Since the 1959 discovery of the ethnic Ruc in a cave in the mountainsof Thuong Hoa commune, Minh Hoa district, central Quang Binh province,officials have tried to reintegrate them with the community.

Workingwith the Border Guard Force of the province, the authorities have madenumerous efforts to get this "youngest brother" of the Vietnamese ethnicgroups join into mainstream society.

In addition to bringing theRuc out of the caves for resettlement and teaching them how to supportthemselves to stabilise their lives, the authorities have paid specialattention to teaching them how to read write because literacy is thoughtto be the shortest path to ensuring their integration with thecommunity.

The initial responsibility was borne by the borderguards. Generations of commanders at the Ca Xeng Border Guard Station inthe region consider the job of making the Ruc literate to be no lessimportant than protecting the border.

Ever since the Ruc werebrought out of their caves, the station has been holding literacyclasses for these people almost every year.

Major Truong ThanhLuu, an officer remained stationed for 10 years in the mountainousvillages, is affectionately referred to as "the teacher" by the Ruc ashe taught them the words.

He says the border soldiers like himoften teach the "students", who are mothers and grandmothers, at theliteracy classes held in the evening.

"My latest class has 35 students between the ages of 15 and 50 years," he says.

Thanksto such classes, many of the Ruc have become literate and now know howto sign their names on the documents. Previously, they used to affixtheir fingerprints only when asked to sign.

While the adults attend evening classes, all the Ruc children go to school.

Tran Thanh Bun, principal of Yen Hop Elementary School, says 126 students from the Ruc community are now studying in the school.

"Thisis also the first time the school has started two extra classes atjunior secondary level - a 6th grade class with 20 students and a 7thgrade class with 16 students. Teaching the children is a venture thatstill faces certain difficulties but it is an important step in the longjourney to achieve better development," he says.

Ruc takesimmense pride in Ho Tien Nam, the most outstanding man in the village.The seventh child among eight siblings, he experienced a life full ofmisery and poverty. Till 1959, his grandparents and parents lived in thecave.

The border guards discovered them and introduce them tothe civilized world. When the border guards and teachers encouraged themto go to the school, Nam joined the other children "to go to school forfun", but unlike other Ruc students, Nam turned out to be a studiousboy.

In a short span of time, he learned to read, write and speakVietnamese fluently. As he learned from teachers, he soon realised thathis only hope of escaping poverty was through his studies.

This was the realisation that made Nam very determined to learn.

Afterfinishing junior secondary school, Nam continued to study further,enrolling for high education at the provincial Ethnic Boarding School.

Three years later, he was admitted to the University of Quang Binh to study at the primary pedagogy major.

Afterfive years of studying hard, he graduated in 2013 with a good degree,and in October of the same year, he was assigned to teach at the Yen HopPrimary School at his own village.

Head of Yen Hop village, CaoNgoc Ha, proudly says: "I will ask children in my village to follow Namand strive to learn, so they can later become useful people for ourhomeland."

Nam works hard every day, wholeheartedly devoting himself to teaching.

"I'mvery happy to have become the first Ruc teacher. As I held the ordersin my hands, my eyes welled up with tears of joy," he says.

"Forall that I have today, it is thanks to my teachers who taught and lovedme. For what they have done for me, I would be grateful all my life,"Nam said.-VNA