Regardless of age, gender or job, people sent many relief boxes as a warm message from the South to the "gut" of the Central region: stay strong to overcome the hardship.
Many residential areas organized to receive relief goods on the spot.
Early morning of November 22, Ho Chi Minh City was drizzling. At Binh Thai station of the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line, relief goods were continuously brought in, causing the reception area inside to quickly become crowded.
Metro staff had to clear an extra space outside to receive the goods on time. Some pushed carts, others went down to the first floor to help people carry heavy bags of clothes and boxes of noodles. Without being asked, everyone automatically shared the work.
In that line of people, Ms. Hong Chau (70 years old, living in Linh Xuan ward) went with her son to the area to receive the goods. She carefully wrote notes on each small piece of paper to classify the clothes, helping the recipients easily find the right thing they needed. Her voice trembled as she talked about the pain she felt in the past few days when she continuously watched the news about the floods in the Central region on TV. "I donated money, but I still want to contribute some more things from my house, I will send whatever I have," she said, then bent down to tidy up the clothes bag...
Amidst the hustle and bustle, a boy wearing a thin T-shirt, holding two boxes of painkillers stood out. His name was Huynh Truong Giang (14 years old, living in Thu Duc ward). He placed the two boxes of medicine on the table, bowed and prepared to leave. When asked, Giang said that his parents persuaded him to go buy the medicine himself. “I just hope that people will suffer less now,” Giang said, then quickly walked away.
The spirit of solidarity also spread to many other receiving points in the city. At the headquarters at 5 Dinh Tien Hoang Street (Sai Gon Ward), the working atmosphere was very bustling. From early morning, volunteers from the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Social Work Team were present to classify and package each part of the necessities to prepare to send to the Central region.
In a corner of the room filled with cardboard boxes, Pham Nguyen Hoang Loi, a student at Van Lang University, arranged each loaf of bread and bottle of water. Around Loi, other young people were also carefully checking the inventory of medicine, fast food, instant noodles, etc. to be able to put them on the bus in the afternoon. Their faces were covered in sweat, but no one complained. Sometimes it was just a reminder to be more careful so that the goods would not be torn or damaged during the long-distance transport.
The spirit of sharing has also spread to small houses in Phuoc Tan neighborhood (Long Huong ward). In a small space with only enough space for a few tables, children from 6 to 12 years old are sitting and sorting instant noodles, candy, milk, and mineral water. Households in the neighborhood have organized a "small plan" to prepare gifts to send to the flooded areas.
Millions of people in Ho Chi Minh City packed boxes of instant noodles, necessities, clothes, medicine bags, etc. and brought them to receiving points to send to people in the Central region who are facing difficulties due to storms and floods.
In the bustling crowd of people arriving at the reception points, there were many old people with white hair, female cleaners, disabled lottery ticket sellers, students and even children brought by their parents. In their hands were not only a package, a gift but also a whole heart sent with the belief that "When our compatriots are in trouble, no one stands aside".
The most special thing was the participation of children who saw the flood scene on TV. Some children just came home from school and asked their parents to stay and help. Some children patiently sat for hours packing each item into bags, counting them carefully. The simple gift bags wrapped by those little hands not only carried necessities, but also contained the hearts of the "green shoots" growing up with kindness.
Nguyen Thanh Thanh’s Kofi Kai football field in Nha Be commune has now become a temporary “warehouse” for relief. There are no more cheers from friendly matches, the entire field is covered with boxes of noodles, drinks, raincoats, clothes and shoes. People come and go endlessly, everyone has their hands full, sweat soaking their backs. The fundraising football match was scheduled to kick off at 1:30 p.m., but no one paid attention to the clock. The players changed roles, busily carrying each bag of goods into the gathering area.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Thanh also did not focus on the match as usual, but with the staff sorted clothes, counted drinking water and thanked each person who brought items. As a son of Phu Yen , a place currently struggling with floods, Mr. Thanh could not hide his red eyes. In recent days, the news from his hometown has been so overwhelming that he has been unable to sleep. At first, he only intended to call on friends and acquaintances, whoever came to play football to bring some clothes and necessities. The calls posted on social networks have attracted many strangers to come, bringing brand new clothes and unused shoes.
