In the afternoon, workers at Quynh Mai boarding house (Loi Binh Nhon commune, Tan An city) often gather at the house of Ms. Dang Thi Kim Thoa (left cover, owner of Quynh Mai boarding house) to chat.
Love each other because of love
We were introduced by Ms. Dang Thi Thu Hong - Head of Rach Chanh Hamlet, Loi Binh Nhon Commune, Tan An City, Long An Province to Quynh Mai Guesthouse as a safe and friendly place to stay. In the alley leading to the guesthouse, the cheerful laughter of workers echoed throughout the path. Everyone had just finished work, gathered together after a tiring day of work. The atmosphere was close and warm like a family.
Everyone gathered in front of Mrs. Dang Thi Kim Thoa's house - the owner of Quynh Mai boarding house, to chat. In 2006, seeing many workers from other provinces coming here to live but not having a stable place to live, Mrs. Thoa discussed with her husband to build this boarding house. Over the past 18 years, she has helped many families far from home have more spiritual support , no longer feeling strange in a foreign land.
The boarding house has 30 rooms, most of the tenants are from the Western provinces such as Tra Vinh, Ca Mau , Soc Trang,... Many families have been together for more than 10 years, some have rented since they were young and now have settled down . In this boarding house, Mrs. Thoa considers the tenants as her children and grandchildren, so she often advises everyone to maintain a disciplined lifestyle. She stipulates that the boarding house gate opens at 5am and closes at 10:30pm. The most "seniority" couple is given the gate key to help look after and manage the entry and exit.
It is not uncommon for workers to be unemployed, sick, and lack money to rent a room for several months, even half a year, but she does not pressure them but creates conditions for them to overcome difficulties. Hearing the worker ask to owe the rent, Mrs. Thoa smiled: "If you are suffering, save that money to raise your children, when you have enough, you can pay." Seeing someone struggling, she shares rice and milk in the house so that the family can have enough meals. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Mrs. Thoa decided to reduce the rent by 50% and provide food so that "no one is left behind".
Mrs. Thoa’s way of living in the boarding house, regardless of hardship, was learned by everyone in the boarding house. People helped each other in times of trouble, and on holidays and Tet, they organized meals together, sharing bunches of vegetables and packages of noodles. Mrs. Thoa still remembers her husband’s funeral many years ago: “At that time, I was so sad that I lost my spirit. Thanks to everyone’s help, everything was taken care of properly.”
Among the families who are attached to the boarding house, Nguyen Thi Thuy My and her husband have many memories of this place. In 2011, both of them came from Thoai Son district, An Giang province, following their uncle to Long An province to start a business. Their life was "poor before and after", and with 3 young children in their infancy, the hope of a better life seemed so far away that she wanted to give up many times.
Knowing the difficult situation of the couple, Mrs. Thoa let them pay the rent on credit, often cared for them, asked about them, and encouraged the family to try to overcome it. Now, Ms. My's children have grown up and live with their grandparents. However, every summer when her children come to visit, Mrs. Thoa will open the wall to the empty room next door so that the children have a place to rest and play without charging extra money. Ms. My emotionally said: "Thanks to Aunt Ut, I can work with peace of mind, make ends meet, and save money for my children's education. Here, no one sees each other as strangers, and we are always enthusiastic in helping each other regardless of difficulties."
Having a place to live, a stable job, and enough income to cover living expenses are what any worker far from home desires. For them, the care from local authorities, departments, organizations, and even kind landlords not only helps make life less difficult but also brings a feeling of warmth and happiness in a foreign land. |
Support to stabilize life
People at Nhi Xuan boarding house (My Hanh Bac commune, Duc Hoa district) are always conscious of keeping the surrounding environment clean.
After the heavy rain, many people living at Nhi Xuan boarding house (My Hanh Bac commune, Duc Hoa district) did not wait for the water to recede completely but instead went to the market to cook dinner. In a room near the end of the boarding house, Ms. Thach Thi Men (Hoa Binh district, Bac Lieu province) busily cleaned the tray and woke her husband up to prepare before the night shift. The rhythm of life of the working-class family has been repeating itself for more than 20 years.
The family of Ms. Thach Thi Men (from Bac Lieu province, staying at Nhi Xuan motel) had dinner together.
Ms. Men said: “We are Khmer. In 2003, my husband and I took our children from Bac Lieu to Long An to start a business. Before that, we only spent time digging for clams and catching oysters along the coast, today there was something, tomorrow there was nothing, and our income was very unstable.”
Seeing that they were not getting any better, the couple decided to follow their nephew to find a way to make a living. In 2017, the couple moved to Nhi Xuan boarding house. Her husband, Mr. Thach Len, worked the night shift at Dai Loc Phat Iron and Steel Company Limited, while Ms. Men stayed home to take care of the kitchen. Thanks to the help from the landlord and local authorities, their family life gradually became more stable. Currently, their children are grown up and have stable jobs.
For Ms. Men and Mr. Len's family, Nhi Xuan boarding house is like their second home. When they are in need or in difficulty, they talk to the landlord and are willing to help.
Ms. Men recalls: “Two years ago, my eldest son unfortunately passed away. Everyone around me pooled money to help me pay for his funeral. Every Tet holiday, the landlord gave rice, soy sauce, sugar, and salt to each room. Knowing that someone was having a hard time, they also gave them a few months’ rent without demanding too much.”
Such sharing is a habit of Mr. Tran Kim Binh - the owner of Nhi Xuan boarding house. Since opening the boarding house in 2017, he has proactively supported poor workers, especially ethnic minority households, to stabilize their lives. When he sees a family in difficulty or someone who is sick, he proactively sends back the rent to help with medicine and living expenses.
In recent years, on every occasion of Tet, Mr. Binh has prepared necessities such as 10kg of rice, sugar, soy sauce, MSG, etc. to hand out to households in difficult circumstances. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he waived all rent for tenants.
Not only providing material support, Mr. Binh also regularly coordinates with local authorities to create conditions for entertainment and activities for families. In October 2024, the Vietnam Youth Union of Duc Hoa district established an Ethnic Minority Youth Association right at the boarding house, consisting of 21 members. The purpose of the Association is to help brothers and sisters access information, raise awareness of the law, ensure security and order, and build a cultural life. Thanks to that, the atmosphere in the boarding house is peaceful and orderly, without major conflicts or arguments, and everyone is aware of preserving the surrounding environment.
Having a place to live, a stable job, and enough income to cover living expenses are what any worker far from home desires. For them, the attention from local authorities, departments, organizations, and even kind landlords not only helps make life less difficult but also brings a feeling of warmth and happiness in a foreign land./.
Hoang Lan
Source: https://baolongan.vn/tinh-than-trong-khu-tro-cong-nhan-a196265.html
Comment (0)