Open hearts

"The wealthy lady" of joy

"Grandma, Ms. Phu is here!" Seeing the familiar figure of Ms. Mai Thi Phu (Acting Chairperson of the Education Promotion Association of Can Giuoc commune, Tay Ninh province) appearing from the end of the alley, little Huynh Van Hung ran out to greet her and then quickly went inside to call his grandmother.

Since their mother passed away due to Covid-19 (in 2021), Hung and his brother have been living with their maternal grandparents. Ms. Phu is a regular visitor to the family, sometimes visiting and encouraging them, other times bringing gifts or school supplies so that Hung and his brother can attend school.

That day, Ms. Phu came with several blank notebooks for Hung and reminded him to prepare to pick up his textbooks at the beginning of August.

Ms. Mai Thi Phu gifted a new notebook to the Huynh Van Hung brothers.

Interrupting the conversation between Grandma and Aunt Phu, Hung quietly asked, "Are we going anywhere this year, Auntie?" Aunt Phu smiled, as she hadn't yet chosen a place to take the children.

From 2021 until now, every year she has raised funds to take Hung and his siblings, along with five other children in similar circumstances (orphaned due to Covid-19), on summer vacation trips.

“In previous years, some years we went to Dam Sen Park, some years we went to Cu Chi Tunnels… all thanks to Ms. Phu arranging the trips for the children. Since their mother passed away, thanks to the support and care from the committee, and with Ms. Phu coming and going to help, the house feels less lonely,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga, Hung's grandmother.

As the acting Chairperson of the Association for the Promotion of Learning, Ms. Phu pays special attention to children from disadvantaged backgrounds and always seeks ways to bring them small joys – such as textbooks still smelling of new paper, school supplies, or cash – both to make the children happy and to help alleviate the difficulties faced by their families.

“Every year, the commune's Education Promotion Association organizes gift-giving events on June 1st for disadvantaged children, costing approximately 60 million VND. In addition, the Association also provides textbooks at the beginning of the school year, Mid-Autumn Festival gifts, and Tet (Lunar New Year) gifts for the children. Annually, the Association also mobilizes thousands of notebooks to donate to schools in the area for awarding prizes at the end-of-year school ceremony. All of this is thanks to the support and generosity of benefactors, which allows us to maintain these activities regularly,” added Ms. Phu.

Before saying goodbye to Hung's family, Ms. Phu didn't forget to give them some steamed rice cakes from the charity kitchen.

Ms. Mai Thi Phu (wearing an ao dai) and other philanthropists presented gifts to poor but academically优秀 students in early July 2025.

In addition to raising funds to donate gifts to underprivileged children in her role as a scholarship provider, Ms. Phu also participates in organizing a charitable kitchen, providing 200 meals per month to patients at the Medical Center on the 15th day of the lunar month. She and her family also regularly provide an additional 200 meals to patients and people in need on the first day of each lunar month.

Since joining the scholarship program in 2012, Ms. Phu has encountered many disadvantaged individuals and felt a desire to share what she could with them. This is her greatest motivation to continue her charitable activities.

"Every time I give a gift or share a meal, I receive so much joy and happiness. I keep doing it, and the joy multiplies every day. My parents named me Phu, which means rich, and now I feel truly rich: Rich in joy!" - Ms. Phu said happily.

Spreading love through medicine.

In a heartfelt conversation, Ms. Phu recounted that she frequently visits the Pho Minh Duong Traditional Medicine Clinic (Can Giuoc commune), sometimes contributing to the clinic's activities, and other times participating in fundraising efforts for activities caring for disadvantaged people and the elderly in the local area.

The head of the Traditional Medicine Clinic at Pho Minh Duong is Venerable Thich Minh Pho (traditional physician Bui Thanh Lua), who is deeply committed to charitable activities. Therefore, patients with difficult circumstances who come to Pho Minh Duong for examination and treatment receive completely free care. Furthermore, if a patient requires inpatient treatment, all food and accommodation costs are waived.

Venerable Thich Minh Pho donated Western medicine to support the free medical examination and medication distribution program for the elderly in Can Giuoc commune in 2025.

Venerable Thich Minh Pho shared that he studied medicine with the aspiration of bringing health to everyone. With that motto, the Venerable not only focuses on diagnosing and treating illnesses using traditional medicine but also researches and develops pill-form medicines for easier patient use.

Having lived with Venerable Thich Minh Pho at Pho Minh Duong since the age of 4, and witnessing his master's daily dedication to examining, treating, and preparing medicine, along with seeing the happiness of patients when they recovered, especially those in difficult circumstances, Pham Phu Quoc gradually nurtured the dream of following in his master's footsteps and becoming a physician to heal and help people.

After graduating from junior high school, Quoc asked his mentor to allow him to study Traditional Medicine at the Ho Chi Minh City Polytechnic College. He has now completed his first year. Balancing academic studies with Traditional Medicine training has been quite challenging, but Quoc is very happy because he is gradually realizing his dream.

During his days off, Quoc often arranges to return to Pho Minh Duong to visit his master and learn more about the craft. "My home is in Da Lat, so I occasionally go back to visit when I have work or a lot of free time. On other days off, I go to Pho Minh Duong," Quoc shared.

At Pho Minh Duong, besides Quoc, there are four other children who were also adopted by the Venerable Monk from a young age. The youngest is just over 3 months old. The Venerable Monk single-handedly takes care of all aspects of their care, from diapers and milk to their education.

Venerable Thich Minh Pho examines patients at Pho Minh Duong Clinic.

Venerable Thich Minh Pho shared: “Pho Minh Duong shelters these children with the hope of helping them when they are in need. When each child reaches adulthood, I inform them about their family, relatives, and origins. For the children here, education is the most important thing, because only through education can they have a better future.”

As someone deeply committed to charitable activities, Venerable Thich Minh Pho often donates gifts and provides financial support to disadvantaged individuals and orphaned children both within and outside the province.

In 2025, the Venerable Monk fully covered the costs for the Elderly Association to purchase medicine to organize free medical examinations and treatment for the elderly in the area.

In addition, the Venerable Monk also provides health insurance for the elderly at a nursing home in Dong Thap province. Specifically in Can Giuoc commune, the Venerable Monk sponsors five orphaned children due to Covid-19, providing each child with 3 million VND per year.

Without fanfare or commotion, every action of Ms. Mai Thi Phu and Venerable Thich Minh Pho is imbued with human kindness. Small gifts for poor children at the beginning of the school year, vegetarian meals or free medicine for the sick, loving embraces for orphaned children... like a warm stream, silently flowing day after day, nourishing lives with love and faith in good things.

Guilin

Source: https://baolongan.vn/nhung-trai-tim-rong-mo-a199832.html