“I just posted a few pictures to keep memories with my grandmother, I didn’t expect it to get so much attention” - Ms. Nguyen Thao Vy (28 years old, from Tay Ninh) shared after the article about her grandmother and 2 close friends traveling together went “viral” (spread) online.
From Fansipan peak in the cold rain to Ha Long Bay in the bright sunshine, the image of three silver-haired women holding hands, capturing moments together at many famous locations, unexpectedly spread strongly across all social networking platforms. But behind those trips, few people know, is a friendship of nearly 50 years that started in a small hamlet in Tay Ninh . Where three women work, raise children and grow old, but their friendship remains warm and strong over the years.
Mrs. Nguyen Thi Sau (77 years old) - Thao Vy's grandmother and two close friends, Mrs. Do Kim Quen (78 years old) and Mai Thi Tranh (73 years old) have known each other since 1976. Mrs. Sau left Saigon to return to her hometown in Cay Xieng hamlet, Dong Khoi commune, Chau Thanh district to buy land to start a business.
In the small hamlet, she met Mrs. Quen and Mrs. Tranh, two women in the same situation: husbands died early, children were still young, struggling alone. Their houses were a few hundred meters apart, living in difficult times, the three women carrying the burden of family gradually became close because of sympathy and understanding.
“Back then, everyone in the family was poor, so we helped each other out with whatever we could, and that's how we stuck together until now,” Mrs. Sau confided.
The time they met was also when everyone's life was still full of hardships, everyone was carrying a child and struggling to make a living. They became friends without an appointment, because of the love between widows, quietly relying on each other.
Now that their children have settled down and their families are all grandparents, their friendship remains close and a strong spiritual support in their old age. Every day, they still meet, sometimes to go to the market together, sometimes to sit and talk about life, sometimes to cycle by each other's houses for a few minutes for fun.
What surprises many people is how these three women live at the age of nearly 80. Not letting themselves be attached to the idea that “old age is for resting”, they still go to the market, do housework, and help their children and grandchildren.
It was that spirit that led the three women to conquer journeys that seemed to be only for young people. From Tay Ninh, they went to Hanoi, then moved to many other locations such as Phu Tho, Yen Bai, Lao Cai, Quang Ninh on a long trip. The most memorable stop was the journey to the top of Fansipan - "the roof of Indochina" in 10 degrees Celsius weather and drizzle. The tour guide once advised them to stop because he was afraid the elderly would have difficulty breathing, but they only rested for a moment, then supported each other to continue walking. When they reached the top, all fatigue disappeared, leaving only the quiet joy of three old friends holding hands in the clouds and mountains.
“When we got there, we forgot how cold and tired we were. We were so happy, thinking that we were old and could still do this,” said Mrs. Sau.
Not only Fansipan, the trip to the North also left the ladies with emotional moments. One of the stops that they will always remember is Ba Dinh Square, where they witnessed the flag raising and lowering ceremony in front of President Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum.
The trip lasted for days but no one complained of being tired. The women did not need anyone's encouragement, just being together was enough to make them happy.
“I see that all the grandmothers like to exercise and do not like to sit still, so their health is still very good. Many times I said I was going along to take care of them, but in the end, they took care of me in return,” Vy said with a laugh.
What Vy remembers most is not the places they have been, but the eyes of the three old friends looking at each other, holding hands, waiting for each other at each step, each stop. For the three old ladies, each trip is not just a trip, but a way to preserve a part of their remaining youth. They do not need a luxurious place, nor do they care about delicious food and nice clothes, they go to see each other healthy, to have more stories to tell their children and grandchildren.
Since the story of the three old ladies was widely shared, many acquaintances in the neighborhood have called to ask about them. Some even said: "The three old ladies are the symbol of joy in our village." Ms. Vy said that many people left comments under the post expressing their admiration for the friendship of the three old ladies, hoping that they and their friends will be like that when they are old.
Every year, the children and grandchildren take turns arranging for the grandmothers to go out a few times, always including a trip to a pagoda in the Western provinces or a vacation at a beautiful beach. The grandmothers just hope to stay healthy so that they can travel together to all the lands they have not yet set foot on.
Hoa Khang
Source: https://baotayninh.vn/nam-tay-nhau-di-qua-tuoi-gia-a191344.html
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