A fortunate connection with volunteer work.
The timeline goes back to 2012, when Dang To Quyen, a native of Thanh Hoa province, as a member of the People's Court of Thanh Hoa province, along with several other members and young people from the Court, undertook their first charitable trip to help the disadvantaged people in the mountainous areas of Ba Thuoc district (now Ba Thuoc commune), Thanh Hoa province.
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Dang To Quyen (back row, fourth from the right) and her colleagues during their first volunteer trip in 2012. |
It was from that first trip, witnessing the unfortunate lives of those struggling to navigate the difficult steps of life, that Quyen's heart could not rest. Those images haunted her mind, and the desire to do something to help alleviate their hardships grew stronger in her heart.
The more she traveled, the more she understood that some acts of help, however small, if timely, can turn around a person's entire future. That's what keeps her going on her philanthropic journey.
In addition to their regular annual trips focusing on impoverished households in the mountainous areas of Thanh Hoa province, especially those living in border regions, Dang To Quyen and her volunteer group travel throughout Vietnam, bringing relief supplies filled with love to help flood victims overcome difficulties.
"For me, living a life of giving is happiness."
Ms. Quyen's journey of volunteering continues to grow as she sees countless other disadvantaged individuals in need of support from charitable groups like hers. One of the most particularly concerning cases is that of Khuc Thi Linh, who lives in Thai Hoa village, Nong Cong commune, Thanh Hoa province.
Linh is from Hung Yen province and married into a family in Thanh Hoa province. One hundred days after her father-in-law passed away, her husband died in a traffic accident, leaving Linh alone in an extremely difficult situation: raising her mother-in-law and five young children, including her eldest son with a congenital disability, her fourth daughter with autism, and her youngest child who suffers from chronic illnesses.
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| Donating bicycles to support the family of Khuc Thi Linh. |
Witnessing Linh's plight, Ms. Quyen was deeply concerned. Out of compassion for Linh and her children, she extended her helping hand to support Linh's life in whatever way she could.
“In January 2026, when she came to my village to do volunteer work, through a villager, Ms. Quyen learned about my situation and came to my house to inquire about my well-being. Besides sending gifts from benefactors, she also sent cash from her own pocket to help my mother and me. Afterward, Ms. Quyen called on other benefactors to join her in contributing cash to support my family and bought my child a bicycle. She regularly sent or directly brought food to my mother and me. She told us to call her immediately if we ever faced difficulties. Ms. Quyen was like a lifeline for my mother and me during our time of hardship. Her kind heart has uplifted my life and given me the strength to live,” Linh shared emotionally.
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| Trung Ly Border Guard Station, under the Thanh Hoa Provincial Border Guard Command, provided support to Ms. Quyen's volunteer group. |
For many years, with tireless steps, Ms. Quyen and her team have braved dangers, venturing into flood-stricken and landslide-affected areas to help those in need. Though the journey is arduous, for Ms. Quyen, it is a source of happiness, because each relief from hardship brings peace to her heart. With each trip, her heart urges her to continue striving to help and support even more people.
Spreading the spirit of "mutual support and compassion"
Every time she hears news of floods reaching a rural area, Ms. Quyen can't help but feel anxious and worried. She worries about what she needs to prepare the next day to provide the most practical relief to the affected people. She says that doing a lot of volunteer work has given her many experiences and lessons. From her practical relief efforts, she has learned what preparations are needed to help people after floods or in landslide-affected areas in the most practical and effective way.
Countless charitable trips have followed, initiated by the tireless efforts of Ms. Quyen and her group. There are some trips that she will probably never forget in her lifetime.
Recalling our first volunteer trip in 2020 to Huong Viet commune, Huong Hoa district (now Huong Lap commune), Quang Tri province. That day, it was raining heavily, and the road to the village was dangerously damaged by landslides. Despite numerous obstacles, thinking of the villagers struggling with the devastating floods, the team was determined to go into the village to deliver 200 gift packages containing clothes, rice, dried fish, fish sauce, and cash directly to the villagers.
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| A charitable trip to Huong Lap commune, Quang Tri province. |
There are small things that we may not notice in our daily lives, but which are incredibly precious in special circumstances.
The volunteer trip to Nam Tong village, Nam Luc commune, Bac Ha district (now Coc Lau commune), Lao Cai province in 2024 and the volunteer trip to Phu Yen (now Dak Lak province) in 2025 are examples of such trips that Ms. Quyen accomplished.
When the volunteer group arrived in Nam Tong village, the villagers were still living in makeshift shelters. The floods at that time had caused many families to lose their homes and loved ones. Seeing the losses suffered by the villagers due to the floods, everyone in the group felt heavy-hearted, only hoping that the natural disaster would lessen so that the villagers could soon return to a peaceful life.
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| Volunteer trip to Nam Tong village in 2024. |
In 2025, a historic flood struck Phu Yen, plunging many families into dire straits. This trip also left the most lasting impression on Ms. Quyen's volunteer group.
“When we received news that the floodwaters were rising and houses were submerged everywhere, I immediately called for support from friends and philanthropists. After overcoming many difficulties in preparing relief supplies, especially canoes and transportation to the flooded areas, my friends and I in the volunteer group discussed and decided to take the canoes out on the night of November 19th to support the people. There were a total of two trips to Phu Yen. The first trip included a truck and container carrying canoes and essential supplies. The second trip, I, along with the free motorbike repair team from Thanh Hoa, brought 3 tons of rice and 90 million VND in donated cash to deliver to the people,” Ms. Quyen shared.
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| The journey to reach the people of Phu Yen in 2025. |
Ms. Quyen's kindness deeply moved Mr. Tran Quoc Vo and Ms. Phung Thi Bich Ha, drivers for Thien Tam Company and also natives of Phu Yen. Despite having a scheduled delivery, Mr. Vo and his wife decided to contribute a free container shipment to help Ms. Quyen transport goods to the flood-affected areas. "Ms. Quyen is a role model of mutual support and compassion. We are deeply touched by her kindness towards the people of Phu Yen, and we decided to join her in bringing essential supplies to the flood victims," Ms. Bich Ha shared.
Every flood season, Quyen and her group continue their journey to help the local people, bringing with them the warm and heartfelt love of "a little help in times of need is worth more than abundance in times of plenty," hoping to alleviate some of the burden of natural disasters for them.
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| These charitable trips continue, stemming from the tireless efforts of Ms. Quyen and her group. |
Day after day, with work at the office and family responsibilities never ceasing, Ms. Quyen's philanthropic spirit remains burning brightly. Amidst the countless worries of life, this woman never forgets those in need and continues to do her charitable work regularly in every way possible.
Ms. Quyen's compassion has inspired her family members. Whenever she prepares for charitable trips, both sets of parents, her husband, and her children each lend a hand, helping her prepare goods, sort clothes and food, and carefully package them for distribution to the community. She says that the way you give is more important than what you give. She wants the gifts to reach the people in the most complete way possible, so that during difficult times, they always receive timely and warm encouragement.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of life, everyone longs for peace and leisure. However, there are people like Ms. Quyen, who, despite all that, still make time each day to help those in need, hoping to alleviate their hardships and brighten their future with the belief that "to live is to give."
Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/cuoc-thi-nhung-tam-guong-binh-di-ma-cao-quy-lan-thu-17/song-la-biet-cho-di-1046408
![[Photo] Thousands of people participate in a run to show their support for the campaign "Sharing a common determination to build drug-free communes, wards, and special zones".](https://vphoto.vietnam.vn/thumb/1200x675/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2026/06/27/1782554475933_0673e2a3df7b5e25076a-8283-jpg.webp)
