Vietnamese people love each other

1. During the days when the Central Highlands region was struggling with floods, many images spread on social networks moved millions of Vietnamese people to silence. Under the roofs surrounded by water, under the flickering flashlights of rescue forces working all night, under the trucks carrying relief goods regardless of the distance... one thing emerged most clearly: the spirit of solidarity with fellow countrymen never wavered. In times of trouble, Vietnamese people came together and helped each other, as an instinct from time immemorial: as long as there are people, there is property.

Content creator Le Phong recounts the days when he lost contact with his hometown Dong Hoa, Phu Yen . The feeling of looking at the black screen "unable to connect" made his heart drop. Besides, in the countryside, his 91-year-old grandmother calmly prepared as if she had a lifetime of experience in dealing with water: a ladder tied to the ceiling, foam bags to float, banana trunks cut in advance to act as buoys. Then the hours when the waves stopped, the electricity went out, all that remained was the sound of water hitting the corrugated iron walls. But in that darkness, rescue lights shone along each roof. Soldiers, police, and militia waded against the strong current to bring people out of the deep.

In the neighborhood, every house that was not flooded immediately turned into a “communal kitchen”. Some people braised fish, some prepared hot rice, some carried boxes of food and ran to the isolated houses. The rain beat on their faces, the water was knee-deep, but no one slowed down, just afraid that the people would go hungry for another meal. And at that moment, we understood that: even if the signal was lost, Vietnamese people still reached out to each other with love, something that never lost signal.

In the group “Dan Phu Yen” (old), Ms. My Tien’s post touched the hearts of many people. Each word of thanks, each line of sincere apology sent to the donors who traveled thousands of kilometers into the flood zone, the truck drivers who stayed up all night, the uncles and aunts who silently wrapped banh chung, boiled eggs, saved every kilo of rice, bottle of water to send to the people… is the clearest proof of the spirit of “the whole leaves cover the torn leaves”.

She said: in some places, when giving gifts, there was pushing and shoving, and people jostled each other because they were so afraid of "not having any left". But instead of blaming, she bowed her head and apologized on behalf of the people: "Life is like that, each person has their own personality". In that moment, love was truly big enough, tolerant enough to understand that in the midst of the rushing water, everyone just wanted to keep a little hope for their family.

And she was moved when her sister, even though her house was not flooded, still shared the gifts she received. A small gift but full of love. Looking at the bag of rice, the package of noodles, the drink, she wrote: "I feel moved, I appreciate the mutual love". Because each gift is not just food, but the love sent by people.

That is the meaning of compatriotism: giving not because we need to be remembered, receiving not because we expect anything in return, but because we are Vietnamese, with the same origin.

2. On his personal page “Huy Nguyen” (weather expert Nguyen Ngoc Huy), he is called by the community as “the person chasing the storm and flood”, and still regularly posts warnings at 1-2 am. For 33 days following the water level, following every change in flood level in Hue, Quang Nam (Da Nang), Binh Dinh (Gia Lai) - Phu Yen... he hardly slept. Not because anyone asked him to, but because he knows: each timely warning can save a life.

There were nights when he was so nervous that he trembled, like the night of November 19, when the Ba River released a historic flood of over 16,000m³/s. When many places lost power and signal, when hundreds of distress messages poured in, he could only reply: “Drill the roof to escape.” That advice sent chills down people’s spines, but sometimes it was the only option.

Friends asked him how he could stand it. He simply said: “There is a very thin line between warnings and false news.” So he tried to keep a cool head despite his exhaustion. There were times when he hadn’t slept for 48 hours, so he turned off his computer for a while to sleep, but just a few hours later he woke up thinking about the heavily damaged schools that needed to be restored.

Thanks to his tireless connection with many other volunteer groups, more than 60 tons of relief goods from Quang Ngai , Quy Nhon, Nha Trang... were delivered to the people of Phu Yen right after the flood. Many canoe teams, after four days of wading in floodwaters, received his thanks. Some caught colds, some returned to their hometowns to take care of relatives' funerals... but all tried their best for a common spirit: for their fellow countrymen.

That is also the meaning of compatriots, the silent sharing of people who are not related but share the same Vietnamese blood.

“Gourd, please love the squash too”, “When one horse is sick, the whole stable will stop eating grass”, or “Red silk covers the mirror stand”, these old folk songs remind us: national love and compatriotism are the roots of Vietnam's strength.

Tens of thousands of officers and soldiers were present at the flood epicenter from the first hours, knocking on every door, wading through every meter of water, carrying every old person, every child to safety. Amid the cold rain and muddy water, the colors of the soldier’s uniform, the green youth uniform, the police uniform… were like a warm spot of light. It was not only a duty, it was humanity. Wherever there were Vietnamese people in trouble, there was a Vietnamese hand to help.

There are old people who personally wrap gift bags to send to the Central region. There are students who contribute breakfast money to support their friends in the flood-hit areas. There are artists and businessmen who quietly mobilize donations of billions of dong. There are convoys of cars that run through the night carrying rice, water, and life jackets. Every action, big or small, contributes a note to the harmony of "fellow countrymen's solidarity", a strength that the whole world admires.

The rain and floods will eventually recede. Houses will be rebuilt. Fields will be green again. But the bonds of love will last forever. In times of trouble, people do not ask each other how much property they have, but ask: "Are there still people?", because when there are people, when there is love, everything can start again. No matter how much destruction the storm may cause, as long as there are people, we will rise again with the love of our fellow countrymen. And when the dark clouds gradually dissipate, the sky after the rain will be clear again, as proof that kindness is always the strongest light ever...

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