“Please keep this money for your medical care.”
K. Hung smiled and gently declined the money offered by a woman over 90 as a thank-you. She had heart failure and was struggling to breathe, and Hung had helped her get to a clinic. Moments like this, through hospital volunteering, have helped Hung understand more deeply why pursuing medicine matters.
K. Hung is a second-year Bright Scholar at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy who dreams of becoming a doctor and caring for others. And that choice began with a personal loss. K. Hung’s mother died from a serious illness when Hung was just seven. A few years later, Hung's father, Mr. Menh, relocated with his younger brother to Lam Dong, a province in southern Vietnam's Central Highlands, to work on a cattle farm. Hung stayed behind to be cared for by his paternal grandparents.
Seeing how illness could take a loved one and change a family’s life gradually reshaped Hưng’s ambitions. A childhood dream of becoming a police officer gave way to a different goal: becoming a doctor who could help save lives and care for others.
K. Hung, a university student with many hopes, dreams, and thoughts about the future.
Working toward that goal meant overcoming academic challenges. In Grade 9, K. Hưng had significant gaps in science subjects and was still searching for effective ways to study. Disappointing results brought moments of self-doubt, but Hưng kept returning to a simple reminder: “Take it one step at a time. Don’t stop. This is the path I chose. No one made me choose it, so I have to take responsibility for that choice.”
In Vietnam, studying medicine is a challenge not only academically but also financially. Six years of training, plus costly materials and equipment, weigh heavily on families in difficult circumstances. The biggest barrier is often not a student's ability but whether they can afford to stay in school for the whole journey. K. Hưng felt that worry every semester. Each new term meant Mr. Menh had to keep working long, exhausting days in his later years to cover tuition and living costs.
Support through Children of Vietnam’s Bright Scholars program helped ease that pressure.
K. Hung and his family during a COV home visit as part of March Event Week 2026.
"Thanks to COV, I'm no longer so worried about tuition and can focus on my studies. I can also buy the equipment I need, and I feel more at ease knowing my father doesn't have to work so hard for me," , Hung shares.
COV's support goes beyond finances. Through workshops on mental health and nonviolent communication and through friends walking the same road in Bright Scholars, Hung learned that education doesn't end at the lecture hall door.
"I used to think medical students only needed to study hard. At COV, I learned that learning has to come with real experiences and connection to the community if you want to grow in a well-rounded way."
K. Hung is attending mental health activities in Hoi An alongside fellow Bright Scholars.
As a second-year medical student, Hưng has four more years of study ahead and hopes to enter a highly competitive medical residency program in Vietnam. Reaching that goal will take time, effort, and continued support. He is determined to keep learning and growing, moving toward the doctor he hopes to become, one step at a time. For now, he is learning and helping where he can. At the hospital, that has meant accompanying an elderly woman to a clinic and gently asking her to keep the money she offered him. Even while he is still a student, his wish to care for others is becoming something he can put into practice.
Your support does more than keep a student in school. It's an investment in a future doctor. Every scholarship helps a student like Hưng grow and gives future patients the chance to meet a doctor who is skilled, dedicated, and full of compassion.
