The unspoken pain in Phu Thinh village

Thuy Thao

Amidst the devastating flood-stricken area of ​​Phu Thinh village (Tuy An Dong commune), a small house stands silently. There are no more children's laughter, no more familiar sounds of life. Only the choked sobs of adults who have just experienced a loss no one dares to name.

The unspeakable pain of those left behind.

On the afternoon of November 19th, floodwaters rose unexpectedly and rapidly. Mrs. Le Thi Kim Quang's family frantically gathered their belongings and called relatives for help to evacuate her two grandchildren, Nguyen Le Anh Thu (born in 2013, a 7th-grade student) and Nguyen Duc Thien (born in 2019, a 1st-grade student), to safety. Their uncle rowed a boat across, and the family decided to take the two children out first.

Comrade Nguyen Thai Hoc was deeply moved by the plight of Mrs. Quang's family when he visited them.

Before leaving the house, Mrs. Quang managed to change her two grandchildren's clothes, telling them, "You two go outside first, Grandma will pack up and come out later!"

But as the small boat left the yard, a sudden, swirling current capsized it. In a brief, cruel moment, the boat overturned, and the two children and their stepfather were swept away into the murky water.

For over 40 hours, authorities and locals searched tirelessly. By the afternoon of November 21st, the bodies of both children were found about 500 meters from their home, lying close together beside a bamboo grove, as if still clinging to each other amidst the frenzy. Their stepfather also perished, never to return.

Upon hearing the tragic news, the children's parents, Nguyen Duy Thanh and Le Thi Tra My, who were working in Ho Chi Minh City, immediately tried to return home. However, the roads were flooded, traffic was congested, and flights were constantly delayed due to bad weather. When they finally arrived home, what awaited them was not the embrace of their children, but two small, closed coffins.

Upon entering the house, My collapsed. Exhausted, she called out her two children's names, drifting in and out of consciousness. A makeshift altar, displaying their portraits, was set up in the still-damp house after the floodwaters had receded. Every night, My would spread a mat and lie beside her children, her eyes red and dark-circled from a lack of tears. When asked how they were, she would only shake her head and sob, unable to speak.

Central and local leaders encouraged Ms. My to persevere and overcome her grief.

Mr. Nguyen Duy Thanh, the father of two children, was speechless, as if all his strength had been drained away. Since returning home, Mr. Thanh hasn't been able to cry. Not because the pain has subsided, but because it was too great, too sudden, leaving him only able to sit numbly beside the altar, his eyes vacant, staring into the void, his shoulders tensed as if trying to suppress an unspeakable agony. No one knows how long he's been awake; they only see that when someone visits, he remains in the same spot, his figure gaunt and silent, seemingly no longer fully aware of what's happening around him.

When we arrived to ask permission to light incense for the two children, Mrs. Quang, who had been close to them since childhood, stood silently beside the altar. Her hands trembled. Looking at the two photos placed side by side, she only whispered, her voice breaking: "Grandma is sorry... Grandma couldn't keep you two."

In her fragmented story, she recounted that before putting her two grandchildren on the boat, she recorded a video to send to their parents to reassure them. Little Thu even told her mother, "Mom, don't worry in Saigon." No one could have imagined those would be their last words…

Local communities and organizations are working together to alleviate the loss.

A few days after the tragedy, when a delegation led by Comrade Nguyen Thai Hoc, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Fatherland Front and Central Committees of the Communist Party of Vietnam, visited, the small house was once again filled with the sound of weeping. Mr. Thanh and Ms. My, the parents of the two ill-fated children, looked haggard, their tears dried up. They lit incense sticks, as if seeking salvation and bringing warmth to their children in the afterlife .

Overwhelmed by the family's immense grief, Comrade Nguyen Thai Hoc, unable to conceal his emotion, lit an incense stick before the altar of the two young children. He remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "There is no loss more painful than parents having to say goodbye to their children who are still so young."

Ms. Dang Thi Hong Nga, Secretary of the Party Committee of Tuy An Dong commune, also regularly visits and directs the forces to support Ms. Quang's family.

Sharing in the family's grief and encouraging them to overcome their difficulties, Comrade Nguyen Thai Hoc, on behalf of the delegation, presented financial assistance to the family of Mr. Thanh and Ms. My. The Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Fatherland Front and Central Mass Organizations requested that the Tuy An Dong commune government and local forces prioritize and provide special support to Mr. Thanh and Ms. Tra My's family in the coming period; not just visiting them, but also coordinating efforts to assess the damage, consider providing assistance with housing, livelihoods, and psychological support so that the family can quickly stabilize their lives after the tragedy.

"The children's passing has left behind immense pain. But what we can do right now is to unite and work together so that those who remain are not alone in this hardship."

Comrade Nguyen Thai Hoc, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and Central Mass Organizations

Also at this event, Comrade Nguyen Thai Hoc called on organizations, philanthropists, and the community to share and help the households severely affected by this historic flood, especially the family that lost two young children.

Comrade Nguyen Thai Hoc's appeal brought tears to the eyes of many of the people present that day. They understood that in the most difficult times, timely attention from all levels, along with the compassion from the community, is the foundation that helps affected families stand strong again.

Mr. Nguyen Duy Thanh struggled to suppress a heart-wrenching feeling that he couldn't express aloud.

Neighbors, even though their own homes were damaged by the flood, put everything aside. They took turns helping Thanh and My's family clean up, tend to the ancestral altar, and comfort the couple through their irreplaceable grief.

This year's floods are the most severe in many years in Tuy An Dong. Many houses have completely collapsed, everything swept away by the floodwaters. But no loss can break people's hearts more than the loss of two children who will never return home.

Ms. Dang Thi Hong Nga, Secretary of the Party Committee of Tuy An Dong commune, said that the local authorities have been on standby to support the family in handling the funeral arrangements. The presence of delegations from the central government, the province, organizations, and the community at this time is not only material support but also a source of spiritual strength to help the family recover.

In the house, still smelling strongly of mud, Mrs. Quang always cleans the altar. Every time she looks at the photos of her two grandchildren, she silently wipes away her tears. "Before, they used to video call their parents every night. Now, this house is just filled with the sound of the wind…," she choked out.

In the corner of the room, the little sandals were still covered in mud. Little Thu's notebooks lay on the table. Duc Thien and his older sister Anh Thu's first and seventh grade school uniforms hadn't yet dried. The floodwaters had receded, but the pain in the small village of Phu Thinh was far from over!

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/thoi-su/khac-phuc-hau-qua-mua-lu/202511/noi-dau-khong-loi-o-xom-phu-thinh-1ed01a6/