VietNamNet Bridge – Seven years ago, visually-impaired Hoang Xuan Linh couldn't imagine that massage could be his main source of income or that being a masseuse would give him a feeling of normality.

"I came to the business by chance and it's a nice surprise that the job has brought me to the world of light," he says.

He's now managing three massage parlours, which create jobs for nearly 20 visually-impaired people, who each receive a monthly payment of VND1mil (US$62.5).

Linh is the third child in a family from the central province of Ha Tinh. His parents were young volunteers during the American War and didn't know they were affected by Agent Orange until their three children were born visually impaired.

Though his eyes still look agile, Linh's visual ability is only 0.5%.

"The world through my eyes is just a blurry mix of black and white. I used to have to depend on my parents for everything," he says.

Despite his disability, Linh was a smart student and was chosen for further study at the Training and Rehabilitation Centre for the Blind (TRCB) in Hanoi.

There, he graduated with excellent results from a three-month massage course and was then accepted by the College of Social Sciences and Humanities. During four years studying psychology at the college, he took a part-time job as a masseuse to help pay his way.

Upon finishing his degree in 2005, Linh and his brother - who was then a teacher at a centre for the visually impaired - decided to open their own massage parlour. Their two beds, in a boarding house on an alley off Nguyen Chi Thanh Street, became their workstations.

"We started from nothing. All we had at that time was our skill and enthusiasm," he remembers.

Charging only VND30,000 ($1.8) per hour, the two helpful and skilful visually-impaired brothers attracted more and more customers. Their business grew, allowing them to support themselves without help from their parents.

Just one year later, Linh opened a shop on the busy Ngoc Khanh Street, and he opened two more last year. For staff, he went back to the centre that trained him and offered work to its students.

"I want to create opportunities for other people in the same position as I was to help them have a better start and be able to live independently," says Linh.

Linh is one of more than 400 graduates of the massage course at the TRCB. The centre, under the management of the Viet Nam Association for the Blind, aims to provide vocational training for visually-impaired people, helping them integrate into society.

In addition to training masseuses, the TRCB also launched a new office computer skills course last year

"We want to create equal opportunities for visually-impaired people as technology develops," says the head of the centre, Le Tiep. "We're doing our best to diversify career choices for these people."

Yet, teachers at the TRCB also face many difficulties in trying to earn a living. Many have devoted 10 years of their lives to teaching at the centre but don't receive the same benefits as other teachers.

Under the regulations or the Training and Education Ministry, the centre is not considered a school: therefore, teachers can't benefit from Government compensation.

"I hope the Government creates more opportunities to help the centre improve the living standard of our staff, so they can devote their lives to the centre," says Le Tiep.

(Source: Viet Nam News)