In 2006 the biological mother of Vu Thi Thanh Nga died. The following year, in late 2007, their father married Nguyen Thi Ngui, a 39‑year‑old seamstress from the same hamlet, beginning a new chapter for the family.

Ngà, then 22, opposed the remarriage and felt utterly crestfallen. She ran to the fields where her mother had worked and wept bitterly.

Ngui quickly gave up her tailoring business and began cultivating rice and other crops to improve the family’s income. She shared two mau of farmland with her husband, working from dawn until dusk. When her 91‑year‑old father‑in‑law became bedridden, she cared for him day and night, handling meals, water and personal hygiene.

In 2012, when Nga gave birth to her second son, Ngui traveled dozens of kilometres through the night to be at the hospital. She also organized the weddings of Nga’s younger sister and brother, arranging feasts, dowries and gifts. Later, she lent all her gold savings to help Nga build a new house and offered constant encouragement when Nga’s business faced setbacks.

Nineteen years after the marriage, the three siblings say they love and respect Ngui as deeply as their birth mother. They praise her selfless sacrifices and call her their true mother, showing how patience and gratitude can turn a strained stepfamily into lasting love.