Give without expecting anything in return

On a midday in late 2025, while attendees of the livelihood support event for people with disabilities, organized by the Center for Research and Development of People with Disabilities' Capabilities under the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations in Long Thanh commune, Dong Nai province, were resting and having lunch, Mr. Nguyen Van Thinh, Chairman of the Long Thanh Club for People with Disabilities, was busy completing the remaining tasks to prepare for the afternoon's handover of a house to a club member's family. The house was built with funds and materials that Mr. Thinh had personally raised and organized.

Those who "build houses and establish righteousness"

Recently, Mr. Thinh has spent a lot of time and effort to build a temporary house for the family of Mr. Tran The Cao (residing in Hamlet 9, Long Thanh Commune), one of the members of the Long Thanh Disabled People's Club with difficult circumstances. Mr. Cao unfortunately had a work accident, leading to a broken spine, his health was so weak that he could not walk, and his daily life was completely dependent on his wife and those around him. Witnessing Mr. Cao's family having to live in makeshift conditions, Mr. Thinh decided to help by mobilizing to build a temporary house to help the family have a safer place to live.

Mr. Thinh said: He has been a construction contractor for over 25 years, so he has many relationships in the industry. Recently, when the highway project cleared land and demolished many houses of the people, Mr. Thinh went to ask for intact corrugated iron sheets to make walls, asked for scrap to pour the house foundation, and took advantage of usable items to make the kitchen to help Mr. Cao's family reduce costs. He also went to each building material store to ask for support in many forms such as asking for a few bags of cement, a few cubic meters of sand, or selling purlins cheaper than the market price.

“I immediately raised the issue when I saw someone I could mobilize. Because I was asking for people in difficult circumstances, not for myself. Luckily, when I raised the issue, people supported me, no matter how little, which gave me more motivation,” Mr. Thinh shared.

In the past, as the Chairman of the Long Thanh Disabled People's Club, Mr. Thinh has regularly had a close relationship with the Commune's Department of Culture and Society in implementing policies and guidelines related to disabled people in the area, making many contributions to the local disabled community. Currently, we are continuing to update and review the list of disabled people in the area, on that basis, we will advise on implementing timely and appropriate policies to help disabled people have the opportunity to improve their lives. In particular, the department will continue to promote the role of the Disabled People's Club more and more effectively.

Mr. LE HUY THE, Head of the Department of Culture and Society of Long Thanh Commune, Dong Nai Province

Mr. Nguyen Van Cu, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Center for Research and Capacity Development for the Disabled in Ho Chi Minh City, said: “I personally visited Mr. Cao’s family and witnessed Mr. Thinh’s work, which made me very emotional. We raised funds and, together with Mr. Thinh, supported Mr. Cao. I thought, if Mr. Thinh could do it alone, why don’t we join hands to support this noble act? And in just a few days of implementation, we raised 67 million VND.”

With a total budget of 162 million VND, including the money from sponsors and Mr. Cao's family's savings, Mr. Thinh organized the construction in 35 days. Those who directly built the house for Mr. Cao also supported in their own way. Some people supported 5-10 working days or reduced the working day price.

Lighting up the faith of the blind

For more than 17 years as the Chairman of the Long Thanh Disabled People's Club, Mr. Thinh has always cared about difficult circumstances. Depending on his ability, he supports in appropriate forms. After completing the house for Mr. Cao, Mr. Thinh continued to help Mr. Do Van Binh's family (residing in Van Hai hamlet, Long Thanh commune) repair the facilities, helping Mr. Binh have better conditions to work as acupuncturist, massage therapist, and physical therapist. Mr. Binh is visually impaired, his wife has a mobility disability, and the family's circumstances are difficult. Based on the funding source supported by the Center for Research and Capacity Development of Disabled People, Mr. Thinh directly upgraded the floor of the room, painted the walls to fix the leaking rainwater, ensuring safety and cleanliness. In addition, he also remade the advertising sign outside the gate so that people can observe more easily.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thinh measures the dimensions to repair the advertising sign for the blind massage facility Binh An owned by Mr. Do Van Binh. Photo: Quang Minh

Mr. Binh said: “Because I am blind in both eyes, for many years, the profession of acupressure, massage, and physical therapy has been suitable for my health condition, thereby helping me to support my family. The customers who come to the facility are the elderly who often have bone and joint pain, patients who have just recovered, especially those who have had traffic accidents and need physical therapy support. When I received financial support for the repair, I asked Mr. Thinh for help, because from the first day I decided to do this job, Mr. Thinh has supported me in many ways until now.”

As for Mr. Thinh, when asked about his meaningful work, he confided: "I think I just help whoever I can, give without expecting anything in return, I just hope the lives of people with disabilities are as easy as possible, because people with disabilities are very disadvantaged."

Quang Minh

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/ban-doc/202512/cho-di-khong-mong-nhan-lai-4863746/