This week, Station of Love tells viewers the story of Le Thi Ngoc Lan, a woman with disabilities affectionately known as “the motor-winding girl”. Born in a poor rural area of Thuong Xuan District in Thanh Hoa Province, she suffered severe muscle atrophy in her legs due to complications from polio when she was just six months old , leaving her unable to walk normally.
Despite growing up amid constant hardship, Ngoc Lan never gave up. She chose education as a way of proving her own worth. Throughout her schooling, she was consistently an outstanding student and a trusted class leader. After graduating from lower secondary school with excellent results, she was accepted into a selective high school class. Upon completing grade 12, she continued her studies in Hanoi.
Through perseverance and determination, Ngoc Lan earned a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from Hanoi College of Industry (now the Hanoi University of Industry), along with a teaching certificate and an excellent-grade general accounting certificate, from the National Economics University.
When life took an unexpected turn, she boldly chose a profession that few would have expected of her: repairing household electrical appliances and winding electric motors - a job traditionally considered to be men’s work. Starting from a small workshop filled with coils of copper wire, broken fans, rice cookers, and faulty motors, Ngoc Lan quietly proved that determination can compensate for not being able to walk.
Station of Love takes viewers to her modest electrical repair shop in the mountainous area of Da Bac, where each day begins with the sounds of tools and machines, and the diligent hands of a woman with disabilities. There, resilience needs no grand declaration, it is present in every careful movement, in the trust of customers, and in the admiration of those around her.
Beyond lighting up her own life, Ngoc Lan has become a pillar of support for others. For many years, she has provided free vocational training to people with disabilities, helping them gain skills, secure livelihoods, and rebuild confidence. To her, knowledge and a profession are not only means of survival, but also the key to opening new doors for disadvantaged communities.
Alongside her journey of overcoming adversity, she has a simple yet steadfast love story with her husband, Bui Van Ky, a teacher who has quietly supported her and become her “legs” throughout life’s journey. It is their love, understanding, and mutual support that have helped them overcome prejudice and hardship, enabling them to build a happy family and a stable life together.
The story of Le Thi Ngoc Lan in “Station of Love” conveys the powerful message that hardship is a harsh test, but also an opportunity for human beings to discover their hidden strength, rise up, live meaningfully, and spread compassion.
Le Thi Ngoc Lan's journey of lighting hope from hardship by Le Thi Ngoc Lan will be fully told in Station of Love with the episode themed “Lighting Hope from Hardship”, airing at 10:00 AM on Saturday (January 17) on VTV1.
