It is through hardship that we truly understand each other's hearts...

VTV.vn - Through natural disasters, storms, and floods, what is most clearly demonstrated is the strength of solidarity and compassion of the Vietnamese people; adversity becomes a measure of human character.

Through natural disasters like storms and floods, the compassion of the Vietnamese people is profoundly demonstrated.

Our country has just gone through a year with many historical natural disasters, ranging from the northern provinces, including those thought to be unlikely to flood like Cao Bang , Lang Son, and Thai Nguyen... to the central provinces, which "are hit almost every year," but last year was far more horrific than previous years, with each province suffering more damage than the last. We thought Hue would be flooded four times, but unexpectedly Da Nang was even worse. We thought Gia Lai (western provinces) had already reached its peak, but unexpectedly Dak Lak (formerly part of Phu Yen province) reached an even higher peak, with houses flooded, people dead, and water everywhere...

And the first thing people in the area have to do is help each other.

A village headman with an extraordinary memory emerged. He is Pham Van Long, head of My Phu 1 village, O Loan commune (formerly Phu Yen province), now Dak Lak province . The image of him walking barefoot, holding a megaphone and calling out the names of each villager without needing any paperwork, has earned him much admiration and moved many. While a good memory may be a gift from God, his selfless dedication during those difficult times earned him the respect of 800 households and 3000 people in the village.

There's a phenomenon, not a new one, where some charitable groups don't want to go through local authorities or the Fatherland Front, but prefer to deliver aid directly to the people. That's fine, but it leads to several problems, which have already occurred. Firstly, it involves dispensing aid haphazardly; some households receive aid multiple times while others don't. Many groups stand on the roadside and distribute aid, especially in remote and difficult-to-reach areas. Secondly, the situation becomes uncontrollable. Several trucks carrying supplies have had to flee because of the crowds. Even in those locations, some people received aid several times while others received nothing. Furthermore, it hurts the local officials and village leaders. They, like everyone else in the area, have families affected by floods and landslides, and their wives and children are struggling, yet they still have to work hard to help the people, at least to fulfill their duty. Contact them; they will direct you to the appropriate places to distribute aid, instead of us fumbling around...

The image of the village chief walking barefoot, holding a megaphone and calling out the names of each villager without needing any paperwork, has impressed and moved many people.

And then Mr. Pham Van Long appeared, a testament to the hard work and integrity of officials who are closest to the people.

Some people suggest that, if there were a ceremony to award the title of hero, it should be Phạm Văn Long, a true hero.

Many others, too, have stories that bring tears to the eyes. Stories of quiet, unassuming acts, of selfless willingness, without fanfare or pretense. Like an elderly woman in Dak Lak (formerly Tuy Hoa) who refused relief supplies, saying something that brought many to tears, including those delivering the aid. When offered food, she said: "No! I won't take it! My house was only slightly flooded; I'll leave it for those who need it more than me." Later, it was learned that her house was in the Phu Nhieu market area (Dak Lak), where the floodwaters only reached her knees, so it wasn't severely affected. That's why she didn't accept the aid.

It's done quietly, nobody knows, but it's also an act of self-sacrifice, because who knows what tomorrow will bring? If greed were to keep it all to hoard, would it? And the reality is that some people take two or three portions. They might not be greedy, but they worry about tomorrow, a tomorrow that's uncertain when the rain continues to fall and the floods continue to rise...

Beautiful images that reflect the feelings of the Vietnamese people.

There were incredibly selfless and touching acts. There were so many, but I want to tell the story of... the buffalo.

A buffalo that was just like tens of thousands of other buffaloes in this country, but now it has become extremely famous.

Of course, it's a pretty smart buffalo, and it knows how to overcome adversity.

As the water rose, the owner dismantled the shed, allowing the entire herd of six buffaloes to find their way up the mountain on their own, while his family rushed to escape the flood, moving their belongings to higher ground. But the water was too high; one buffalo couldn't make it and turned back, but it still couldn't reach the house. For some unknown reason, it ended up on the roof of a family's toilet in another village.

The roof was very small, and the buffalo stood in only one position, extremely precariously balanced amidst the swirling white water all around.

It stayed there for three days until the water receded, the homeowner returned and discovered it. That means it went without food for three days, and whether it got any water or not... I don't know.

The landlady saw the buffalo and knew it was hungry, so she climbed on top, gave it straw to eat, and gave it water to drink. Then she went to ask someone to help get it down.

It's not easy under normal circumstances, let alone now when everyone is busy cleaning their own homes and there aren't enough people to do the work.

Humanity in the midst of the storm.

Everywhere she went, she mentioned the buffalo and asked for help, until finally she met the soldiers. It took two days after it was discovered for the soldiers to rescue it by spreading bundles of straw to form steps. The buffalo's owner, having seen the video online because the buffalo had become so famous, came to the rescue. The owner had to lead the buffalo down before it dared to come, as the buffalo was very afraid of heights. In this case, it was both a height and strangers.

If even buffaloes are like that, imagine how humans are.

