After undergoing two surgeries and multiple rounds of chemotherapy for colon cancer, 16-year-old Nguyen Thao Ngoc longs to recover and return to school.
Despite dropping out of 12th grade to work as a packer and grocery seller due to financial hardship, Phuong Thao still gained admission to Ho Chi Minh City University of Science with one of the nation's highest competency assessment exam scores.
Scoring 23,6 points, Le Thanh Hoan missed admission to the Political Officer School after a last-minute aspiration change, despite his challenging background and dream of military service.
