Disabled man sells tofu to earn money to give porridge to the poor

The motorbike had a small styrofoam box at the back with a sign that read "Steamed Tofu with Milk," and a sign at the front that read "Free gasoline for those stranded on the road," which caught the attention of passersby.

Chàng trai tật nguyền bán đậu hũ kiếm tiền phát cháo cho người nghèo - Ảnh 1. — Mr. Hieu and his "charitable" vehicle.

Life is tough, but I still want to help those who are poorer than myself.

Curious, I pulled over to inquire and learned that the owner of this "Steamed Tofu with Milk" and "Free Gasoline" stall was a young man with a disability. His name is Pham Van Hieu (nicknamed Quan, 37 years old, from An Giang province), and many years ago he lost several fingers on his left hand in an accident.

Mr. Hieu honestly shared that his childhood was filled with poverty, hardship, and a lack of affection from his family, so he decided to leave his hometown and move to Ho Chi Minh City to make a living when he was very young – around 11 or 12 years old. To date, he has lived in Ho Chi Minh City for over 25 years. Perhaps that's why Mr. Hieu considers it his second home.

"Since leaving my hometown and coming to Ho Chi Minh City, I've had to do all kinds of jobs, from working as a construction laborer and porter at markets to working as a hired hand and seasonal worker at construction sites to earn money to support myself, as long as it's honest work earned through hard work and sweat," Hieu said.

Despite the hardships in his own life, he always felt a strong urge to do something to share and help the poor and needy, to the best of his ability, whom he happened to encounter on the street or during his journeys to make a living.

Chàng trai tật nguyền bán đậu hũ kiếm tiền phát cháo cho người nghèo - Ảnh 2.

Chàng trai tật nguyền bán đậu hũ kiếm tiền phát cháo cho người nghèo - Ảnh 3.

Mr. Hieu and his group of volunteer friends.

PHOTO: TGCC

He told me, "Doing good deeds, sharing, and helping those in need shouldn't wait until you're rich. Because if you look up, you may not be as well-off as others, but if you look down, there are many people who are even worse off than you."

Mr. Hieu regularly participates in volunteer groups with his friends. Whenever there are charity trips to help the poor, he puts aside all his business, packs his bags, and travels with his friends to various provinces and cities across the country, sharing and giving away gifts of essential goods to the people.

Around Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year), Mr. Hieu and his friends pool money to buy blankets, bedding, and other necessities to donate to the poor and homeless. To date, he has made hundreds of trips with charitable groups and friends to share with the needy. Furthermore, Mr. Hieu participates in blood donation programs, saving lives whenever hospitals call for donations or at temples where he regularly volunteers whenever there is a blood donation drive…

Selling steamed tofu with milk to earn money to cook porridge to distribute to the poor.

Mr. Hieu recounted that many years ago, while working as a seasonal laborer on a construction site, he suffered a work accident that resulted in the loss of almost all of his fingers. Out of sympathy for his situation and seeing his frequent volunteer work, and because of his disability, an acquaintance took pity on him and showed him how to make steamed tofu with milk to sell and earn a living. So, with his old motorbike and a styrofoam box selling this humble dish, he roamed the streets of Ho Chi Minh City.

A portion of steamed tofu with milk costs 10,000 dong, but "I sell it and give it away." When he meets elderly people, motorbike taxi drivers, or scrap collectors, he sells it for half the price or gives it away for free "because they are laborers, poor people trying to make a living, they don't have much money...". What's even more special is that Mr. Hieu sells steamed tofu with milk not only to make a living but also to earn money to cook "bowls of compassionate porridge" to help the poor.

Chàng trai tật nguyền bán đậu hũ kiếm tiền phát cháo cho người nghèo - Ảnh 4. — Mr. Hieu during a charity event at Pho Da Pagoda.

Every month, Hieu and his group of friends plan to cook 400 servings of porridge to distribute to the poor on the street, to impoverished patients and their relatives at hospitals near where he sells his food. To cook these 400 servings, costing 7,000,000 VND, they use the money he saves from selling steamed tofu with milk each month, plus contributions from a few friends. They gather at his rented room, then divide up the tasks of shopping and cooking so they can "assemble" at their usual spot at dawn to distribute the porridge to the poor.

Mr. Hieu said that for poor people, especially poor patients from rural areas who come to Ho Chi Minh City for treatment, receiving a free meal or bowl of porridge is like helping to reduce some of their expenses. Therefore, despite the difficulties, he and his group of friends have been determined to maintain these "compassionate porridge meals" for nearly a year.

Seeing my curiosity and asking why his motorbike had a sign that said "Free Gas," Mr. Hieu explained that during his travels around Ho Chi Minh City selling steamed tofu with milk, he witnessed elderly people and pedestrians struggling to push their motorbikes to find a gas station, which was very tiring... Therefore, the "idea" of giving away gas was born. He always keeps a full tank of gas on his motorbike to help those who run out of fuel...

Mr. Tien, a security guard at a hotel where Mr. Hieu parked his cart to sell tofu, shared that because they knew Mr. Hieu's circumstances, especially his compassionate nature—despite his own difficulties, he sold steamed tofu with milk to earn money to cook free porridge for the poor—the hotel allowed Mr. Hieu to park his cart in front of the hotel as a way of sharing with him...

And so, amidst the bustling crowds and traffic, in the noisy and vibrant streets, every night, a rickety motorbike carrying a disabled young man roams the streets of Saigon, selling steamed tofu with milk, "giving it away" to make a living and to cook "bowls of compassionate porridge" to help the poor, to carry out charitable trips everywhere – how truly precious that is.