Two students in Nghe An and Ho Chi Minh City have overcome poverty and defects to take the university entrance exam with a wish to change their lives and make their families proud.

Ngo Van Thuan, from Vinh City in the central province of Nghe An, cycled from his hometown to Hanoi to take the university entrance exam to save money for his family.

Since he didn’t want his parents to borrow money at high interest, Thuan asked a friend to lend him a bicycle and departed on the afternoon of June 29, four days before the exam.

“I was afraid my parents would not let me go so I didn’t tell them. I’d never been out of town but I simply thought I would just go and arrive there,” he said.

All Thuan brought with him was a pen, an outfit and VND30,000 (US$1.5) in cash. After riding for 40km, he went to a local post office to ask for directions and continued on. That night he rested in Huu Luc hospital in neighboring Thanh Hoa City, but did not dare to sleep for fear his bike might be stolen.

The next morning, when Thuan went to a street café to ask for water, he met Nguyen Quoc Khanh, a policeman in the district. After learning Thuan’s story, Khanh decided to give him food and take the poor boy to the exam venue.

Nguyen Trong Mau, Thuan’s teacher, said he has been performing well in subjects like math and physics. A quiet student, Thuan is good-natured and ambitious.

“But no one could ever think he would dare to cycle 300km to take the exam,” said the teacher.

After the exam, Thuan quickly returned to his hometown to find a part time job so that he could help his family pay off debts.

Also from a poor family, Nguyen Thanh Xuan, from Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Chanh district, contracted hydronephrosis at the age of seven. He is only 1.2m tall and weighs 33kg.

“When Xuan came to complete exam procedures, he was stopped by a security guard who thought he was a kid tagging along with his brother and sister. He then had to show some papers to get in,” recalled Ngo Thi Hoang Oanh, Xuan’s mother.

Xuan has been undergoing weekly treatment and takes medicine every day. He was not able to grow up normally or play certain kinds of sports like his friends.

“Despite the inborn disease, he always gets good results,” Nguyen Van Linh, Xuan’s father, commented with pride.

Due to his petit figure, Xuan constantly receives special care and guidance from volunteers at exam venues.

According to his father, Xuan has loved drawing since his childhood, and would take blank papers from notebooks, draw on them and post them around the house. Xuan’s parents are laborers trying to earn a little money every day, so it was hard for him to attend an art class where he could improve his skills. However, Xuan is confident about the path he has chosen.

“I am passionate about architecture as a career and only signed up for it this year,” he said.