So, I had to make an appointment several times to meet her. Every day she was busy going to rural bridge projects, charity houses, comrades' houses, giving gifts, giving wheelchairs to comrades, poor and sick families, giving school supplies to poor students that she mobilized from benefactors to sponsor.
Volunteering requires "fate"
"Today the workers just finished pouring the beams so I'm taking a break to wait. I'll stay home and meet you and then water some coconut trees (1 hectare equals 1,000m2 ) . It's too sunny," she "planned" for the day like that.
The woman is 72 years old but her skin is tanned, strong, and agile like she is only in her 60s, because she is still healthy, rides her motorbike dozens of kilometers, and goes to construction sites that are out in the sun all day without a single complaint.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lanh (far right) received a certificate of merit from the People's Committee of Ben Tre province in the movement to build new rural areas. |
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lanh volunteered as a matter of fate. By chance, during a meeting of former Youth Volunteers, she met with Secretary of the Ben Tre Provincial Youth Union Do Thu Thao (now Vice President of the Vietnam Women's Union). She presented the difficult circumstances of some former Youth Volunteers (former Youth Volunteers) whose houses were dilapidated. A few days later, the Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union called to support 6 houses of her comrades and asked her to make a list and complete the disbursement documents. That was the first time she mobilized and "tied" her to volunteer work.
Then, on trips back to the source, visiting comrades, passing many monkey bridges, shaky coconut bridges, she thought "why don't I ask sponsors to build concrete bridges to help the people suffer less". Thinking is doing, she went to find benefactors and raised the issue of building rural traffic bridges to help people travel easily, and trade more conveniently. So hundreds of rural bridges were built throughout the difficult communes in the province.
Her teammates had warm homes and easy transportation, but she discovered that some of her teammates and relatives were sick and could not move. She continued to mobilize sponsors and spent more personal money to buy more than 120 wheelchairs and rocking chairs to help them have "legs" to move around easily.
Being honest, simple and compassionate, she has connected with many benefactors. Every year, she mobilizes dozens of tons of rice, thousands of necessities and Tet gifts to give to the poor in Chau Thanh district and some communes of Binh Dai district (Ben Tre).
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lanh (3rd from left) on a trip to a local rural road concrete pouring project. |
On the occasion of the annual military recruitment, she mobilizes gifts for young men to join the army. Every new school year, she mobilizes hundreds of gifts and scholarships for poor students at risk of dropping out of school to continue going to school. A very touching thing is that she not only does good things for the living who are in difficulty, but also for the dead who need help, she is thoughtful and timely. In particular, she connects with benefactors to donate coffins and help with funeral arrangements for more than 300 people who died when their families were in extreme difficulty.
That is why people in the locality consider her as a “fairy” who always appears when they need help. One precious thing is that she always keeps her promise to everyone, when she agrees to help, no matter how difficult it is, she will find a way to do it…
With a big heart and pure mind, she has connected with philanthropists to maintain charitable activities for many years, contributing to reducing difficulties for her teammates and the people.
Volunteering - giving love
As of March 2025, Ms. Lanh has mobilized philanthropists to help localities in the province build 233 rural traffic bridges, with a total cost of nearly 29 billion VND; 16 houses of gratitude, love, and camaraderie with a cost of nearly 1 billion VND, more than 300 wheelchairs and rocking chairs for the disabled, thousands of gifts for families with preferential policies and poor households, thousands of scholarships and school supplies for poor students. These projects and tasks were supported by her comrades and leaders during the war who are now successful businessmen, veterans, and former Youth Volunteers.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lanh (far left) donates wheelchairs to disabled people. |
Listening to us share the work and noble deeds of Ms. Nguyen Thi Lanh, a former comrade of Ms. Phan Thi Thanh, a retired cadre, former Youth Volunteers of Ward 2, Binh Dai town, said: “I have known Ms. Lanh since the resistance war. She is an energetic, hard-working, dedicated person to her work, and devoted to her comrades. In peacetime, she wholeheartedly shares and helps the poor, especially in remote communes. In particular, in the difficult communes of Binh Dai district, Ms. Lanh has mobilized benefactors to build nearly 80 rural bridges to help people travel easily, transport agricultural and aquatic products conveniently, and help students go to school safely... The people here are always grateful for her goodwill”.
Ms. Nguyen Lan Chau, President of the Association of Former Youth Volunteers of Ben Tre province, was very excited when talking about her comrade: “Comrade Nguyen Thi Lanh is one of the typical presidents of the Youth Volunteer Association of Ben Tre province. She was trained and tested in practice, among the people, in the resistance war against the US, to save the country as well as in building and defending the Fatherland. Therefore, she possesses all the elements of a leader: Courage, confidence, creativity, daring to do, daring to take responsibility, knowing how to listen... wholeheartedly loving her comrades and joining hands to work for the community, for the prosperous development of her homeland”.
Not only in the field of work of the Veterans Association, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lanh is also one of the outstanding Veterans Association members and Women's Association members, exemplary leaders in the emulation movements of the association, revolutionary action movements in the locality, one of the typical examples in "Studying and following the example, morality and style of Ho Chi Minh " for many consecutive years in Ben Tre province.
With her outstanding achievements in social, humanitarian and charitable work over the years, Ms. Lanh was awarded a commemorative medal by the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and many Certificates of Merit by the People's Committee of Ben Tre province; many certificates of merit, certificates of merit, and certificates of recognition from various sectors and levels.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lanh's actions are deeply humane, touching the hearts of many people, arousing the spirit of mutual love and support in the community, demonstrating the noble tradition of the Vietnamese people "the whole leaves cover the torn leaves".
KIM LOAN
Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/cuoc-thi-nhung-tam-guong-binh-di-ma-cao-quy-lan-thu-16/chi-lanh-ba-gioi-823622
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