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The 20-year reportage series "Exam Season Supporting": Raising the footsteps of students with compassion

HO CHI MINH, 28 Dec 2021

By Ngoc Dung - Thanh Truc

For years, not only the volunteer students who do not mind what the situation is, but also the support from the functional forces to the landlords, the drivers, and the people who don't need to be known who they are.

In the summer 1997, the campaign “Supporting candidates for University Entrance Exam” with the major responsibility is advice and instruct participants to gather in Ho Chi Minh city. The program from a small group of student volunteers who set up a consultation desk at the Ho Chi Minh City, from 2002 until now, it has developed throughout the country with the familiar name "Exam Season Support". Within two decades, the program has had a total of more than 1 million volunteers, helping nearly 11 million candidates at many schools and provinces. It can be said that, after 20 years, "Exam Season Support" not only shows the noble human values, the spirit of sharing in society but also contributes to changing the education system of the country.

“The compassion net” is woven from the whole community

At the crowded Mien Dong bus station, there was a married couple who had been lovely called by many generations of "Exam season support" as Father Khanh and Mother Nguyet. That is Mr. Thach Ngoc Khanh and Ms. Vo Thi Nguyet, both of whom have been supporting the program for 8 years now, taking many contestants to a safe place without even taking a dime. The two's lodgings at the corner of the Mien Dong Bus Station have become "headquarters", a gathering point for generations of volunteer students.

Talking about the reason for participating in the free transportation of candidates and family members, Father Khanh shared that witnessing the volunteer students help and support the candidates at night, seeing the candidates moved from rural areas to the city to take the exam, this led to the motivation of him to do good works. And because "I work around the year, just helping my students for a few days or a month, I don't mind".

Along with many other people in the city, Ms. Do Thi Thu - living in Ba Hom, District 6, busy cleaning her accommodation every year to welcome unconditional students move to the city to take the Univerity entrance exam. Those candidates sometimes wrote letter to her and visit her house whenever they have time to go to HCMC. "When I helped the children to have food and temporary accommodation a few days for the exam, I didn’t tell them to thank me or something, but later on, I was given appreciation from those. Whoever they become, a successful business man, or getting married, they always inform to me. Just like that, naturally I have diverse children who live far away, I really love them!"

Together with Thien Long recreate the memories of two decades of gratitude support

In order to spread the human values from those kind hearts, Thien Long Group, Ho Chi Minh City Student Support Center and the organizers of “Exam Season Support” record each moment, perform series of reports about those compassionate people. This year, also at this welcoming milestone, the “Exam Season Support” 2021 continues to leave everyone with very special memories. Not only actively in supporting candidates and their families, but everyone must raise their awareness in the context of the whole country’s consensus in the fight against the Covid-19 epidemic.

“Over the past 20 years, Thien Long Group has been honored to become the co-organizer of a program full of humane values such as “Exam Season Support”, said Mr. Trinh Van Hao - Marketing Director, honored to become one of the extended arms in the millions of arms supporting generations of Vietnamese candidates.

Through a series of reports about the people who made “Exam Season Support”, we hope to be able to partly share with the community about the silent arms among the millions of hands who are following in the footsteps of the candidates. It is that contribution with the enthusiastic spirit, not afraid of difficulties and hardships of all of you and the dedicated support of the business community, “Exam season support” has become a symbol of solidarity, a volunteer program with long-lasting vitality, spreading good human values to the community and society.”

Over the past two decades, “Exam Season Support” has not only shown its beautiful humanity, but also contributed significantly to gradually improving the education system of the country. Most importantly, this is also a program to help many generations of Vietnamese young people discover themselves, bring into play compassion, a sense of sharing, a desire to contribute, and live a useful life in thought and awareness.