Go directly to where people need you.

Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union Secretary Ngo Minh Hai (right) presents gifts to the family of Ms. Le Thi Hong (Son Ha commune, Bao Thang district, Lao Cai province) who received support for house repairs - Photo: C. TRIEU

Certainly, what the youth of Ho Chi Minh City have contributed is very small compared to the immense difficulties that the people in the flood-affected areas have had to endure. We only hope that everyone will remain strong and be able to return to a stable life as soon as possible.

Mr. NGO MINH HAI (Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union)

It's particularly noteworthy because of the quick and efficient team coordination, with all the volunteers being more or less familiar with volunteer work. Even more remarkable is that out of the 5 billion VND shared with the people from contributions by various organizations and individuals, 2 billion VND was donated by readers of Tuoi Tre newspaper.

Dream roofs

Upon arriving in Lao Cai province, the team immediately began surveying and drawing up plans for the new house of Mr. Hoang Van Toan's family in Bat Xat town (Bat Xat district). Nguyen Xuan Hung, Secretary of the Bat Xat District Youth Union, stated that this is a family classified as "chronically poor".

Mr. Toan and his son both suffer from developmental delays. All the family burdens fall on his wife's shoulders. The house they live in, built as a charitable donation, is old and further deteriorated by the floods. Despite his slow development, upon hearing that a new house would be built, Mr. Toan kept asking, "Is it true they're building a new house for us?"

The neighbor, hearing Mr. Toan boast, was skeptical. "This family is truly struggling, so when I heard they were getting a new house, I was happy, let alone him. A house that isn't dilapidated is a dream; given their circumstances, even if they worked their whole lives, they might only be able to repair the foundation," the neighbor chimed in.

Upon hearing that a team of volunteer youth from Ho Chi Minh City was coming to repair her roof, Ms. Le Thi Hong (39 years old, residing in Son Ha commune, Bao Thang district) was stunned for a few minutes. Her husband suffers from a serious illness, her children are of school age, and her entire possessions consist of her house and a few household appliances and equipment, which were submerged by floodwaters nearly 2 meters high for a week.

Ms. Hong honestly admitted that seeing everything in such a mess, she didn't know where to start, so she planned to move her whole family to stay at her grandmother's house because she didn't have the money to repair it herself. In one day, the volunteers, along with local youth, worked tirelessly to clean up and repair the roof. The scorching sun, the pungent smell of mud left behind after the flood, and the strenuous work left everyone exhausted.

But hoping the family would soon settle down, the entire team poured all their energy into it. "Luckily, everything was finished before sunset. We worked hard all day, but seeing the family together was so touching that all the fatigue disappeared," shared volunteer Le Xuan Sinh.

Volunteers from Ho Chi Minh City help farmers harvest rice in Chiem Hoa district ( Tuyen Quang province) after the storm and floods - Photo: D.QUI

Help our compatriots stabilize their lives as soon as possible.

The sun has come out, but the mountainous district of Chiêm Hóa (Tuyên Quang province) is still facing numerous difficulties after the storm and floods. Although the loss of life was mitigated, houses, rice paddies, and crops were severely affected. Many landslides have yet to be cleared, and in many places, rocks and debris still block roads.

21 volunteers from the team went to Tuyen Quang to personally deliver gifts and cash, harvest rice, repair houses, and even provide medical examinations and medicine to the people. Doctor Dang Quang Toan (Cho Ray Hospital) said that after the storm and floods, the first thing affected will be the living environment, easily leading to digestive and infectious diseases among the people.

"After the examinations, quite a few people had symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea, and dermatitis. Patients with pre-existing conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and musculoskeletal disorders also experienced worsening symptoms. We provided thorough consultations combined with medication," said Dr. Toan.

Living 4km from the Binh Phu Commune Health Center (Chiem Hoa District), Mr. Nong Viet Quan (64 years old) had to arrive early in the morning to wait for his turn for examination. Mr. Quan said that Binh Phu is a remote commune, so the doctors and volunteers coming to help with the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi deeply moved the local people. "We are very grateful that you all came from Ho Chi Minh City to help us in this area. And everyone in the team worked very enthusiastically for the people," Mr. Quan expressed.

Wiping away sweat from his brow while cleaning houses for the local people, Mr. Doan Kim Thanh - director of the Center for the Development of Young Scientists and Technologists, and commander of the team in Tuyen Quang province - shared that most of the team members didn't do physically demanding work, but the emotion and spirit of helping their fellow countrymen as quickly as possible motivated everyone to pitch in, without hesitation.

"Although the work was quite hard, everyone was happy and enthusiastic because it was a moment to share joys and sorrows with their teammates and fellow countrymen," Thành confided.

Thank you for the volunteers' enthusiastic spirit.

After two days of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Volunteer Team visiting Tuyen Quang and Lao Cai provinces, the Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union, Ngo Minh Hai, also visited and distributed gifts to flood victims in several areas of these two provinces. Mr. Hai said that the damage and difficulties caused by Typhoon Yagi and the subsequent floods were immeasurable.

Kindly inquiring about the well-being of the local people, Mr. Ngo Minh Hai also expressed his sincere gratitude to the volunteers who quickly represented the youth of Ho Chi Minh City and immediately set off with hundreds of tons of goods and essential supplies to share with the flood-affected people. On this occasion, Mr. Hai presented certificates to the volunteers who volunteered to participate in this special mission.

The kindness remains.

Mr. Ma Van Chuong (63 years old, residing in Vinh Quang commune, Chiem Hoa district, Tuyen Quang province) sincerely expressed his gratitude to the young people from Ho Chi Minh City. The flood completely destroyed his buffalo shed, and his house next door was also submerged up to the roof, with walls crumbling and belongings swept away.

With the help of the young people in rebuilding the buffalo shed and clearing up the mess after the flood receded, Mr. Chuong was moved: "My family is very grateful for the kindness and concern of the young people from Ho Chi Minh City who came to inspect the situation, provided dedicated support, and then put in the effort to help clean up and rebuild the house."

A touch of warmth from the South has traveled thousands of kilometers to share and hold hands with our compatriots in times of hardship, and it will remain there forever.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/den-ngay-noi-ba-con-dang-can-20240924100128108.htm