Born in 2002, Giang Van Tan was raised in an impoverished family, dwelling precariously in a floating settlement on the midstream sandbank of the Red River. Having been diagnosed with congenital cerebral palsy, Tan suffers from a frail body and contracted limbs. From a very young age, he has endured a long and arduous journey of medical treatment. His parents, Mr. Giang Van Tien and Mrs. Pham Thi Phuc, raised him with great perseverance, carrying him to acupuncture sessions during the day and selling vegetables and growing cassava growing cassava in the evening to save every possible coin for his treatment. At times, even right after giving birth, Mrs. Phuc waded through floodwaters collecting scrap, and when there was no one to watch him, Tan was left in front of the floating house, the brightest spot, and neighbors had to jump into the river more than once to rescue him.
Getting Tan to school was in itself a struggle: carrying him half a kilometer every morning and seating him behind on an old, rickety bicycle. Tan fell many times because his lower body was almost paralyzed. In front of their house, which had no electricity, Tan studied quickly each afternoon before daylight faded. His father taught him to read and do math, and then massaged and exercised his legs and arms. The father’s strictness became the driving force that kept Tan from ever using illness as an excuse to give up.
Throughout his school years, Tan achieved outstanding academic results. He graduated from high school with honors, earned excellent results in vocational accounting, and won third prize in History at the city level. Although he was admitted to university, he chose to put his studies on hold to work and support his family, especially as his father suffered repeated strokes, his mother fell ill, and their floating home had been without electricity or clean water for decades.
Tan went on to study and work in information technology at the Living Ability Center, while actively participating in community activities for people with disabilities and programs of the United Nations. In early 2024, Tan applied for the full scholarship “Wings to Dreams” offered by RMIT University Vietnam. Just ten days after Typhoon Yagi swept away their temporary home, he attended the scholarship interview. Three days later, the acceptance letter arrived, changing the life of the young man's life forever.
The moment Tan called his mother to tell her the good news, Mrs. Phuc screamed with overwhelming joy on the other end of the line. Over the next four years, the full scholarship from RMIT will cover all tuition and living expenses, enabling Tan to pursue a degree in Information Technology.
Tan's extraordinary resilience is living proof that poverty or illness cannot prevent a person from succeeding. As his teachers and companions have observed, it is his motivation, intelligence, and perseverance that have helped him overcome every obstacle.
Viewers are invited to meet Giang Van Tan in Station of Love, airing at 10:00 A.M. on Saturday, December 13.
