Free room relocation for students.

SGGP 18/09/2023 10:28

"Hello, is this the phone number of Mr. Thi who provides free moving services for students?" "Yes, that's right. I'm busy right now, I'll call you back later this afternoon. Text me beforehand what you need moved, from where to where, so I can arrange it..."

Mr. Nguyen Anh Thi next to his three-wheeled vehicle.

Every day, dozens of phone calls reach Nguyen Anh Thi, a truck driver on Ngo Gia Tu Street (District 10), asking for free moving services for university and college students in dormitories and student housing areas. Every day, Thi's three-wheeled truck, with signs on both sides and the back reading "Free Student Room Moving Service, Tel: 0902918710," travels throughout Districts 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, Binh Thanh, Tan Binh, and other areas.

Whether it's sunny, rainy, or nighttime, whenever he gets a call, Mr. Thi immediately starts his motorbike and rushes to help students move their belongings to their rented rooms for free. A short trip is a few kilometers, while longer trips can cover 15-20 kilometers, connecting suburban and outlying districts to central districts and vice versa. If he were hired to transport goods, a short trip would cost at least 200,000 dong, sometimes even millions of dong. But for students far from home, Mr. Thi never charges any money.

Opening the Zalo app on his phone, Mr. Thi showed us several messages from students asking him to transport items: “Just now, a girl named Nhien from the University of Natural Sciences messaged me asking for a delivery from the alley opposite Children's Hospital 1 to Nguyen Van Cu Street. And last night, a group of 4-5 students from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy called asking for a delivery, but I couldn't go yet. I'll try to deliver for them when I have some free time at lunchtime,” Mr. Thi said.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Thi shared with us his journey over the past five years, during which he has provided hundreds of rides to support students from remote rural areas arriving in Ho Chi Minh City for their first days of university. Many students received free rides from Mr. Thi to various dormitories and rented accommodations. After graduating and starting work, whenever they pass by Ngo Gia Tu Street, they seek out the kind tricycle driver to offer him a bottle of water, a basket of fruit, or a loaf of bread… and inquire about their lives far from home, their wives, and children.

"I just thought I could help the students a little in my free time, it wasn't much, but many of them remember me fondly," Mr. Thi confided. According to Mr. Thi, he patiently guided new students who had just arrived in the city for their studies, helping them with everything from finding accommodation and transportation to finding part-time jobs. This is why many students remember him fondly; some even sought him out after graduation to give him a bouquet of flowers and a small gift as a memento.

Coming from the rice-growing region of An Giang to the city to make a living as a tricycle driver, Mr. Thi also faced difficulties and struggles to provide for his wife and two children back home. The income he earned from transporting goods for furniture stores, interior decoration shops, etc., was used partly to cover living expenses and send money home, while the rest he used for gas and repairs to help students move to new accommodations. This small but heartwarming and meaningful act has helped countless people in need, giving encouragement and strength to many students on their journey of studying, working, and living in this compassionate city.

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