Urgent for the "gut" of the Central region
From the late night of November 21 to the early morning of November 22, the headquarters of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Hanh Thong Ward was brightly lit. In the yellow light from the hall, canned porridge, canned fish, canned meat, sausages, milk, instant noodles... were continuously delivered. Each item was sorted and neatly arranged by the authorities and the people of the neighborhood. Blankets, warm clothes, fragrant soaps... were all carefully wrapped, as if to send the warmth of the people of the South to the beloved Central region.
In that bustling crowd, there were moments that made it difficult for anyone who witnessed them to hold back their emotions. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Trong, from Ward 27, with his hair already gray and his hands trembling, came to give away 76 brand new backpacks. Those were the gifts he had saved from his small pension to buy for children in the flood-affected areas.
“It’s a small gift, but a big heart. I just hope the water recedes quickly so the kids can go back to school soon. All their books and notebooks are gone, so the kids won’t feel so sad if they have new backpacks,” he smoothed each backpack, as if he was preparing it for his own grandchild.
At Nha Be Commune Public Administration Service Center, the atmosphere was equally bustling. On Nha Be Commune’s fanpage, the call for donations was opened with the poem: “The Central region is flooded; Houses, property, and assets are depleted; I listen to my mother’s advice; I should help my fellow countrymen…” by Deputy Director of Nha Be Commune Public Administration Service Center Huynh Van Hoang, making the call even more touching.
After only one day, people in the commune flocked to bring goods: hundreds of boxes of instant noodles, drinking water and thousands of sets of clothes. The center's staff divided shifts to work 24/7 to receive and transport on time. Among the stacks of documents, stamps, and administrative declarations, the image of relief boxes lined up along the hallway brought an indescribable feeling of warmth.
In addition to the atmosphere of solidarity in wards and communes, the main gathering point of Ho Chi Minh City - the headquarters of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City on the morning of November 22 also became unexpectedly crowded, receiving relief goods from all over. Many people were present here, their vehicles filled with bags of rice, boxes of noodles, bags of clothes, and medicine.
As of 4 p.m. on November 22, the receiving points under the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City had received nearly 80 tons of goods. Hundreds of volunteers continuously received, classified, and noted each package to promptly deliver to the provinces and cities in the Central region damaged by floods.
Ho Chi Minh City sends 38 doctors to support Khanh Hoa province
On the evening of November 22, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health announced that 38 doctors from hospitals (Thong Nhat, Military Hospital 175, People's Hospital 115, Orthopedics, Rehabilitation and Occupational Diseases, An Binh...) had come to Khanh Hoa province to directly participate in medical examination and treatment for people.
Many hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City are also actively implementing the "Family Medicine Bag" campaign to support people in the South Central provinces. Each medicine bag includes: fever reducer for adults and children, diarrhea medicine, Oresol, antiseptic, cotton, gauze, hand sanitizer, soap, some common medicine and instructions for safe use of medicine and advice on disease prevention during the rainy season. The program has received strong support from officials, civil servants, medical staff and philanthropists. The goal of the Ho Chi Minh City health sector is to deliver many medicine bags to people in flood-affected areas, helping them to treat common diseases, prevent infection and reduce the burden on the local health system. In the near future, the Ho Chi Minh City health sector will send 10,000 medicine bags to people in Khanh Hoa province.
According to Associate Professor, Doctor, Doctor Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, the department has asked the leaders of hospitals and affiliated medical units to review the number of doctors, nurses and technicians that can be mobilized immediately upon receiving requests from the Ministry of Health and the provinces. The affiliated units have activated the standby mode to be ready to send mobile medical examination and treatment teams to the affected areas to examine, dispense medicine and provide medical advice to people, support vehicles, chemicals for environmental treatment and medical supplies for emergency and treatment.
THANH SON
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tphcm-gui-yeu-thuong-ve-vung-lu-du-post824945.html
Comment (0)