Vietnam woman shuttles over 140km daily taking disabled son to school

Nguyen Thi Phuong, who lives in Go Cong Dong District in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, is mother to five-year-old Dang Nguyen Tuan Kiet.

The child, who was delivered three months prematurely, was born blind and frail, and with both his legs paralyzed.

Phuong ached seeing her son’s peers frolic and twitter, and set her mind on helping him battle his disabilities and lead a more fulfilling life.

One year ago, she learned that Nguyen Dinh Chieu School for the Blind, based in Ho Chi Minh City, began admitting kids with visual impairments accompanied by other disabilities.

Phuong decided to take her son there in the hope of making a difference to his life.

Every day, she wakes her son up at four in the morning and carries him over 70 kilometers on her motorbike from home to Ho Chi Minh City for school and physical therapy.

Phuong’s husband now works far away from home to provide for his wife and two kids.

Phuong initially planned to stay with her son in a rented room in the city to save travel time and spare trouble, but she has no choice but to shuttle on a daily basis to care for her second, three-year-old child.

The young mother always stands by her son during his physical therapy sessions and at home, hoping that he would learn how to sit, walk, and speak – the basic things which parents of normal kids tend to take for granted.

She has kept reminding herself to persevere for that goal, though it may take her some 10 years or even her entire life to accompany her son to school.

There are signs of her efforts paying off, fortunately.

After one year, Kiet can now toddle and babble some simple words such as “mommy.”

Nguyen Thi Phuong is mother, teacher, and best friend to her physically challenged son during physical therapy sessions both at Ho Chi Minh City-based Nguyen Dinh Chieu School for the Blind and at home. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Phuong is always there for her young son in all therapy sessions. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Phuong’s motherly love is as nourishing as water streams. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Phuong is pictured carrying her son on their long way to school. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Mother and son wake up at 4:00 am every day to get ready for a long journey to school. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Kiet, who was born blind and frail, and with both his legs paralyzed, has made remarkable progress from an inert child to a more active boy. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The boy takes his unsteady steps with his mother’s boundless love. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Phuong and her son have a good time mingling with his disadvantaged classmates and their parents. Photo: Tuoi Tre