Vietnamese affection at the epicenter of the earthquake - Lang Son Newspaper and Radio and Television Station

Ms. Chu Thi Nguyet gives gifts and support money to monks and people affected by the earthquake in Sagaing - the most severely devastated locality. (Photo: THANH DAT)

"Something practical must be done"

Having lived and worked in Mandalay for three years, Ms. Nguyet is still frightened when recalling what she has experienced. She said that at noon on March 28, while on the second floor of her apartment on Street 66 in Mandalay City, she suddenly saw shake violently. Tables, chairs, cabinets and beds were all pushed aside.

Knowing there was an earthquake, she tried to go down to the ground floor and escape. “At first, I thought the earthquake would pass quickly like the previous ones. Who would have thought it would last 4-5 minutes and be very strong,” the mother of two said.

When the shaking stopped, the first thing she did was run to the nearby Shiwe Kant Kaw school to look for her child. On the way, she saw a collapsed building, dust still flying. Hundreds of people were running out and standing on both sides of the road. The screams and cries made her even more panicked. Fortunately, Minh, her eldest son, and the other students were safe.

“Then my husband and I drove around the city and saw house collapsed “It was a mess. A suburban residential area was even burned, leaving only charred remains, a few charred cars and distraught faces,” she continued.

Although she had faced earthquakes many times, Ms. Nguyet had never been so scared. Hundreds of people were buried under the rubble. Thousands of households lost their homes. Her son’s classmate was only rescued from the collapsed apartment building after two days in a coma, while his parents were still missing.

That night, thousands of makeshift tents sprung up all over the sidewalks, markets, stadiums, etc. of Mandalay city. Some families, unable to move their belongings, had only one mat to lie on. A week later disaster, many people still dare not go home.

Ja Naw Dawshi, who lives with his Vietnamese wife in Ho Chi Minh City, returned to his hometown of Mandalay about a week before the earthquake to take care of business. On the day of the earthquake, Dawshi witnessed the house across the street collapse “like dominoes.” His uncle was also killed while having lunch in a restaurant.

“Everything happened so fast and so terribly. Our country lost thousands of people in this disaster,” Dawshi said sadly, emphasizing: I need to do something practical to help the people around me.

At this time, Ms. Nguyet, a close friend of his family, began to quietly support the victims of the earthquake. Upon hearing the news, the Myanmar son-in-law immediately joined in as a tour guide, interpreter and… accompanying sponsor.

The charity trips

At exactly 6am, as scheduled, we arrived at Dawshi’s house on Route 66. At this time, in front of the gate, two pickup trucks were loaded with boxes of goods, mainly rice, bread, clean water and some other necessities. Ms. Nguyet was busy checking one last time before leaving. Today’s destination would be Sagaing city.

Ms. Nguyet said: At first, she and her family decided to go to the rescue without telling anyone. “I went to the hospital and saw people who had lost their limbs and had to lie in the parking lot under the sun reaching 43 degrees Celsius. I also witnessed a family sleeping right next to a garbage dump on the side of the road because their house was no longer safe to live in. The more I went, the more I felt the need to do something, even the smallest thing,” she said.

People line up to receive supplies in Sagaing village, Sagaing province, Myanmar. (Photo: THANH DAT)

Ms. Nguyet used her own money to first buy rice, drinks, and fast food, then drove herself to distribute them around the city. Later, some relatives and friends heard about the information and joined her in many ways. The group was supplemented by three Vietnamese people and three other Myanmar friends, including her "Myanmar son-in-law" Dawshi. The group would ask local contacts to survey the needs in advance, then classify and plan the preparation of supplies for each area.

“For hospitals, due to lack of time, we prioritize giving money to patients so they can shop. When going to remote areas, pagodas, and monasteries, the group will bring food and water. For orphanages, milk and diapers are indispensable,” Nguyet explained while checking her luggage one last time.

About 10 minutes later, two trucks loaded with supplies slowly rolled away. Today’s destination was Sagaing City, the city most devastated by the March 28 earthquake. Along the way, we witnessed the Ava Bridge with many broken spans, and saw pagodas, temples, and houses collapsed along the roadside.

In Sagaing village, the delegation presented cash, food, and water to representatives of Jiso Pagoda - where 11 monks and nuns died and 250 others were injured. The delegation also came to support people at temporary shelters around. Under the sweltering sun at the end of the dry season, despite being drenched in sweat, seeing the line of people waiting for their turn still stretching for dozens of meters, Ms. Nguyet and the members became even more determined.

Rescue forces of the Vietnam People's Army take a break to eat lunch to prepare for the afternoon shift. (Photo: THANH DAT)

“Up to now, I don’t know how many places I have visited. Every day, we start at 5am and by 10pm we still don’t want to go home. The more we go to affected areas, the more I feel sorry for the people and hope this pain will soon pass,” Nguyet confided.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hieu, a member of the delegation, added: She arrived in Myanmar a month ago. After hearing that Ms. Nguyet was directly supporting people affected by the earthquake, she contacted and went to Mandalay to join forces. "Seeing the children happy when receiving candy and cakes, I was very happy to have contributed a small part," Hieu said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Dawshi shared: “My wife is a Quang Tri . My hometown was devastated by natural disasters. So I am very grateful and happy to be with Nguyet. We are truly grateful to Vietnam for sending rescue forces; thank you for the wonderful Vietnamese friends who have always been with us in the most difficult times."

On a larger scale, in recent days, many Vietnamese people in Myanmar have also had a “tireless” journey like Ms. Nguyet. Typically, Mytel ( Viettel ) staff have tried their best to directly support people with material means; providing umbrellas, tents, distributing sim cards, providing free charging stations, and rebuilding broadcasting stations so that people can maintain communication.

In the coming time, the Vietnam Business Club in Myanmar will also have other support activities, especially towards the heavily affected areas. Meanwhile, the two delegations People's Army Rescue and the Ministry of Public Security is racing against time every hour, every minute to search for the remaining victims.

Sharing with Nhan Dan Newspaper, Vietnamese Ambassador to Myanmar Ly Quoc Tuan said that Myanmar highly appreciated the efforts of the two Vietnamese rescue teams in particular and the Vietnamese community in Myanmar in general. "Those actions not only demonstrate the sentiment but also affirm the image of the Vietnamese people being loyal and sincere to the people of Myanmar, especially in times of difficulty and calamity," Ambassador Ly Quoc Tuan emphasize.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/nghia-tinh-viet-nam-noi-tam-chan-dong-dat-5043186.html