VNF - Penetrating into refugee camps on Myanmar – Thailand border, the Philippines Autonomous region is what the young teacher Ton Nu Tuong Vy has experienced.

Vy talking with a refugee at refugee camp along Thailand - Myanmar border (Photo: Heather)

Meeting Ton Nu Tuong Vy in real life, few could image such petite 27-year-old has managed to experience a bold, adventurous and admirable journey through 14 countries. The girl with intense passion for exploring the world has walked all the way to find new things and, above all, to understand and contribute to the education of the country.

Vy has the opportunity to taste the life of people from many countries, from developed to the third world countries.

The journey without borders

Born and raised in a difficult countryside in Khanh Hoa province, Ton Nu Tuong Vy always yearns to step out to explore the world.

In 2011 Tuong Vy – a student at Ho Chi Minh Open University was the only Vietnamese attending the international conference on education innovation in Qatar. The trip, not only Vy’s first time abroad but it also opens her eyes to a vast, attractive world in Middle East. Since then, she craves to travel to many other places.

After graduation, Vy worked as translator at two companies. However, she never halted her dream of working on education. Thus, she continously applied for many internship programs, international volunteering, short-term fulltime training, government scholarships to study for a Master’s degree. She saved money for foreign tours as well.

Tuong Vy has now traveled to 14 countries in Southeast Asia, Middle East, Japan, USA. She chooses to combine study trips and travel, to better understand the lives of people in different parts of the world, and to learn creative models which are not mentioned in any books or newspaper.

Vy still remember a trip to southern Philippines where Islamic conflict was taking place in mid-2017. She ‘’ventured’’ into a fishing village, the center of violence and drug trafficking. Her schedule was revealed to a family of polictical opposition in this village while she was exploring lives of people here.

Vy stands at the risk of being assassinated on a long road across the mountains before she could arrive at the airport. Earlier, many reporters to this land lost their lives. So, she went to the mayor for help, and finally, she returned safely with the mayor's car and support from armed police.

Vy (blue dress) talking with a villager in Mindanao Island, Southern Philippines (Photo: Raihan)

Vy said, it was the most dangerous trip she had ever experienced. But it seems that the stalking dangers can not intimidate the little girl that is full of internal forces.

Vy’s stories are as thrilling as detective novels. On another trip to India, she did not rent a hotel so she had to go through many challenges to ask for a sleeping place at local people’s houses.

By the end of 2016, she alone went to a refugee camp on the Myanmar-Thailand border to learn about the lives of the people. Here she discovered that many families in the Yangon Economic Center had gone to the camp to access better, cheaper education offered by volunteers from New Zealand or Australia.

“This thing makes me feel sorry because people can not have a good education in the country. They have to take risks at refugee camps to get a better education.’’, Vy said.

Overcoming difficulties, anxiety, danger , Vy has more enjoyable experience, enriching life experience of a girl aged just over 20.

After all, ultimate dream is to become a teacher

After the adventures, the young girl born in 1990 decided to return to Ho Chi Minh city to realize her dream of becoming a teacher.

Vy once dreamed of learning education management. However, the more she learned, the more she found herself unsuitable for managerial and administrative work. She wants to make change to students by teaching methods.

In early September 2017, Vy got Chevening scholarship from British government. Tuong Vy will have one year studying Master in International Development and Education at University College London (UCL) in the UK. The young teacher said she would return to Vietnam to carry out her own education project./.

Translated by Tran Ngoc