11 School Transfers, 10 House Moves: Student Secures Full Scholarship

Despite parents’ divorce, mother’s cancer, having to move house 10 times and change schools 11 times during 12 years of schooling, Phan Tuan Minh still earned a full-ride university scholarship. 

This September, Phan Tuan Minh will enroll in the Software Engineering Programme at the  School of Computing & Innovative Technologies of British University Vietnam (BUV).  

He is one of two outstanding students awarded the prestigious ” The Founders” Scholarship – the highest scholarship offered by the university in 2025.  

This full scholarship covers both the pathway and undergraduate programmes. This scholarship is granted to candidates with excellent academic results, a strong commitment to community, and leadership potential. 

Minh is one of two outstanding students awarded the prestigious ” The Founders” Scholarship – the highest scholarship offered by the BUV in 2025 (Photo: Cong Thanh).

The essay from my own life 

“Tick-tock… The clock keeps moving, but with every second that passes, it feels like time speeds up. He was only seven years old, yet people called him “trash” and kept their distance from him. 

They said he was “uneducated” because of his parents, as no one taught him. Maybe they were right – his parents existed, but they were never there for him. Sometimes, he cried because he missed his mother, but she was soon to leave him forever due to cancer, and he knew that before long, no one in this world would love him anymore. 

He sat at the back of the classroom, head down, lonely, beaten, and ignored. He was afraid of people and always stayed away from them. One day, he looked up and asked God, “What is happiness? Who am I? Why must I endure all this?” 

But God did not answer…” 

Minh Presents His Essay Through His Life Story (Photo: Cong Thanh)

The part above is the opening of Tuan Minh’s essay submitted for his 2025 scholarship application. Minh shared that the majority of the essay reflects his own life experiences throughout his 12 years of schooling. 

The essay is divided into three parts: the first part describes his unstable childhood, marked by frequent house moves and school changes. The second part tells the story of a friend who inspired him to pursue his future dreams. The third part recounts an encounter between Minh and an “illusion” of his successful future self. 

“In the first part, I initially wrote a lot. It felt like all the frustrations from the years without my parents by my side poured out onto two pages”, Minh recalled. 

Titled “My Dream Meeting”, Minh’s essay is not only touching but also showcases deep thinking, compassion, and a determination to rise above his circumstances. 

Alongside his aspiration to study Software Engineering, Minh aims to develop tech solutions for advanced logistics through a personal project, hoping to contribute to the community and boost the country’s economic growth. 

Minh will defer his admission to the Foreign Trade University to pursue his studies at BUV (Photo: Cong Thanh).

12 Years of Schooling: 10 House Moves, 11 School Transfers 

Sharing with Dan Tri reporters, Minh revealed that his parents divorced when he was three years old, and he lived with his mother. Minh vividly recalls the early days after his parents’ separation, living in a tiny rented house with his mother. 

When Minh was seven, his mother was unexpectedly diagnosed with stage 2 cancer. At eight, Minh moved to live with his aunt because his mother frequently had to visit the hospital for treatment. 

In grade 4, Minh had to attend a boarding school in Ba Dinh District since there was no one to care for him daily. 

In grade 5, he returned to live with his paternal uncle, but after half a year, Minh transferred schools again to move to another uncle’s house. 

This pattern continued throughout his 12 years of schooling, with Minh moving houses 10 times, changing schools 11 times, and shifting between inner and outer Hanoi. 

“In grade 3, I was diagnosed with hyperactivity disorder. My grandmother recalled that when I was taken to the hospital, the doctor said my condition was partly due to psychological instability. Things seemed to stabilise after a few years, but in grade 10, after numerous school and house changes, I fell into depression.  

During my depression, I was living with my foster parents in outer Hanoi. Many times, I asked myself, ‘What am I living for? Am I truly living or just existing?’ These questions repeated in my mind over and over. There were moments when I considered buying sleeping pills to end it all, but I don’t know if it was fear or some inner strength that stopped me”, Minh shared. 

With the support of his family and foster parents, Minh gradually overcame his depression. He began to connect with friends and studied more on his own. Thanks to the help of his foster parents’ daughter, he earned an IELTS certificate, despite the lack of a test preparation centre in outer Hanoi. 

In 2023, through a combined admission method, Minh was accepted into the Business Administration programme at the International Faculty of the Foreign Trade University. 

In 2024, he independently applied for and won a scholarship to Taiwan. Minh decided to defer his admission to the Foreign Trade University to study for three months in Taipei. 

“Returning from Taiwan, I still held onto the dream of developing a personal project to help my hometown grow. In 2025, while working on that project, I came across the ‘ The Founders’ Scholarship’ by chance. That led me to research, build my application, write an essay, and, to my surprise, win a full scholarship from the university,” Minh explained.

Returning from Taiwan, I still nurtured the dream of developing a personal project to contribute to my hometown’s growth (Photo: Minh Provided) 

Never Give Up on Your Dreams 

“No matter what happens, never give up on your dreams” – this is not only the theme of his essay but also the inspiration that drove Minh to pursue his dream through a project using drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) for fast food delivery in Vietnam. 

According to Minh, this method has not yet been widely adopted in Vietnam, despite being successfully implemented abroad for years. 

Therefore, in the coming time, he will continue to defer his studies at the Foreign Trade University to attend the new university. During this period of studying and developing his project, he hopes to find investors to turn his idea into reality soon. 

Throughout his story, Minh often mentions his grandmother, who has been a constant source of both material and emotional support throughout his life. 

At 92 years old, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Le, Minh’s grandmother, feels proud and happy to see her grandson receive the scholarship. 

“He has had a challenging life, unlike many other children. And today, I am witnessing the moment he has grown up. This is the most valuable gift he has given to his family,” Minh’s grandmother said. 

From a Quiet Student to a Confident Team Player (Photo: Cong Thanh)

Commenting on student Phan Tuấn Minh in a recommendation letter, Ms. Tran Viet Hong, his former homeroom teacher, said: “I still remember the day Minh joined my class, accompanied by his grandmother to enroll. At that time, I learned about his challenging family background – his parents divorced when he was young, his mother battled cancer, and he had to change schools to live with relatives. 

As a quiet, well-behaved, and reserved student who rarely initiated conversations, Minh often kept his distance from classmates and lacked confidence in expressing his thoughts. When he moved from inner Hanoi to the outskirts, he struggled due to a weak foundation. 

However, over time, I noticed Minh’s strong determination and perseverance. Despite facing mental challenges, he worked hard to improve himself. His efforts not only boosted his performance in my math class but also in other subjects like physics, biology, and English. His grades showed clear improvement. 

From a shy student, Minh transformed into a more confident individual, learning to collaborate and work effectively in teams. 

In the same recommendation letter, Chen Renmin, a Chinese language lecturer at the Chinese Language Centre of Ming Chuan University (Taiwan), noted: ‘Academically, Minh is a serious and proactive student, consistently meeting specific listening and speaking goals set by teachers. Notably, his reports and assignments always exceed expectations and demonstrate breakthroughs. 

In the classroom, Tuan Minh strives to combine learning with action. He is intelligent and open-minded, not a passive learner, but one who actively engages in critical thinking. 

Outside of class, Minh seizes every opportunity to enhance his language skills. With these admirable qualities, I believe he has great potential to succeed at university.’