Ta Viet Vuong is the eldest son of Tong Thi Nga, a resident of Nam Truc district, Nam Dinh province. Born with congenital deafness, Vuong showed no outward signs at first. According to Nga, "There are five levels of hearing loss, and my son is level four deaf. When he was a newborn, he seemed completely normal—quick and plump, he even started babbling at just 15 days old." But at seven months, while his older siblings played noisily beside him, Vuong slept soundly, unresponsive.
A mother’s intuition drove Nga to seek answers. By ten months, she took Vuong to see a doctor who dismissed her concerns, saying he was probablyjust a late talker. But at one year old, Vuong still hadn’t spoken. A visit to Hanoi confirmed the news: Vuong was indeed level-four deaf.
The diagnosis broke Nga’s heart, but she quickly resolved not to let the grief consume her. She embraced the hardships to support her son’s journey. In Nam Dinh, Nga worked as a seamstress, while her husband was also a laborer. Money was tight and then tighter. Yet, determined to give Vuong a childhood like his peers, they saved and toiled to afford a hearing aid—hoping it would open his senses to the world.
When Vuong reached preschool age, the challenges multiplied. He struggled to blend in with other children, prompting Nga to place him in a special needs center in Nam Dinh. However, sensing it wasn’t the right fit, she sought a brighter future for him. She brought Vuong to Hanoi to study at the Nhan Chinh School, where she took on various jobs pay for his education: washing dishes, selling scrap, and babysitting.
Despite his hardships, Vuong longs to be a part of the world around him. He loves bustling places, yearning to grow up like other kids. Meeting new people, traveling, and discovering new things are his biggest dreams.
Nga confides, "As parents, we may struggle for half our lives, but my son will face difficulties throughout his life". With this in mind, she is determined to do everything in her power to make sure he gets an education. For Nga, school is a stepping stone to a brighter future, a way to ease the burdens of life with knowledge and independence.
Nga’s greatest hope is that Vuong will excel academically and reach new milestones. The Station of Love's support will ease some of the burden on this devoted mother, who has sacrificed so much for her son’s path forward, one still full of challenges.
This touching story of maternal devotion between Tong Thi Nga and her son Ta Viet Vuong is sure to move the viewer’s heart of the Station of Love on Saturday, November 2, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., on VTV1.
