Documentary film about Huynh Tieu Huong:
REMEMBER DEEP AFFECTION FOREVER…
And so Que Huong Humanitarian Centre, the shared roof of 340 orphaned and or handicapped children in Tan Long quarter, Tan Dong Hiep Ward, Di An Town officially entered its 16th year. The center’s constant developments in terms of material bases and classrooms; the children’s maturity and wisdom each day here have proved the resilience and the boundless love to children of Ms. Huynh Tieu Huong – the mistress of Que Huong Shelter.
At the ceremony to commemorate the 15th anniversary of establishment of Que Huong Humanitarian Centre (from December 10, 2001 to December 10, 2016) recently held, the leaders from the central and the local such as: Mr. Phan Dien – a former member of the Politburo, and a standing member of the Secretariat, Ms. Truong My Hoa – former vice state president, chairman of Vu A Dinh scholarship fund, Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu – chairman of Vietnam central red cross association; Mr. Dang Minh Hung – vice chairman of Binh Duong people’s committee, Ms. Tran Thi Kim Lan – vice chairman of Vietnam fatherland front committee, BD branch, professor and academician Hoang Quang Thuan – dean of the Institute of Telecommunication Technology (under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology) … did join the ceremony and congratulate Ms. Huynh Tieu Huong – director of Que Huong Humanitarian Center – on her 15 years of constant efforts. In particular, everybody cannot help feeling speechless and moved or touched to be witnessed the reunion scene after 38 separation years between Ms. Tieu Huong and Ms. Tran Thi Ai – a woman soldier with an immense humane heart. Ms. Tran Thi Ai was the first benefactor of Tieu Huong’s life. She had rescued and embraced Tieu Huong in her cold and hungry fit on the north – south trains and it is also Ms. Ms. Tran Thi Ai who has given Tieu Huong the loving warmth, the sympathy and the company towards vulnerable and unfortunate lives, … After the 38 years of separation, such the incredible, which seemingly happens in fairy tales only, turns out to be a true story among the secular life imbued / imbrued with human love, and kindness, as such someone has said that: “anyone can make great changes to the others via their own love.” Ms. Tran Thi Ai’s compassion and benevolence did have great and positive affects onto Ms. Huynh Tieu Huong, and Ms. Tieu Huong has done likewise. Thus thanks to it, these orphaned and poor children have such the great mother in these days, and the social community has had Ms. Huynh Tieu Huong – the charity activist, with such a heart of tolerance and generosity like this …
According to Ms. Ai’s telling, in 1978, in the train from her home to her barracks, she met a young girl who was raw-boned, stooped in the chilly wind and looking for a warmer refuge in the bitingly cold fit along with her friends. That little girl is now Ms. Tieu Huong. In the train of that day, Tieu Huong and her friends had to struggle to escape the careful guarding of the train’s guards. While many of them had been found out and chased off the train, Ms. Ai detected Tieu Huong, about 10 years old at that rime, in the ragged appearance as thin as a lath and huddling into Ms. Ai’s row of seats to find the final refuge. Teu Huong’s eyes as teary as earnest solicitation had stirred (shaken or aroused) up Ms. Ai’s compassion. Immediately, she pulled Tieu Huong into her arms and told to the train’s guards that Tieu Huong is her niece / granddaughter so that the little girl was not chased off the train to be like a fish out of water or feel lonely in her cold and hunger fit… Since being lost her parents, perhaps this was the first time, Tieu Huong could feel the humane warmth, which was spreading around her. Ms. Ai is really like the vast sky sheltering Tieu Huong’s fragile and orphaned condition / status. But, how could she help a child while she was in the army? And when she had so many brothers and sisters? Thus, she told her barracks that Tieu Huong was her niece / granddaughter and asked it to allow her to temporarily stay there for half a month while she was finding out more appropriate solutions for Tieu Huong. The half month staying with Ms. Ai in the barracks was the happiest and the most peaceful period to Tieu Huong because she was not beaten, bullied, and did not worry about hunger, or hunting for food on a daily basis… But then, what would have to happen did come. It was time she must have Tieu Huong leave the barracks as she had promised to her superior rank. While her family circumstances are still in difficulty, with many brothers and sisters, she forced to send Tieu Huong to her relative’s home that is close to the barracks, with the thought that she can easily drop by the home to look at Tieu Huong whenever she has free time or at the weekends… Ms. Ai did not know that, after her farewell-saying to Tieu Huong and coming back her barracks, the separation was then lasted for 38 years. The course of life keeps gently gliding by, then Ms. Ai also returned from military service, came back her homeland, got married, had children and was busy with making / earning her living / livelihood. But deep in her heart core, she still remembers the skinny / scrawny and pitiful girl in that day’s train but she did not have any information, or any clues to find out the little girl …
As of Ms. Tieu Huong, although her encounter with Ms. Ai was brief and less than one month, and later, the life turbulence kept pushing her to the darkest brinks, subconsciously, Ms. Ai is always the light which helps Tieu Huong overcome waves after waves of storms. Moreover, Ms. Ai helped Tieu Huong realize that “love brings light to the darkest places and expand human beings’ limits”. Thus, Tieu Huong always offers her loving heart to treat everyone. Especially, she determined on protecting abandoned children by any means. While their biological parents mercilessly and willingly get rid of their kids as if they have discarded a burden, a kind of debt, Tieu Huong cherishes them as thin eggs. She is afraid that they get hurtful and vulnerable. Thus, she feels great anguish, poignancy, and indignation when she finds out an abandoned baby in a state of palpitation largely due to cold and insect bites. She embraces, and nurtures it as a precious gift that life has given her. And so, another child is admitted to the center and it makes her feel endlessly pleased and happy, but at the same time, she also feels greater responsibility heavily weighing on her shoulders. She worries that the children can get sick, and that she does not have enough warmth of love and material conditions to cover all of their spending, but nonetheless, seeing the children being still alive, and survived in this life is the boundless happiness for her … Overcoming all of the difficulties and challenges of a single mom, so far, Ms. Tieu Huong has taken care of and protected all of her 339 children in the best way. At their newborn age, the children have been also heated in the arms of Tieu Huong mother and nannies, and been sated with the pleasure of cool feeding bottles. When reaching their school age, they all go to school, to fully take up gifted subjects, foreign languages, information … to maximize their capacity. And when reaching their adulthood, they are equipped with permanent jobs to firmly step into the world…
After 38 years of being separated from the first benefactor of her life, over 20 years of engaging herself in the cause of humanity and 15 years of steering the boad named Que Huong, Tieu Huong has experienced a life full of changes, which has set out so much great responsibility for herself. But the only thing that never changes in her is a constantly grateful and respectful heart to the person who had helped her right from her childhood. While speaking to any friend, acquaintance or the press, she always talks about her first benefactor and always seeks out her information, with a view to seeing this gentle and lenient woman again. Because she thinks that thanks to such the timely support and the spread of love warmth, she is still alive and has been conducting many beneficial and useful things for life these days … Thus, the meeting with Ms. Tran Thi Ai on the occasion of the 15th foundation year of Que Huong Humanitarian Center becomes more meaningful to Ms. Tieu Huong, helping her further love, believe, and cherish the path that she has already chosen to step along. From the examples of Ms. Ai and mother Tieu Huong, we surely believe that the green shoots being nurtured under Que Huong Shelter are going to be penetrated with the valuable and priceless lessons of kindness, and selflessness so that the children can lead a better life on a daily basis and become useful citizens in the future./.
Quynh Nhu
