Unspoken pain in Phu Thinh neighborhood

Amidst the devastated flood area of Phu Thinh village (Tuy An Dong commune), a small house lies quietly. There is no more laughter of children, no more familiar sounds of life. There are only the sobs of adults who have just experienced loss, no one dares to call out their names.

The indescribable pain of those left behind

On the afternoon of November 19, the floodwaters suddenly rose very quickly. Mrs. Le Thi Kim Quang's family panicked and packed up their belongings, calling relatives to help take their two grandchildren, Nguyen Le Anh Thu (2013, 7th grade) and Nguyen Duc Thien (2019, 1st grade) to safety. The two grandchildren's uncle rowed a boat across and the whole family decided to take the two grandchildren out first.

Comrade Nguyen Thai Hoc was moved by Mrs. Quang's family situation when he visited.

Before leaving home, Mrs. Quang had time to change her two children into dry clothes and instructed: "You children go out first, I'll pack my things and go out later!"

But as soon as the small boat left the yard, the rushing water suddenly overturned. In a cruelly short moment, the boat capsized, and the two children and their uncle were swept away into the murky water.

For more than 40 hours, the authorities and people continued to search. By the afternoon of November 21, the bodies of both children were found about 500 meters from their home, lying close together next to a bamboo bush, as if still trying to hold on to each other in the midst of the rage. The children's uncle also passed away forever.

Hearing the bad news, the parents of the two children, Mr. Nguyen Duy Thanh and Ms. Le Thi Tra My, who were working in Ho Chi Minh City, immediately tried to find a way to return home. But the roads were flooded, traffic jams, and flights were constantly delayed due to bad weather. When they arrived home, what awaited them was not the arms of their children, but two small, closed coffins.

Entering the door, My collapsed. She was exhausted, calling out her two children's names, sometimes conscious, sometimes unconscious. The altar with two portraits was hastily made in the house that had just been drained of water and was still messy. Every night, My spread a mat and lay next to her two children, her eyes red and dark from tears. When asked, she just shook her head and sobbed without saying a word.

Central and local leaders encouraged Ms. My to try to overcome the pain.

Mr. Nguyen Duy Thanh, the father of the two children, was silent as if all his strength had been drained. Since returning, Mr. Thanh has not been able to cry. Not because the pain has subsided, but because it was too great, too sudden, causing him to only sit absent-mindedly by the altar, his lifeless eyes staring into space, his shoulders tensed as if trying to hold back a pain that could not be expressed aloud. No one knew how long he had been awake, only seeing that when someone came to visit, he was still sitting in the same place, his figure haggard, silent, seemingly no longer fully aware of what was happening around him.

When we came to ask to burn incense for the two children, Mrs. Quang, who had been with them since they were little, stood silently beside the altar. Her hands were shaking. Looking at the two photos placed side by side, she only whispered, her voice broken: “I’m sorry… I couldn’t keep you two.”

In the interrupted story, she said that before letting her two children get on the boat, she recorded a video and sent it to their parents to reassure them. Little Thu also told her mother: “Don’t worry, Mom in Saigon.” No one expected those to be her last words…

Local and community join hands to ease the loss

A few days after the tragedy, when the delegation of comrade Nguyen Thai Hoc, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Fatherland Front and Central organizations visited, the small house was choked with tears again. Mr. Thanh and Ms. My, the parents of the two unfortunate children, were exhausted, their tears dried up, burning incense sticks, as a salvation to bring warmth to their children in the other world .

Faced with the great pain of his family, comrade Nguyen Thai Hoc, unable to hide his emotion, lit incense before the altar of his two young children. He was silent for a long time before speaking: "There is no more painful loss than when parents have to say goodbye to their very young children."

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

Sharing the pain and encouraging the family to try to overcome, comrade Nguyen Thai Hoc, on behalf of the working delegation, presented support money to Thanh and My's family. The Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Fatherland Front and Central organizations requested the Tuy An Dong commune government and local forces to prioritize attention and provide special support to Thanh and Tra My's family in the coming time; not only stopping at visiting, but the locality also needs to coordinate to count the damage, consider providing support in terms of accommodation, livelihood and psychology so that the family can soon stabilize their lives after the incident.

“The children’s passing leaves behind great pain. But what we can do right now is to unite and join hands so that those left behind are not alone in their hardship.”

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

Also here, comrade Nguyen Thai Hoc called on organizations, donors and the community to share and help households that suffered heavy losses in this historic flood, especially the family that lost two young children.

Comrade Nguyen Thai Hoc’s appeal moved many people present that day to tears. They understood that in the most difficult days, timely attention from all levels, along with the humanity from the community, was the support for the affected families to stand firm again.

Mr. Nguyen Duy Thanh tried to hold back a pain that he could not make a sound.

The neighbors, although their houses were also damaged by the flood, all put aside their work. They took turns helping Thanh and My's family clean up, take care of the incense offering, and encourage them to overcome the irreparable pain.

This year’s floods were the worst in many years in Tuy An Dong. Many houses collapsed, everything was swept away by the flood. But no loss could tear people’s hearts as much as the loss of two children who will never return.

Ms. Dang Thi Hong Nga, Secretary of Tuy An Dong Commune Party Committee, said that the locality has been on hand to support the family in arranging the funeral. The presence of central and provincial delegations, organizations, unions and the community at this time is not only material support but also a spiritual support for the family to recover.

In the house that still smelled of mud, Mrs. Quang always cleaned the altar. Every time she looked at the pictures of her two grandchildren, she quietly wiped away her tears. “Before, every night the two of them video called their parents. Now this house only has the sound of wind…”, she choked up.

In the corner of the room, the small sandals were still covered in mud. Thu’s notebooks were still on the table. Duc Thien and his sister Anh Thu’s first and seventh grade uniforms were still not dry. The flood had receded but the pain in the small hamlet of Phu Thinh had not yet subsided!

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