The Teacher Who Opened a Classroom in a Pagoda for 18 Years
The first story in Kind Deeds in April centers on teacher Le Thi Hoa, who has devoted 18 years of her life to opening a classroom in a pagoda to teach children with disabilities. This special place is simply and meaningfully called the “Class of Love”. Ms. Hoa’s students are children with disabilities, some over 30 years old, who persevere in learning letters and math daily. Some have uncontrollable behaviors due to their conditions and have even hit or scratched her. Yet with endless patience and unconditional love, Ms. Hoa embraces each student as a mother would.
Her role doesn’t stop at teaching, Ms. Hoa is also known as a “matchmaker with a magic touch”. “Although my students are people with disabilities, they too have emotions and love just like anyone else”, she said. In 2019, two students from her class fell in love and got married. To this day, they continue to live happily together. Every holiday or New Year, they return to the classrôm to visit the teachers — the place that nurtured their love and hope.
Ms. Hoa’s compassion has touched countless hearts. Today, she is no longer alone in her journey; seven other dedicated teachers support her in teaching the children. One of her strongest allies is Ms. Do Thi Nhan. Although retired, she has regularly attended the “Class of Compassion” for the past 12 years. She shared: “Out of love for these children with disabilities, I started teaching the class even before I retired. To this day, every weekend, I still ride my bicycle to the pagoda to teach them”.
These fateful encounters kept unfolding. Today, Ms. Hoa is not only a teacher to children with disabilities, but also a mother to several special children. She shared: One morning during her early walk, she discovered a basket left on her doorstep. Inside was a baby and a handwritten letter. The note read: “I am a poor student. I gave birth, but I cannot raise this child. I know you are a kind person, so I entrust my baby to you, or please give the baby to someone who can take care of it. After failing to locate the child’s mother, Ms. Hoa asked local authorities for permission to raise the baby herself. Just 17 days later, another infant was left on her doorstep. And so began her journey as a mother to orphaned children. She said: “I didn’t want to send the babies to an orphanage, I chose to raise them myself. Because if the mothers trusted me enough to leave their children here, I hope that one day, when they are able, they will come back to reclaim them, to give their children a mother”.
Blind Girl Who Sought Light for Others
The next character featured in Kind Deeds in April is Vu Thi Hai Anh, a visually impaired young woman. Although her eyes have never seen the carefree sunlight dancing through the green canopies, her extraordinary willpower and optimistic spirit have made her a shining example, not only for people with disabilities who believe in the miracle of effort, but also for those of us with full abilities who can only utter, with deep admiration: “admirable”.
Hai Anh is a student at the Institute of Journalism and Communication Training under the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. She was also recognized as one of the 10 outstanding individuals to receive the 2024 National Volunteer Award.
Hai Anh’s community service journey began in 10th grade. To date, she has founded seven social projects supporting the disabled community. Among the most notable are “Cooking Classes for the Visually Impaired” and “Online Public Services for Persons with Disabilities” — a joint initiative between the Vietnam Blind Association and the Abilis Foundation (Finland), aimed at helping people with disabilities access digital technology in the era of digital transformation.
Having personally personally with online administrative procedures, Hai Anh realized that these systems were a major barrier for people with disabilities Her project has since empowered hundreds to access services more independently and confidently.
When asked about the difficulties, she humbly replies, “Every challenge is a chance to learn something new”. Hai Anh has learned many skills, from computer literacy and communication to emceeing. On the Kind Deeds stage, she had a tearful reunion with MC My Van, her former public speaking teacher—a moment filled with pride and emotion.
Master Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan – 20 Years Teaching Martial Arts and Life Skills to Children with Disabilities
If teacher Le Thi Hoa patiently teaches letters to children with disabilities, then martial arts master Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan has spent two decades devoting her time and heart to teaching aikido – the martial art of compassion – to children who are visually impaired, autistic, or have Down syndrome. Her 20-year journey has helped many children with disabilities integrate into society, learn self-defense, and feel the warmth of selfless sunlight.
Her special class, named “Aikido – The World Is Love”, was originally for blind children only . Over time, however, more children with various disabilities joined the class. To find the most suitable teaching method, Master Loan once practiced with her eyes closed, imagining each movement to better understand what her students felt. From there, she developed a unique teaching approach based on sensation, touch, and emotion.
But her mission didn’t stop at martial arts. Master Loan also began teaching swimming. “Aikido teaches students how to fall safely. But what if they fall in the water?” – That question marked the beginning of her journey to teach children with disabilities how to swim. Some blind students learned in as few as 10 sessions, but for others, especially those with cognitive impairments, it took them up to seven years to succeed.
Now in her 80s, Master Loan still diligently studies English, hoping to equip her students with even more life skills. With the care and love of a mother, she has guided many of them to overcome challenges and achieve impressive milestones. On the set of Kind Deeds, she was reunited with Huynh Huu Canh – a former visually impaired student who is now a master’s graduate from Australia.
“Sowing Selfless Sunlight” is not only the theme of Kind Deeds in April but also a powerful metaphor for people like Master Loan – quiet yet compassionate souls who continue to spread the light of kindness wherever they go. They are living proof of a simple truth: with sincere love, anyone can be a ray of sunlight in someone else’s life.
Tune in to Kind Deeds in April titled “Sowing Selfless Sunlight”, airing at 8:10 PM on April 12, 2025, on VTV1 and the VTVGo app. With the support of THACO – Truong Hai Auto Corporation, the program will bring viewers closer to touching stories of kindness, perseverance, and deep humanity — the gentle “rays of goodness” that quietly illuminate the lives around us.
