When nostalgia overcomes fear

VTC News•17/02/2024

' All I need is my mother.'

On February 17th, VTC News visited the home of Ms. Ho Thi Tuyet (born in 1968, the grandmother of Vo Nguyen Thai Bao - the 10-year-old boy who intended to cycle from Phu Yen to Binh Duong to find his mother) in My Hoa neighborhood, Hoa Hiep Bac ward, Dong Hoa town, Phu Yen province.

The dilapidated, one-story house, roofed with corrugated iron, with unplastered walls at the back, is where Mrs. Tuyet, her grandson Bao, and Bao's two older sisters live.

Seeing someone knocking at the door, Mrs. Tuyet cautiously stepped out to greet the guest. Complications from an unfortunate electric shock left her with difficulty walking.

Ever since his mother went away for work, Bao has cried every night because he misses her.

Hearing his name mentioned, Bảo ran over to greet us and then took a chair to sit next to his grandmother. Bảo is currently a 4th grade student in class 4B at Lý Tự Trọng Primary School. The thin, dark-skinned 10-year-old boy's story of searching for his mother moved many people.

After a few moments of shyness in front of strangers, Bao recounted his journey to find his mother from Phu Yen to Binh Duong with only a bicycle and 150,000 VND.

Bao's mother is Vo Thi Thu Hang (34 years old), who works as a factory worker in Binh Duong province. Due to difficult economic circumstances, Bao has only been able to see his mother for a mere two days this Tet holiday, after three years.

"Mom came home on the 4th day of Tet to take me out to play and eat, but she had to go back to work on the 6th day," Bao said.

When his mother left, Bao missed her so much he stayed awake all night. The next morning, his longing for her intensified. Bao sat listlessly, uninterested in his friends' invitations to play. Then, the thought of going to find his mother flashed through the mind of the 10-year-old boy.

And so, no matter how far the journey might be, and not knowing the route from Phu Yen to Binh Duong, Bao decided to pack his bags and cycle to find his mother.

" I just wish I could stay with Mom for a few more days before the Lunar New Year holiday ends ," Bao said sadly.

Once, I heard my grandmother say that my mother lived in the south, so I followed that direction. My luggage for the trip consisted of my bicycle, two bottles of mineral water, and 150,000 dong in lucky money.

At 5 PM on February 16th (the 7th day of the Lunar New Year), Bao left home. Every 3km, Bao would ask passersby, "Excuse me, ma'am, where is the road to Binh Duong? " Some thought he was joking and didn't point him in the right direction, while others just said, " Just go straight ."

Bao used the bicycle to go look for his mother.

When Bảo reached a section of National Highway 29 (in the Đa Ngư neighborhood, Hòa Hiệp Nam ward), about 10km from his home, he stopped to ask for directions. Afterwards, Bảo was taken to the police station by local residents and handed over to his family.

Upon reuniting with her granddaughter, Mrs. Tuyet could only hug her tightly and weep.

“I went to the temple while Bao was at home packing his things, so I didn’t know. When I returned, I couldn’t find him, so I reported it to the authorities. If anything happened to Bao, I wouldn’t be able to live,” Mrs. Tuyet recounted.

When asked, " Were you scared and tired from traveling like that ?", Bao quickly replied, "I miss Mom. As long as Mom is here, all my fears are nothing. I plan to buy food if I'm hungry, and sleep on the street if I'm sleepy."

Speaking to VTC News over the phone, Ms. Vo Thi Thu Hang (Bao's mother) said that for the past six years, Bao's father has been gone, leaving her to raise her children alone, thankfully with support from her mother.

Life was difficult, so she went to Binh Duong to work as a factory worker in a shoe factory. " Although I miss my children very much, with my meager salary, I can't visit them often," Ms. Hang said.

Upon hearing the news that her son was cycling to find her, she wept uncontrollably, desperately wanting to return home, but work prevented her from doing so. “I called home to comfort him all night. I told him I would try to visit regularly and that he shouldn’t go out like that again, it’s very dangerous. Luckily, Bảo was found early and brought home by locals; if anything had happened to him, I would regret it for the rest of my life,” Ms. Hằng confided.

The grandmother and granddaughter rely on each other to get by.

When asked about her grandchildren's circumstances, Mrs. Tuyet, with tears welling up in her eyes, recounted the hardships she endured raising them after their parents' marriage broke down.

Mrs. Tuyet gave birth to four children. Her husband passed away nearly 30 years ago when the children were young, and she raised them all by herself, helping them get married and start their own families.

With tears welling up in her eyes, Mrs. Tuyet recounted the circumstances of her grandchildren.

Six years ago, Bảo's father left and disappeared, leaving Bảo and his younger sister Võ Nguyễn Trâm Anh (15 years old) to be raised by Mrs. Tuyết, while their sister Hằng went to the South to make a living.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected Ms. Hang's work, resulting in very low income for the past three years, preventing her from going home to visit her children during holidays.

Feeling sorry for her grandchildren who were deprived of affection, Mrs. Tuyet worked tirelessly. Every day, she made tofu to sell and also peeled onions for hire to earn extra income to support her grandchildren's education.

However, three years ago, while working, Ms. Tuyet was electrocuted, resulting in multiple injuries and leaving her bedridden. Since then, all the work burden has fallen on her children, who are of school age.

Living with Ms. Tuyet is her niece, Vo Thi Thu Hong (13 years old), the daughter of Ms. Hang's younger sister. Every day at 8 PM, the girls make tofu to sell early in the morning, while Bao sells sticky rice before going to school.

"Now that I'm old and frail, my grandchildren and I rely on each other to get by. They are very well-behaved, diligent in their studies, and helpful with household chores ," Mrs. Tuyet said.

According to the leaders of the Dong Hoa Town People's Committee, Ms. Ho Thi Tuyet's family belongs to the near-poor household category in the locality. Ms. Tuyet suffered an electric shock, leaving her in poor health, and she lives with her three grandchildren.
After learning about the incident, the People's Committee of Dong Hoa town will work directly with the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and other relevant units to encourage the family, develop a plan to support and create favorable conditions for Bao in his life and studies.

MINH MINH

Source