Hoang Van Son

The news about the Transport University’s graduate, who finished school with an excellent degree but could not find a job some years ago, had a ‘happy ending’. The then Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang asked the agencies of the ministry to give the university graduate a job.

Many netizens then shared his joy. They said the boy was so lucky as his story caught the attention of the Minister, and that only the Minister’s intervention could help him find a job once employers turned their back to him.

The fact that poor students have sent letters directly to ministers asking for help has raised controversy. Some show sympathy for the students, while others say the students are "faint-hearted".

This story may have prompted more students to send letters to the State’s high-ranking leaders, heads of agencies and ministries asking for help.

Most recently, Hoang Van Son, a poor student in Tinh Gia district of Thanh Hoa province, has written such a letter.

Son was born into one of the poorest families in the locality. His father passed away when he was two. His mother also passed away after a long period of struggling with breast cancer.

Despite harsh conditions, Son still studied well at school and passed exams for the Hanoi University of Technology.

However, the training major Son registered for requires high tuition, which is unaffordable. He still doesn’t know how he can arrange such a big sum of money for the next semester.

Therefore, he decided to write a letter to the Minister of Education and Training, asking him to intervene, so that he can quit the University of Technology and enroll in the University of Civil Engineering.

Under current regulations, Son cannot change his decision now.

While many people have shown sympathy for the student asking for the Minister’s help, others commented that he has ‘placed difficulties for the Minister’ when asking to break the rules.

“There are many ways for you to fulfill your dream and stand on your feet, so there is no need to beg for help from anyone,” a netizen wrote.

Vu Hoang Tung, a VietNamNet reader, commented that students think they can just send letters to ministers to ask for help instead of thinking carefully about settling their problems themselves.

Some months ago, Nguyen Nhu Quynh, a student from Lang Son province, sent a letter to President Tran Dai Quang, after she failed to enroll in the People’s Security Academy because her father was given 12-month probation for illegal possession of military weapons.

Thanh Mai