This 97-Year-Old Vietnamese Grandma Is Never Too Old for The Internet

In an age where the word ‘Internet’ or ‘technology’ is most likely associated with images of teenagers burying their heads in phone screens and least likely with those of their 70-or-so seniors, one woman is willing to break the stereotype. Meet Lê Thi, a 97-year-old lady who otherwise goes by the name ‘Vietnam’s oldest Internet whiz’!

Like any other women at her age, Lê Thi spends her days grounded to the bed (any movement would prove too tiresome), continuously chewing on her piece of betel in a mouth that shows extreme deprivation of teeth of any kind, and frequently conversing with any of her children or grandchildren that happens to be around.

Yet, if only by looking at the bright sparkle that lights up in the old lady’s eyes when asked about her burning passion to learn and learn more, few could tell those belong to someone whose life has spanned nearly a century.

“If there are ten things I don’t know about, I’d learn as many of them as I can! As you know, I used to be illiterate”, she said. 

Lê Thi’s soft voice blends well with the look of pure ecstasy on her face while recounting everything from her years of living under French colonization to how she learned to use Skype to contact her relatives in Moscow, or how she started writing her very own autobiography at age 87.

It’s this joy that she finds in simply ‘knowing more’ that has allowed her to familiarize herself with various Internet activities, from Googling information, chatting, social networking to making comments on forum threads, drawing in young fans who gave her the above-mentioned nickname in the process.

In 2007, bitten by the writing bug, yet lacking the means to do so (shaky hands and blurry eyes wouldn’t do), Lê Thi had her first go at using a computer to type. Soon after, she was given a laptop by her children, and began her period of keyboard training that culminated in her 600-page autobiography ‘Ngược dòng’.

But she didn’t stop there. In the years following the completion of her first book, Lê Thi went on to churn out more works at an astonishing rate, totaling at around 50 titles at the time of this article. She is also a prolific painter, translating her unquenchable thirst for artistic expression to a collection of over 2000 pieces, a small fortune for someone at her age.

Thi’s elderly success doesn’t serve to rid her of her bittersweet past, however. Memories of childhood, of youth, of a time when Vietnam was so much different from nowadays, still reside deeply and clearly inside the old woman’s mind.

Born as a female in a society where males were more appreciated, Thi received, indeed, less than a special treatment from her father. Much less, in fact.

“Step aside, you woman”, she remembered. 

Those were the words she had to endure every time she dared venture into the close vicinity of her dear father. Despite him being a teacher, she was never given any form of education, as she was naturally considered the lesser of two sexes, and was expected to act her part in the social hierarchy back then.

Nevertheless, this gender barrier failed to stop her desire to learn. “If my father can read, and my brother can read, so can I. I don’t want to accept my fate.” – Thi reminisced her thoughts.

Soon enough, she taught herself how to read and write, and found a way to get hold of her father’s books to read whenever possible. In addition to that, she also relished a new found joy – art, using the ground as her canvas and twigs and sticks as her brush.

Once old enough, Thi joined up in the revolutionary forces, where she’d later meet her husband. Their relationship blossomed, yet soon after the birth of their first child, a bombing took away his father, putting an abrupt and painful end to the marriage. Now single-handedly raising her child, Thi had to go to great lengths to ensure the family’s wellbeing. By her account, she took up any job from cattle rearing, making clothes to being, and often doubling, as a construction worker.

Today, having been through so many ups and downs, the old lady can finally sit back and relax in her house in Hà Nội, casually clicking through websites on the Internet, reading, or continuing her unfinished literary and artistic works. As of now, she has three grandchildren, all of which have been privy to a proper education, something which fills her voice with pride as she introduces them.

Eventful as her life was, Lê Thi still manages to retain a strong yearning to explore new areas of knowledge and a love for peace. When commenting on her upcoming publication ‘Spiral of life’, which offers readers a glance of her view on modern life, she says: “Life is so much of a spiral of materialistic pursuits. Material gains nowadays are synonymous with happiness for a large number of people. Yet, happiness for me is freedom and knowledge of science. I feel bad for those who waste so much of their time pursuing a materialistic lifestyle.”

Needless to say, time is now a very important thing for Thi, as her writing and learning capability will only diminish with age. Yet, she never fails to wear a fiercely optimistic smile on her face, claiming she’ll continue working on more books, even if that takes her another decade!

Indeed, may health and happiness stay with this lovely old woman, so that we can watch as the fairy tale of Vietnam’s most beloved silver surfer continues to unfold!