1. Recently, on social networks, there have appeared some clips about the massage service of Niem Tin 17-4 Company Limited (abbreviated as Niem Tin 17-4 Company) performed by a group of young people from Hue living in Ho Chi Minh City, to promote the destination to tourists. Calling Mr. Le Van Loc, Chairman of the Provincial Association for the Blind, he boasted that his company is preparing a dossier to request recognition as a massage facility that meets the standards of the Asia- Pacific region. Congratulations to him when his dream of spreading the massage profession of the blind throughout the region.
In 2008, Mr. Loc's idea of establishing a massage facility for the blind was supported by everyone. At that time, it was very difficult, he borrowed money from the bank, plus mobilized about 20 members of the association to "contribute capital" to invest in facilities. Then the organization supported the funding for 4 blind people to go to Hanoi to study at Tue Tinh Oriental Medicine School (Hanoi). Everything was ready and methodical, but for nearly two years, the massage facility for the blind had almost no visitors.
Mr. Loc still did not give up, he asked his employees to keep a cheerful spirit, clean the rooms every morning, not to let them deteriorate or fall into disrepair. He said that, but he was really worried when his employees sat around doing nothing, bank debts piled up, and revenue was only enough to pay the electricity bill. At that time, many blind people were discouraged and "retired", returning to making toothpicks, bamboo, and brooms. Others persisted in going to customers' homes to massage, but after deducting the transportation fee, there was not much left.
With a unique marketing method, free blind massage invited people to try it. At that time, I was one of the people who received many massage tickets from him. If I didn't take them, I was afraid he would be angry, but if I did, I would feel extremely embarrassed because getting a "free" massage was not enjoyable at all. But I was "wrong", it was also a series of campaigns to promote Mr. Loc's massage products. Many customers came from the free tickets, but in return, everyone paid the staff well. The good news spread far and wide, and more and more customers came to the blind massage service. Mr. Loc boldly opened another massage facility, Niem Tin 2, located in Vy Da ward, Hue city.
2. No longer a support for the disadvantaged, blind massage is actually a need for customers, focusing on middle-aged and elderly people. Many people even buy monthly tickets. Looking at the facility's diary, most customers choose massage, acupressure, and steam bath services to treat common diseases such as neck and shoulder pain, damaged spine and ligaments... But there are also many customers who come for massage just to relax after a tiring day at work.
Nearly 20 massage rooms are always full, with an average of 60-80 guests per day. Many hotels sign long-term contracts, so blind people have jobs all year round. The story of Nguyen Duc Nhat, an employee of Niem Tin 17-4 Company, is something I will always remember. When he was assigned to Thuy Bieu restaurant to serve tourists, he was quite confused. However, he took a crash course in English communication online to meet the needs of foreign guests. His good skills and foreign language skills increased Nhat's income when the guests were satisfied.
As the market expanded, 17-4 Faith Company immediately had a fairly systematic “set of rules”. That means blind people are trained in management skills, communication skills, foreign languages, and prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace. Company staff are sent to attend training courses taught by foreign lecturers.
I still wonder why high-tech massage is now widespread in the market but blind massage is still dominant? The answer from many "gods" makes regular customers like me feel satisfied. That is, the staff here has good techniques, polite communication and reasonable prices. This is also the "treasure" of the facility to affirm the brand when they are all trained properly at Tue Tinh Hanoi Traditional Medicine School and Thua Thien Hue Medical College. It is worth mentioning that many students who finish university stay to work as massage therapists, so their consulting and communication with customers are quite good.
3. Do a mental calculation, the revenue from massage services from 2022 to the first 6 months of 2023 reached over 3.6 billion VND, which is not a small number. On average, each person has an income of 5 million VND/person/month. Those who are skilled and hard-working will have a higher salary of nearly 9 million. There are many people who have worked hard to work in many places on tours in Hue, Hanoi and serve foreign tourists. From there, the massage brand of the blind has spread far and wide.
I asked Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh, a long-time employee here, about living conditions, and she laughed heartily. After deducting expenses such as social insurance and health insurance, my husband and I receive about 13 million VND a month, which is very good. I have the conditions to raise my children to study and have a stable life. I believe what Ms. Thanh said, when Niem Tin 17-4 Company has up to 33 employees, of which 28 are visually impaired. This number is increasing as more people want to stick with the massage profession.
In the conversation with Mr. Loc, I still realized one thing, promoting the brand of blind massage is not really systematic, still in the style of "good news travels fast". Therefore, making a dossier to request recognition as a massage facility meeting Asia - Pacific standards opens up many job opportunities for the blind. It is time to think further about massage services. The menu for customers to choose from must also be more diverse, not only the usual relaxation and treatment massage but also many high-end services to meet all ages and groups. The facilities will also have to be invested in more spacious with many devices that the blind can control...
Thinking about the day when blind massage is no longer around Hue, makes me feel warm.
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