The Returns of Vietnamese Families

In nearly 7 years, Vance Lee has only returned to Vietnam three times, but each time he brings all the money the couple has saved to share the hardships with the people of his homeland.

Upon landing at Tan Son Nhat airport on July 9, Vance Lee and Andy Le immediately boarded a car to Kien Giang to inaugurate the Giac Ngo bridge in Dong Hoa commune, An Minh district the next day. The 23-meter-long, two-ton bridge, built with the couple’s savings, will now help thousands of people travel between the two banks.

"I was surprised when some elderly people said their only dream in life was to cross a new bridge," said Vance Lee, 38.

Vance Lee, his wife, three children (16, 13 and 8 years old) and representatives of Dong Hoa commune government, An Minh district, Kien Giang province inaugurated Giac Ngo bridge on July 9. Photo: Provided by the character

Living in Houston, Texas since the age of three, Vance Lee (Vietnamese name: Ha Lan) has always been struggling to find her roots. Before, she only cherished the idea without thinking about taking action because her children were still young, her life was unstable and she did not know where to start.

In 2016, Andy Le's husband became unemployed. His wife prayed that he would finish his studies and get a good job, and she would definitely repay him. He finally got a job at an oil company. "A promise must be kept," she said.

That summer, Vance Lee returned to Vietnam for the first time with her youngest child under one year old and her entire savings of $3,500. Wanting to give all of this money to the poor, she had to save on food, accommodation, and transportation.

During those first days back to her hometown, the young mother also carried her child and took a motorbike taxi to every corner from 10am to 11pm. She gave money to the elderly who wandered on the sidewalks and under the Saigon bridges, then flew to Da Nang to give milk and diapers to the children at the orphanage.

The first trip was confusing, not knowing where to find help, so I had to find it myself, which was very difficult. I couldn't send my child to anyone. There was a time on the way when the baby had a high fever, making the mother doubt herself. "I blamed myself for being crazy. But that moment of weakness passed quickly because I thought I was doing a good job, no matter what happened, I would have no regrets," she shared.

The success of the trip was to give everything she had to the right person. Her daughter took her first steps in her mother's homeland. The two of them were welcomed back with hugs and kisses from her husband and two sons.

Andy Le, 40 years old, said that on the way home, his wife kept talking about Vietnam, through which he saw the image of the country and the Vietnamese people become more beautiful. Andy was born and raised in the US, his parents are Vietnamese, but since his parents have passed away, his connection with Vietnam has almost been lost. His wife's interest in his homeland made him curious.

"My wife said that people must have a past and an present. If someone doesn't remember their roots, they have lost half of their past," he shared.

Vietnamese family giving gifts to students in Dak Doa, Gia Lai in 2019. Photo: VOH

Three years later, Andy returned to Vietnam with his wife and $6,000 in savings. This time they were not alone, but had the program "Standing Together with Vietnamese Families" from Ho Chi Minh City People's Radio to help them realize their dream.

The first stop was a school in Dak Doa, Gia Lai province. The family gave gifts to 300 children. Some of them walked 3 km to receive the gifts on bare feet. Many of the children had yellow hair from working to help their families.

In addition to school supplies and slippers, the children also received candy. "Many of them had never had candy before. I don't know if they were more shocked or my child. But either way, both sides were very happy with the experience," Vance Lee shared.

In Ben Tre, the whole family spent more than 30 minutes traveling on a muddy rice field road, everyone slipping and falling. Their destination was a thatched house located in the middle of a lonely field. There, little Kieu, with eyes sparkling like marbles, lived with her poor, sick parents and two younger siblings.

"My children cried because they had never walked such a scary road before. When they met Kieu, they were traumatized and could not believe that a friend their age had to walk that road to school every day," Vance Lee said. Her family and the program supported Kieu's family to buy land and build a new house near the main road.

The family's journey ended with a vision-giving ceremony for 50 elderly cataract patients. Vance Lee said the elderly were initially shy, until she stood before them and explained why she was there. "I promise I will never stop trying to help others in similar situations. I love you like my own parents," she said.

Suddenly everyone in the room began to cry. So did Vance Lee. She went to each person to hug them goodbye, instead of waving goodbye.

On the flight back, Andy thanked his wife because he had never done such meaningful things. "In my previous life, I worked more than ten hours a day, never thinking I could help others. Thank you for opening up a new horizon for me," the husband said.

Family crosses muddy road to change life of a poor family in Ben Tre, 2019. Photo: VOH

Ms. Hong Thuy, a journalist for the program Standing with Vietnamese families, said that Vance Lee came to the program in 2019 and donated 6,000 USD without hesitation.

This year, the original plan was to help with eye surgery, build a house, or give gifts to orphans. But Hong Thuy knew the girl across the ocean wanted to build a bridge more than anything else. For months, the two sisters exchanged messages, Vance Lee struggled to save more thoroughly and mobilize people to support, many times thinking the goal was impossible to achieve.

"I was moved to tears when late one night, Vance Lee announced that he had mobilized friends to contribute 200 million VND to build the bridge," said journalist Hong Thuy.

What Hong Thuy and the program crew appreciate is that Vance Lee and his wife are not rich. She is a hairdresser and human resources manager for two salons in Houston. To have money to return to Vietnam to do charity work, she only takes two days off work each month.

"I am lucky to have the opportunity to work, but poor and sick people in Vietnam do not even have the opportunity to earn money. Thinking about that gives me the motivation to try harder," said the Vietnamese woman.

For many years now, she has been putting two days of her salary each month into a savings account for trips back to Vietnam. She also uses that same thinking to call on her friends and customers to support her.

Preparing the budget for the trips is not easy. Like this year's trip, Andy just lost his job, Vance Lee's job was affected by Covid-19. If the family travels in the US, they only need about 7,000 USD, but when returning to Vietnam, the whole family will spend up to 35,000 USD on transportation and food.

When his wife expressed her concerns to her husband, he gave her strength. Andy shared that he was grateful to have a wife who was understanding and never complained about having to take on the family burden for him. "I support you 100%. Your dreams are mine and ours too," he said.

They were determined to leave while they were still struggling, because they thought that if they waited until they had money and time, selfishness would still be there and they would consider the pros and cons again. For the couple, helping others does not mean waiting until they have enough money to give, but rather helping as much as they can.

"In the next five years, I will definitely come back to build a school that brings a bright future to the children," she said.

Vnexpress.net

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