Previously, several provinces in the North were hit by storms and floods, and many people from Central and Southern Vietnam came to help. Besides essential supplies and food, many vehicles carrying boats were also sent for rescue. And now, convoys of vehicles from those provinces, and other provinces and cities, are lining up to help Central Vietnam.

Many people brought canoes and they used them very professionally. It was their professionalism that helped rescue or supply many isolated homes in remote areas.

Then, long convoys of trucks traveled from both ends of the country, carrying relief supplies for the flood-affected people.

Despite being a woman, the beautiful girl didn't shy away from the difficulties of loading relief supplies.

There are several beautiful girls who directly drive trucks carrying 30 to 50 tons of goods. I also know and enjoy driving, but I drive small cars, like 5-seater cars, driving when I feel like it and stopping when I'm tired. But driving a truck carrying goods is different, and relief supplies is even more so. Driving day and night. And having to travel through flooded areas. And mostly alone, or with my husband. Arriving at the destination, finding a parking spot as close as possible to the area needing assistance, then finding people to unload the goods and turn around.

Like Minh Nguyet, a young woman from Tuyen Quang , who drove with her husband, the couple traveled 1,300 km to Dak Lak (formerly Phu Yen) and, upon arrival, helped the soldiers unload goods.

For example, Ngo Hanh, a girl born in 1999 in Thai Nguyen, also drove with her husband from Thai Nguyen to Hanoi to pick up more goods and then went straight to Phu Yen.

In Gia Lai, 25-year-old Nguyen Thi Thuy Duyen drives her family's truck carrying relief supplies. Even when the truck isn't full, she drives to Ho Chi Minh City to load more supplies before transporting them to the flooded areas. Upon arrival, she unloads the goods and personally hands them over to each resident...

The vehicles traveled through the night to reach our compatriots.

Each person contributed in their own way, quietly and discreetly helping their fellow villagers in times of hardship. They were unaware they were being filmed until after the job was done, at which point millions had already viewed the footage. The village head, Pham Van Long, was no exception; he didn't know he'd been featured in online and even mainstream newspapers. He simply did his job, following his conscience and responsibilities, with utmost dedication and a scientific approach.

The people in my alley did the same thing; without anyone telling them, that morning they brought supplies to one house, then gathered to sort, pack, and transport them to the receiving point of the ward. There were many relief supply receiving points, both spontaneous and organized by the Fatherland Front or the ward government, all bustling with activity and a great sense of self-reliance. Many of these spontaneous receiving points were crowded with people and goods.

A lot of money was transferred via QR code by the Fatherland Front at all levels. No need for a meeting hall, no need for a photo booth..., they quietly pointed their phones at the QR code, money of compassion, money of sharing, empathy, their own money, including pensions, the sweat and tears of small traders, and even lottery ticket sellers...

Many people also volunteered to quit their jobs to help with loading and delivering goods. There were hastily written signs or announcements on Facebook: "This place needs people to load goods onto trucks, people need to help sort, people need to drive..." and the requests were immediately answered.

Most touching was the fact that the ethnic minority people of the Central Highlands also donated and sent gifts to the coast. They bought homegrown produce, rice, vegetables, and even instant noodles, pooling their money to send them down.

Among them is the story of Mrs. Rah Lan H'Yếk, 79 years old, from Hamlet 8, Chư Sê Commune, Gia Lai Province, who donated 10 million VND through the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the commune. It's worth remembering that for a Jrai person, especially an elderly woman like her, 10 million VND is a very large sum. Many villages in the Central Highlands are encouraging each other to contribute food, produce, and other necessities to send to the flood-affected areas.

The soldiers of Uncle Ho's army uphold noble qualities.

What remains and warms our hearts is the compassion among Vietnamese people. It stems from a beautiful national tradition, from "helping those in need" to "loving others as you love yourself," and continues to create a system of cultural and spiritual values ​​called Vietnam. Even amidst suffering, we remain confident in our ability to live in love and mutual support, and from the resilience of each individual and each family.

And of course, we must learn from life experiences, as our ancestors have done for thousands of years. Each era has its own life experiences to suit its time. Our current storms and floods are linked to forests (which are almost gone) and hydroelectric dams. We used to "conquer" nature and "fight storms and floods," but our ancestors sought to live in harmony with nature, coexisting with it and "avoiding" storms and floods rather than fighting them, because it was impossible to fight them. Just look at that huge, heavy truck; it's swept away by the water in an instant.

Even the people of the Central Highlands, where I've lived for nearly half a century, used to live very peacefully with the forest, respecting it and living in harmony with it. They may say they lived a nomadic lifestyle, but they didn't destroy the forest indiscriminately. And while they traveled, they always returned; they didn't leave permanently. They had very strict customs and traditions to protect the forest and to harmonize their lives. They were grateful to the forest, respectful of nature, and content with their lives.

And because of that, they found peace...

Source: https://vtv.vn/rang-qua-hoan-nan-moi-hieu-long-nhau-100260120100702335.htm