The landlord likes to meddle in other people's affairs...
On the afternoon of January 27th, the loud music blaring from a 3,000m2 row of rental houses in Thanh Loc ward (District 12, Ho Chi Minh City) stirred excitement among many people.
Thirty-one banquet tables were spread out inside the row of boarding houses. The tenants, having just returned from work, silently went about their tasks without a word of command, each helping to prepare for the year-end party.
The tenants enthusiastically helped each other prepare for the year-end party (Photo: Nguyen Vy).
The women staying at the guesthouse take turns cooking chicken hotpot and arranging the meatballs, rice noodles, and grilled meat on plates, while the men help carry tables and chairs and set up the sound and lighting.
For the 18th year hosting the year-end party at his 165-room boarding house, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tam (58 years old), the landlord, is still moved to see his tenants happy and getting along well with each other.
Mr. Tâm confided that if you could go back 18 years, to the early days when the boarding house first opened, the beautiful scene would not exist; instead, there would be fighting and hatred among the tenants due to unnecessary conflicts.
"Managing a large boarding house is, of course, very difficult and complicated. That's when I came up with the idea of organizing a year-end party, so that everyone in the boarding house could meet, resolve any disagreements, and enter the new year with more love for each other. And that's what we've managed to maintain until now," Mr. Tam said with a smile.
The landlord revealed that quite a few of his tenants had "unusual" personalities and had caused him trouble. But Mr. Tam had never considered evicting them.
"I've always believed that affection will surely win over a person, although it takes a very long time to do so. There are people who are very hot-tempered and rude when they first come to live here, but after a while they become gentle and kind," Mr. Tam happily shared.
Despite the difficult economic situation this year, the landlord continued to organize a New Year's celebration for the residents of his boarding house, even though he hadn't yet paid off his bank loan.
The couple specifically raised 30 chickens and grew vegetables throughout the year to use in cooking for their New Year's Eve party. They had also been planning and preparing for the party for three days in advance.
The chickens, raised by Mr. Tam himself, were used to serve at the party (Photo: Nguyen Vy).
In addition, Mr. and Mrs. Tam also prepared 165 gift packages containing cooking oil, confectionery, fish sauce, coffee, etc. (each worth 400,000 VND) to give to each tenant. Currently, about 400 workers are renting rooms from Mr. Tam's family.
Mr. Tâm organized a gift-giving event for workers and children in the rented accommodation area (Photo: Nguyễn Vy).
In 1986, Mr. Tam moved from his hometown in Binh Dinh province to Ho Chi Minh City to start a new life, working various jobs from factory worker, electrician, mechanic, and factory manager. He also lived in dilapidated rented rooms with very limited living conditions, and he clearly understood the hardships of laborers.
After working hard and saving up some money, in 2005 Mr. Tam's family built 40 rental rooms in this area. Later, the landlord borrowed more capital from the bank to expand the number to 165 rental rooms.
Mr. Tâm was moved that his actions could help reform many "problematic" individuals in the boarding house (Photo: Nguyễn Vy).
"I used to live in rented rooms myself, so I understand the difficulties and hardships of people from the countryside who come to the city to live and work, depending on others for their livelihood... We have kept the rental price here unchanged for many years," Mr. Tam explained.
A difficult year and New Year's wishes
With total organizational costs exceeding 150 million VND, Mr. Tam expressed that this was nothing compared to a year of hard work for the unemployed workers.
"This is my way of showing gratitude to the tenants. This year, due to the difficult economic situation, instead of sharing a room with one or two people, the workers have switched to sharing a room with three or four people to save costs," Mr. Tam said.
Witnessing workers losing their jobs and their pockets getting tighter and tighter, Mr. Tam felt immense pity.
Mr. Tran Xuan Hoang (32 years old), a worker living in this rented accommodation, said that due to financial difficulties, he and his wife have to be extremely frugal with their food and drink to have enough money to pay tuition fees and raise their young daughter.
Mr. Hoang choked up as he recounted his circumstances (Photo: Nguyen Vy).
In 2014, Mr. Hoang, from Quang Binh province , moved to Ho Chi Minh City with his wife and children to start a new life, carrying with him the dream of changing their lives and buying a small house so his family could have a warm and comfortable place to live.
After so many years working as a factory worker, he not only couldn't buy a house but also lost his job during the Covid-19 pandemic. With his dreams shattered and no money for his children, Mr. Hoang tearfully applied for a job as a driver, earning a meager salary.
The money the couple earned was barely enough to make ends meet, causing Mr. Hoang many sleepless nights filled with worry and self-reproach.
"Now I don't even dare dream of buying a house anymore, I just hope to have enough money to take care of my children. I won't be going home for Tet this year, my grandparents in the countryside are calling non-stop, crying their eyes out. Who wouldn't want to go home right now, but what can I do without money...?", Mr. Hoang said with a wry smile, but his eyes were already filled with tears.
Staying in the city during the holidays, when family gatherings are necessary, left Mr. Hoang feeling disheartened.
At this point, he heard the landlord calling him out for the year-end party. Hoang's face lit up with excitement again, and he went outside to join the other tenants for the meal.
"I've stayed in many boarding houses, but I've never received such special care and treatment from a landlord like this. I've been here for 5 years, and Mr. Tam organizes a party every year. He also provides financial support whenever I'm in need. My family is very grateful and feels comforted working far from home," Mr. Hoang confided.
In the face of difficult economic conditions, many workers find comfort in the thoughtful care and attention they receive from their landlords (Photo: Nguyen Vy).
Next to Mr. Hoang, Mr. Le Van Len (32 years old, from Phu Yen province) also enthusiastically invited everyone to sit at the table.
Since he had Saturday off, Mr. Len had spent the entire day helping prepare for the year-end party.
"This year, most of us won't be going home for Tet because our finances are too tight. We really miss home, and it gets even worse during Tet. But thanks to the landlord's care and help, we feel very happy," Len said with a smile.
Amidst the lively music, the workers in the lodging house all wore bright smiles. They shared stories of their experiences and their wishes for the new year. After clinking glasses, it seemed everyone put aside their sorrows and resentments from the past year to embrace a new year filled with more hope.
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