Hoang Thi Buoc, a needy student

Ms. Buoc comes from the rural area of Lang Sơn, a mountainous province in northeast Vietnam. She is a second-year student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, in Hanoi, which is around 200 km (120 miles) from her home.

Hoang Thi Buoc in front of her house

Buoc is the oldest child and has two other siblings. The death of her parents made Buoc and her two brothers orphans. They live with their grandfather who is very old, weak and unable to work. Her mother passed away when Buoc was 12 years old. The father was the only bread winner of the family when he was alive.  He earned a living by farming, which brought in about 800,000 VND ($40 US) per month. Sadly, he passed away from an incurable disease several years ago. The second child of the family, Hoang Dinh Cun was born mentally handicapped. He cannot go to school or work. The youngest child, Kien, will enter high school in September.

Buoc, her grandfather, Cun & Kien

Buoc has two years to go before she graduates from university. At this rate, she does not know whether she can finish the course at the university. The family had borrowed 9 million VND (approx. $450 US) from the bank and 18 million VND (approx. $900 US) from relatives since Buoc entered the university. The major purpose of the loan was to pay for education expenses for Buoc and her brother Kien. The cost of living in Hanoi is rather expensive, and it is really hard on a student like Buoc. Her brother’s expenses in the countryside are costly, too.

 Inside the house

To be sure, there is almost nothing of value in their house. All they possess are an old motorbike which is worth about $100US, an old TV and two bicycles. Buoc tried to ease the financial burden by tutoring to earn money. Unfortunately, tutoring consumed a lot of her time and her grades suffered as a result. Her GPA was at medium level during her first year at university. She realized that if she continued to tutor, her diminishing GPA would narrow the opportunities to good jobs when she graduates. Therefore, Buoc decided to quit part-time tutoring to concentrate on her studies. Her grades have improved in the first term of her second year (GPA of 2.53 compared to 1.88 in first semester and 2.34 in the second semester of the first school year). Yet, the financial issue is a big worry to her and her brother. They have no choice but to keep borrowing money. When they cannot find any more financial support, Buoc will be forced to drop out of university and her brother will be forced to drop out of high school.

At the moment, there is no one to help support Ms. Buoc and her younger brother Kien.

Inside the kitchen

Please consider helping these two young people, Buoc and Kien. For the mere cost of $250 US you could support Buoc with a Post High School Scholarship and Kien for just $50 US could help him continue to attend high school. Any support to this family will be highly appreciated. 

For further information, please feel free to contact us at the following address:

HSCV United States
2965 Spring Lake Road
Prior Lake, MN 55372
Phone: (952)447-3502 or by email: sponsorship@hscv.org

Thank you very much!

Pham Quynh Trang, (Hanoi, June 27, 2012)