Teachers put aside the joy of November 20th to light a fire of love in the flooded area of ​​Phan Rang

Many teachers in Phan Rang only had time to quickly stuff the cards their students sent them into their pockets, then wade through the water to get to the kitchen. They put aside their own joy on Teachers' Day to start a very different 'November 20th ceremony': cooking rice to help people trapped in the historic flood.

The group "Teachers and Friends" in Phan Rang cooks meals of love to give to people who are isolated in the historic flood - Photo: Teachers and Friends

From early morning to late afternoon on November 20, when the floodwaters in the Phan Rang - Thap Cham area (formerly Ninh Thuan province, now Khanh Hoa) had not yet receded, the group "Teachers and Friends" in Phan Rang lit a fire on November 20 to "keep warm" for people who were isolated in the historic flood.

Special November 20th for teachers in flood-affected areas

On November 20, while many schools in the Phan Rang - Thap Cham area had to close due to deep flooding, the teachers of the group "Teachers and Friends" started their day earlier than usual. Not to welcome students or receive flowers of gratitude, but to prepare rice to send to the flooded areas.

Three kitchens were established "at lightning speed" at Do Vinh Kindergarten, Ninh Hai Kindergarten and Ms. Diep's house at 234/5 Truong Chinh (Ninh Chu ward, Khanh Hoa province).

At 6am on November 20, while it was still drizzling, the girls put on raincoats and waded through the water to go to the market to buy food.

"We bought all the vegetables left over from the rain. Today we have to cook many dishes to support people isolated by the flood," Ms. Tuyet Hanh - Vice Principal of Chu Van An High School - shared.

In the kitchen of Ninh Hai Kindergarten, the fragrant smell of fried onions overwhelms the humid air of the flooded schoolyard. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai, a teacher at Nguyen Trai High School, said that every year during storms, the teachers join hands to help, but this year the floodwaters are too great.

Hot meals were delivered to people stranded in the historic flood in Phan Rang - Photo: Teacher and friends

"Seeing people asking for help online, the water reaching the windows, makes me feel uneasy. I'll cook as much as I can, hoping people will soon overcome this and stabilize their lives," said Ms. Hai.

At Do Vinh Kindergarten, Ms. Bui Thi Thuy - a teacher at Le Hong Phong Secondary School - was cooking while listening to the phone to get updates from the authorities about a hamlet in Phuoc Hau commune that had just been isolated, and a group of elderly people were waiting to be delivered food...

"The elderly, children and police officers are soaking in floodwaters, hoping for a lunch box to stave off hunger. The kitchen is red hot, which is a relief. I think being a teacher is not just about teaching, but also about being there in times of trouble," said Ms. Thuy.

A hot meal is the best November 20 gift

People get free meals during the flood, feel they are not left behind - Photo: Teacher and friends

At Ms. Diep's kitchen, dozens of people volunteered to help. Some cooked, others packed boxes, and a group of young men took care of moving the lunch boxes to the police vehicle.

"We are not professional chefs, but seeing the teachers wading in the water from morning until now, we do not want to stand on the sidelines, it is all out of love" - ​​Ms. Diep shared.

By early afternoon, the first hot meals were loaded onto boats and specialized vehicles to be transported to the flooded areas. The journey to deliver meals to the isolated areas was not easy. At some points, the force had to wade through strong currents to deliver each hot meal to the people.

Opening the steaming hot meal, many people were moved to tears. Mr. Dung in the Dao Long bridge area (Phan Rang ward) shared that seeing the policemen wade through the water to bring the food to his door, he was moved to tears.

"These past few days, the water level in our house was almost 1 meter high, all the food was wet, and the kitchen was unusable. Receiving a hot lunch box, and hearing that it was cooked by the teachers in the kitchen since morning... really warmed my heart. In times of trouble like this, you don't need much, just a hot meal to feel like you're not left behind" - Mr. Dung said emotionally.

By the end of the afternoon, when the large pots of rice had been scraped clean, the teachers sat down and breathed a sigh of relief. A total of 2,000 servings of rice had been completed, a number far exceeding the initial estimate and also the effort and heart of dozens of people put together on a special November 20th.

Teachers choose their own way to celebrate Vietnamese Teachers' Day in a humane way - Photo: Teachers and friends

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Hanh - Vice Principal of Chu Van An High School - said that they had never felt "their day" was so meaningful. There were no flowers, no wishes, but there were hot lunch boxes passed through cold water, to the people who needed it most.

"Each meal is not just a meal, but also a simple message from teachers: You are not alone, we will be here to help you overcome the flood," said Ms. Hanh.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nhung-co-giao-gac-niem-vui-20-11-nhom-bep-nghia-tinh-giua-vung-lu-phan-rang-20251120193544728.htm