Ms. Tran Ngoc Trinh sells pork offal porridge at Thu Ba Market, An Bien commune. Photo: BAO TRAN
Night buses
At 6 PM, Pham Van Men, a construction engineering student at Kien Giang University, starts his ride-hailing shift. Men puts on his uniform, adjusts his phone on the dashboard, and opens the app to accept a ride. Just a few minutes later, a notification of a ride request rings out amidst the traffic in Rach Gia ward. “I usually work from 6 PM to 11 PM, in Rach Gia ward, Vinh Thong ward, and sometimes through Thanh Loc and Chau Thanh communes. Since I attend classes during the day, I only have time to work at night,” Men says.
Mến's family has a member with a severe cleft palate who requires frequent medical treatment. Therefore, Mến quickly realized the importance of self-financing her education to ease her parents' burden. Previously, she worked in bars and cafes, but the work was hard, the income was low, and the fixed hours made it difficult to balance her studies. After researching online, Mến registered to work as a ride-hailing driver. To start the job, she had to spend over 600,000 VND on a jacket, helmet, and delivery box, and deposit an additional 500,000 VND on the app.
Mến's job mainly involves delivering food, driving customers home from drinking sessions, or picking up employees after work. The busiest times are between 7 PM and 9 PM, when Mến's phone is constantly ringing with ride requests. Mến says that driving at night is less strenuous than during the day because she doesn't have to endure the hot, humid weather. But behind that coolness lies considerable risk. On nights with heavy rain, she has to deliver goods on small, dark, and deserted roads. She's encountered drunk customers many times, some even vomiting on her. Some customers refuse to wear helmets because they're afraid of ruining their hair or that the helmet isn't clean, so Mến has to refuse to drive them to ensure their safety.
Late at night, a strong wind blew, carrying the salty chill of the coastal region. On the sidewalk, a few ride-hailing drivers sat leaning against their vehicles, quickly sipping coffee and eating sandwiches. Mến was no exception, her eyes showing signs of fatigue after many hours on the road. “Some nights, when there are few customers, I only earn a few tens of thousands of dong after driving for several hours. But some days, when there are many orders, I earn 200,000 to 300,000 dong. Meeting the app's target earns me a bonus, so I try to earn extra to help my parents,” Mến said, pulling her collar tighter as the night wind grew colder.
Staying awake at the market
At midnight, while many were asleep, Ms. Tran Ngoc Trinh's pork offal porridge stall at Thu Ba Market in An Bien commune was still bustling with activity. A long-time regular customer, having just parked his motorbike, called out, "Give me the usual bowl, please!" Amidst the chilly air, the steam rose from the porridge, its fragrant aroma of onions and cilantro filling the quiet, deserted market at night. For nearly 10 years, this porridge stall has been the main source of income for Ms. Trinh's family. As dusk falls, when the grocery store and pharmacy in front of the market close one by one, she sets up her stall and sells until dawn the next day. "There are so many food vendors in the market during the day, I can't compete. Drivers and those transporting fresh produce often work late at night, and they need a warm place to eat in the middle of the night," Ms. Trinh said.
Previously, Ms. Trinh and her husband worked abroad in Malaysia, saving up some capital before returning to their hometown to continue their mother's family business, which had been passed down for over 30 years. Some days, business was good, and she would pack up her stall before dawn, earning a few hundred thousand dong. But there were also days when customers were sparse, and she had to close the pot of porridge almost halfway through. The hardest part of selling pork offal porridge at night is the constant late nights and the preparation of the offal. According to Ms. Trinh, to make a delicious and clean pot of porridge, vendors have to buy ingredients directly from the slaughterhouse and then spend a lot of time cleaning the intestines, stomach, liver, heart, etc.
At 3 a.m., the market outside began to bustle with the sounds of trucks arriving one after another. The crisp roar of truck engines, the clatter of handcarts, and the calls of vendors receiving their goods shattered the quiet night. Under the flickering yellow lights, Nguyen Quoc Toan, a resident of An Bien commune, bent over, carrying crates of fruit from the truck to his stall. The heavy crates weighed down his thin shoulders, staining his shirt dark with sweat despite the chilly air as dawn approached.
Toan said that his night shift as a porter earns him over 6 million VND per month. Although the work is arduous, it's a crucial source of income for him to support his family. "This job is hardest on the 15th or 30th of each month. There's a lot of goods coming in then, so I have to wake up earlier and work quickly to be ready for the morning market. On regular days, it only takes a few hours. To stay strong and alert, I quickly drink a cup of black coffee or eat a bowl of hot porridge before starting to carry the loads," Toan said.
During the day, Toan also works repairing phones at a small shop near his home. There aren't many customers, so he takes on extra work as a porter to earn more income. His house is near the market, so commuting is easy. He usually arrives around 3 a.m. to receive goods, working until he finishes loading and arranging them before returning home for a few hours of sleep and then going back to the shop to work. "It's a bit tough, but I'm used to it. As long as I have the strength, I'll keep working, as long as I can earn money to support my family," Toan said with a gentle smile.
As dawn broke, the sounds of buying and selling filled the market. Among the bustling crowds starting their day, there were those who had just finished a long night of earning a living.
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/doi-dem-dai-lay-ke-sinh-nhai-a485465.html
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