Free vegetarian meals provided by a couple in their 90s.

Giving back to the city

We posed as strangers asking for vegetarian meals at 207 Nguyen Van Dau Street (Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City) around 7 a.m., which is also the time of day when the most poor people come to ask for vegetarian meals. Mrs. Nguyen Thi My, 76 years old, the owner of the vegetarian restaurant, kindly gave us several portions of rice, saying, "Please take some for the poor people who can't come here."

Since she started cooking and distributing vegetarian meals to the poor, Mrs. My has felt healthier and more at ease.

Taking advantage of the moment when the rice was all distributed, Mrs. My sat down to rest for a while before continuing to pick vegetables to prepare for the next day. Every day, she and her husband get up at 3 a.m. to cook rice and distribute it on time, so they do everything they prepare beforehand right after the rice is distributed. Mrs. My confided, "I'm old now, and I didn't think I'd continue doing this until now, but seeing so many poor people still suffering, and with the support of philanthropists and volunteers, I've been doing this for almost three years."

Mrs. My and her husband, Mr. Tran Van Hong (85 years old), are from O Mon District, Can Tho City. They moved to Ho Chi Minh City six years ago during a senior citizens' medical check-up. At that time, Mrs. My received help from strangers, and since then she has fallen in love with the city and wants to live there for the rest of her life. She decided to open a banh xeo (Vietnamese savory pancake) stall and later switched to selling vegetarian rice dishes.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, she and her husband cooked up all their available food to help their neighbors. She recalled that in September 2021, while Ho Chi Minh City was implementing social distancing, she saw a man lying weak on the sidewalk opposite her house. She rushed over to check on him and saw that he was probably starving and exhausted. She asked Mr. Hong to help him into the house, cook him some porridge, give him water, and then he regained consciousness...

"I told my husband, 'How about we give away all our belongings to the poor and then go back to our hometown?' My husband agreed, but the landlord advised us to keep the money for our old age. I told him I'm old now, so if I get sick, I won't go to the hospital anymore. I'll withdraw the 80 million dong deposit and cook free vegetarian meals. We've received love and help from strangers before, and now it's time for us to do good deeds to repay life's kindness," Mrs. My confided.

Mr. Tran Van Hong shared: "After my wife finished her treatment, she didn't want to return to our hometown. Instead, she wanted to stay in Ho Chi Minh City to open a vegetarian restaurant. I was waiting for her back home at the time. Seeing how busy she was in her old age, I decided to move up and work with her. When she expressed her desire to withdraw her retirement savings to cook free meals, I fully supported her."

The kitchen is a warm fire of human kindness.

Every day, Mrs. My and Mr. Hong wake up very early to cook vegetarian meals. Due to their advanced age, both of them have hunched backs, but they don't mind cooking 200-250 servings of vegetarian meals each day.

Mr. Hong and his daughter picked vegetables to prepare for Mrs. My's cooking.

Initially, the vegetarian meals the elderly couple distributed weren't well-received because no one knew about their free meal service. Then, through the sharing of a delivery driver, hundreds of their meals were distributed to the poor, homeless, lottery ticket vendors, and others in need.

"Since I opened the soup kitchen, many philanthropists and volunteers have joined hands to keep the fire burning, because my husband and I are old and can't do it forever," Mrs. My said.

Dang Thi Minh Hoa, a volunteer, shared: "Everyone contributes their time and resources. There are elderly people who arrive on bicycles, their hands trembling as they receive the meal boxes, and I feel so happy... When the elderly become too frail to continue, I will discuss with everyone to continue maintaining the soup kitchen."

The couple has five children, all working far away, some in Cambodia. Recently, their daughter, Tran Thi Nhung, moved back to live with them to help with cooking. Nhung said that all the sisters support their parents' work and hope to keep the family's cooking alive after their parents are no longer able to.

Doing good deeds is like taking precious medicine.

Like a miracle, Mrs. My, who used to have a severe hunchback, has gradually been able to stand straight since opening her rice kitchen. Both she and her husband remain cheerful and optimistic, despite having to stay up late and wake up early in their twilight years. "Before, my back was very bent, and the doctor said surgery wouldn't be successful because it would damage the spinal nerves. So I decided against it and focused the money on charity. I often tell my children that if we don't help people now while we're still healthy, when will we?" Mrs. My said.

To maintain the funding for the free vegetarian meal service, Mrs. My also makes rice noodles and bread, selling them daily on her bicycle. At the markets, people donate vegetables, fruits, cooking oil, and MSG to support the meal service. Knowing about the couple's charitable work, the Binh Thanh District Youth Union regularly sends volunteers to help them.

The free vegetarian kitchen run by the couple in their 90s continues to spread kindness; anyone who wants to contribute anything to the kitchen is welcome, and anyone with free time can come and help, like Mr. Phan Van Suu, 84 years old (Binh Thanh District), who takes about 40 meals a day to distribute to cancer patients at hospitals.

Mr. Hong shared, "Since posting the information on social media, many people have learned about and received vegetarian meals. It's hard work and tiring, but very rewarding. My wife works all day, sometimes until midnight, and I try to help her. We will continue doing this for as long as our health permits."

Currently, with the support of the Fatherland Front at the grassroots level, the couple's kitchen is officially named "Zero-Cost Kitchen - Fatherland Front's Compassion - Ms. My's Charitable Foundation".

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/com-chay-mien-phi-cua-vo-chong-u90-185241024154306676.htm