. Thanh, now 58, a former head of the district’s police office who retired early, and his wife founded their company in 2009. The couple initially intended for their business, which had only just over 30 workers to start with, to be a leisurely activity in their old age until an unexpected twist happened. Their company has undergone a notable change regarding its recruitment policy since 2010, when one of their workers submitted a job application for Nguyen Ha Suong, her 14-year-old deaf-mute daughter. As their company was in its infancy and was short of investment back then, Thanh hesitated to recruit the teen girl, and was unsure if she could learn on the job and perform adequately. He discussed the issue with Thu, his wife, and they then unanimously agreed to hire Suong. Unable to prepare a job contract for minors, the couple went to great lengths to obtain permission to provide job training for underage workers. Suong has grown into a good-looking, skilled sewing worker who earns over VND5 million (US$230) per month. Earlier this year, she was lauded by the provincial Department of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs for her notable efforts at work. Suong’s remarkable progress spurred Thanh and Thu to welcome more physically challenged people, problematic youngsters, and former inmates who the couple think deserve a second chance to turn over a new leaf. Thu recently hired Ngo Thuy Linh, 16, whom she found being insolent to her mother while waiting for a job interview at her company. The following day, Linh astonished her parents with her newly acquired good behavior. A young man who arrived for his job interview with unkempt, shoulder-length hair was asked to listen to workers’ comments on his hairstyle. He has kept his hair neat since. Lam, 18, a disruptive drug addict who was caught red-handed buying synthetic drugs by the local police, was denied job opportunities until his parents sought help from Thu. Thu agreed to let him in on condition that before starting work every day, Lam would take medicine to treat the addiction, which would be handed out by Thu herself. The tattoo-riddled youngster was obedient and eventually Lam declared he was free from drug addiction. Lam has changed from a notorious thug in the neighborhood into a law-abiding, well-behaved sewing worker with a monthly salary of almost VND6 million ($276). Thu and her husband have also extended their help to some with mental disorders. Nguyen Truong Thinh, 19, has been ‘reborn’ thanks to the benevolent couple, as Thinh’s father said. Since he was a young boy, Thinh has suffered epileptic bouts, learning difficulty and symptoms of a mental disorder as he keeps grinning for no obvious reason. In 2012, Thinh’s parents ventured to seek help from Thanh and Thu. “I was quite put off by his sporadic epileptic bouts, but seeing that he’s obedient and handsome, we decided to give him a chance,” Thanh recalled. Thinh is assigned to carry items from place to place inside the company, and smilingly bows to visitors, which he is best at. He has made astounding progress since starting, and his epilepsy attacks have been alleviated considerably. The grinning man also proudly gives his mother several million dong each month. (VND1 million ~ US$46). Despite Thu’s stringent discipline and regulations, 600 abiding workers at the company, including over 100 special cases as mentioned above, are all respectful and grateful to Thu and her husband. The company is doing good business, with stable exports to such countries as the U.S., the UK, and South Korea. Apprentices will be provided with free training, meals, and wages. Thu also makes a point of assigning jobs based on her physically challenged staff’s abilities and disabilities. After the training, skilled workers can feel free to leave the company, but almost no one has left their ‘life school.’ “Our business is thriving as we’re a family. If the workers can feel our affection, they will appreciate even our admonishment,” Thu said. In 2013, Thu was honored as one of Vietnam’s 100 exemplary businesspeople. In March this year, she was conferred with the prime minister’s merit certificate in recognition of her noted charity work and contributions to the provincial socio-economic growth.
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