Here are the lottery tickets!

Occasionally, during my free time, I stop by my usual coffee shop on the corner of Dong Ha street to enjoy a cup of strong, freshly roasted coffee with friends and colleagues. Amidst lively and sometimes pensive conversations, the figures of men or women slowly approach, holding stacks of lottery tickets, offering them to customers: "Lottery tickets here, ladies and gentlemen?" Some customers buy tickets hoping for a prize at the end of the day, while others buy simply to ease the burden on the vendors...

Selling dreams to people

One early March morning, a light drizzle fell, and gusts of wind blew into the small shop next to Dai An Bridge, making everyone feel a chill. From Hung Vuong Street, a dark-skinned young man in his early twenties entered the shop. He went to each table, holding out a stack of lottery tickets to offer to customers. Because of the rain, sales were slow, so when a customer asked to buy one, he would smile brightly. The young man's name was Hoang (26 years old).

Every day, from early morning, Mr. Hoang goes to the lottery agency in Dong Ha City to pick up about 200 lottery tickets to sell - Photo: TRAN TUYEN

Hoang lives in Trieu Phong district. Every day, from early morning, Hoang goes to the lottery agency in Dong Ha city to pick up about 200 lottery tickets, then cycles through the alleys and streets to sell them. “Each time I put down a 2 million VND deposit to get 200 lottery tickets to sell. Some days I sell them all, some days I don't. I make a profit of 1,000 VND per ticket sold, so if I sell all of them, I make 200,000 VND. If I don't sell them all, I return the remaining tickets to the agency,” Hoang said, looking at the stack of tickets he still had quite a bit left.

Ms. Leu invites customers to buy lottery tickets - Photo: TRAN TUYEN

Despite his young age, Hoang has been selling lottery tickets for over five years. Every street corner and shop is familiar to him. Every day, Hoang sells tickets from 7 a.m. to around 3 p.m., then returns to the agency to return any unsold tickets. "My customers are of all kinds and ages. Many people have won the lottery after buying tickets from me, the highest being 6 million dong, the lowest 200,000 dong. Many winners even give me money," Hoang recounted.

About an hour later, Mrs. Leu (60 years old) entered the shop. Mrs. Leu is from Quang Binh province. After getting married, she lived in her husband's hometown in Ward 2, Dong Ha City. To date, she has been selling lottery tickets for over 20 years. “This is a freelance job, anyone can do it. You only need a small amount of capital to start selling. I don't have a stable job, and my education was incomplete, so I chose selling lottery tickets to make a living. It's easy when it's sunny, but quite difficult when it rains. Thanks to my good health, I still sell regularly,” Mrs. Leu shared.

Every day, Mrs. Leu gets about 450-500 lottery tickets from the agent to sell. That morning, she sold 100 tickets. On lucky days, she sells them all, and most of the remaining tickets are returned to the agent. “This job is like selling people’s dreams. Many people buy lottery tickets hoping to win a prize and receive money. There’s a saying people often joke about, ‘After 5 PM, you never know who’s richer,’ and that’s why. Over the past 20 years, many people have come to me to exchange their lottery winnings, from a few hundred thousand to a few million dong,” Mrs. Leu recounted.

Nurture your dreams.

Mrs. Lếu's husband is a "jack-of-all-trades," doing whatever work he can find. They were married for over 11 years before having children, so now, despite their age and declining health, they are still raising two young children, the eldest in 9th grade and the youngest in 5th grade. Because her husband is frequently ill, the burden of supporting the family falls heavily on Mrs. Lếu's shoulders. Although selling lottery tickets offers flexible hours, no pressure, and no constraints, everyone wants to sell as many tickets as possible to earn extra money to support their family.

Walking tirelessly all day long, on many sunny days she felt dizzy and had to lean against a tree trunk to rest. She rested wherever she was tired and asked for water whenever she was thirsty. For each lottery ticket sold, Mrs. Lếu earned 1,000 dong. Therefore, she still tried to sell as many as possible each day; every extra ticket sold meant more money to support her children.

At 9 PM, I met Mr. Hien (70 years old) at a roadside eatery on Ly Thuong Kiet Street. Mr. Hien was thin and gaunt, with a weathered face, patiently going from table to table inviting customers to buy tickets. After about 10 minutes, he quietly got on his bicycle and rode back to the row of shops across the street.

Previously, Mr. Hien worked as a construction worker. After a work accident, his health deteriorated, so he switched to selling lottery tickets. Every day, after selling his tickets for the day, he goes to the lottery agency to get more tickets for the next day to sell in the evening. Although his income is more inconsistent than his construction job, if he works hard, he can earn a few hundred thousand dong each day to support his children's education. "My wife sells vegetables at the market. My eldest child is in their second year of university, and my youngest is in 7th grade. We try to be frugal and save money to support our two children's education. As long as I'm healthy, I'll continue selling lottery tickets," Mr. Hien shared.

Buying lottery tickets not for the prize...

When it comes to buying lottery tickets, many people immediately think of winning a prize. Who wouldn't want that! However, a small number of people buy lottery tickets without hoping for a win. They buy them simply out of compassion.

Mr. Nhat, who lives in Ward 5, Dong Ha City, is a prime example. For many years, he has bought several lottery tickets every week. He buys them not for the prize, but for the people selling them. Sipping his black coffee, he shared: “Whenever I see women selling lottery tickets, I see a reflection of my own mother. She toiled and struggled, hoping for a better life for her children. That’s why I often buy a few tickets to support her when I see a woman selling lottery tickets passing by.” This simple act not only supports the lottery ticket sellers but also brings him warmth and peace of mind.

Mr. Quang from Gio Linh town is similar. When asked about his hobby of buying lottery tickets, he laughed and said, "Many days when I come home, my wife finds many lottery tickets in my jacket pocket and asks, 'Why do you buy lottery tickets so often? Are you also turning to this game of chance now?'"

He didn't explain the reason to his wife. For many years, he had been quietly doing charity work, sometimes giving small gifts to lonely elderly people, and other times raising funds with his group of friends to provide scholarships for underprivileged students.

He also often buys lottery tickets to support those less fortunate than himself, knowing that many lottery ticket vendors are disabled or elderly people. Rain or shine, they quietly walk through every street corner and alleyway to sell lottery tickets to make a living. Each lottery ticket gives them a glimmer of hope for a brighter future.

Tran Tuyen

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/ve-so-day-192570.htm