Happiness from strong will

Although Mr. Tran Huu Phuc (born in 1982, in Hung Tan village, Bu Dang commune, Dong Nai province) suffered from muscle atrophy in both legs since he was a child and had poor health, he used his own hands and willpower to overcome adversity, do well in business, and send his children to university.

Mr. Tran Huu Phuc leans on crutches while cutting grass in the garden. Photo: Quang Minh

Phuc was paralyzed at the age of 3 after a severe fever. Despite his physical disability, he was very determined. In 2005, Phuc applied for a job as a factory worker in Ho Chi Minh City, and later married Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh, who also suffered from muscular atrophy in both legs.

Mr. Phuc said: “Fortunately, my children were born completely healthy. After giving birth to my daughter, I decided to move my family back to my wife's hometown in village 1, Minh Hung commune, Bu Dang district, old Binh Phuoc province (now Bu Dang commune, Dong Nai province) to start a business. The new life has "taken root" with good things multiplying every day."

The small man, weighing only 45kg, has never complained, complained or felt inferior about his fate. On the contrary, proactively facing reality has trained him to have a strong will and determination to overcome all obstacles in life. Many years ago, Mr. Phuc had to sit in a wheelchair, doing many jobs to make a living: repairing motorbikes, selling ice cream, selling fried beef balls; raising breeding cows and grafting rose plants to sell. In recent years, he has focused on producing and cultivating durian and coffee on 7 sao of land behind his house.

Through his diligent care every day, the durian garden grows more and more. Each crop produces more fruit than the previous one, like a reward for this determined man.

Mr. Phuc said: “The durian garden has been planted for 6 years. The previous crop yielded only 1.5 tons. However, this past crop, thanks to learning how to pollinate flowers at night, fertilize and water at the right time, the yield was over 5 tons, worth nearly 300 million VND. My whole family was very happy, thinking that the tree did not let down the people's efforts.”

In the early years when the durian trees were still small, he promptly intercropped coffee to take advantage of the empty land between the rows of trees. According to him, coffee is short and yields quickly. When intercropped, it does not take up the photosynthetic space of the durian trees. Taking care of the coffee is not too difficult, while fertilizing the durian, the coffee also benefits, thereby reducing investment.

Ms. Anh wanted to contribute with her husband, so she built a pig pen. Currently, Ms. Anh is in charge of raising 5 sows. She raises the sows into pigs for meat as they reproduce. It is estimated that this year, if the pig price is lucky, her family will have a total income of up to hundreds of millions of dong.

Mr. Phuc shared: “Currently, my eldest daughter is in her second year of university, and my youngest son is in 9th grade. To have money to pay for our children's education, we have to continue to try.”

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien, President of the Association for the Support of People with Disabilities, Orphans and Poor Patients in Dong Nai Province, said: “Mr. Phuc is a typical example of strong will and optimism. In April 2024, he was selected as one of the individuals in the province to attend the 6th National Conference to Honor People with Disabilities, Orphans and Patrons, co-organized by the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs (now the Ministry of Home Affairs ).

Quang Minh

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/202508/hanh-phuc-tu-y-chi-manh-me-4e400a0/