Fill your home with love

STO - “Each house is a “gift”, a “warm home” that represents responsibility, love, national love, compatriotism, and the sharing of the whole community”. That was a passage in the concluding speech of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the 4th meeting of the Central Steering Committee to implement the elimination of temporary and dilapidated houses nationwide in mid-May. And I really felt that when I sat and talked in the house that was just donated to Ms. Ly Thi Nhung in Xa Mau 2 hamlet, Phu Loc town, Thanh Tri district (Soc Trang).

Pain upon pain…

A family of three generations, but only three people. Mrs. Ly Thi Danh is 73 years old this year, but like many years ago, she still collects scrap metal to earn a living every day. Her daughter, Ms. Ly Thi Nhung, waits in the neighborhood, doing whatever job is asked of her. Ms. Nhung's daughter is 16 this year, but she spends most of her mornings and evenings at home because of her deformed legs.

Ms. Ly Thi Nhung (right cover), Xa Mau 2 hamlet, Phu Loc town, Thanh Tri district ( Soc Trang ) shares her joy in her new house.

The two men in the family passed away one after another. Ms. Nhung's husband died of a serious illness in 2020. 3 years later, her first son also passed away from an electrical accident. The pillars of the family passed away one after another, pain upon pain. In addition, life was a struggle for food, so even though the house was dilapidated or leaky, Ms. Nhung and her children had to accept it.

Ms. Nhung said in tears: “We have been married for decades but have always lived with others. At first, we built a small hut, and gradually we were able to build a house, but it was all made of wood and leaves. After saving up to fix it up, he got sick and passed away. The debt had not yet been paid when our son suddenly passed away.”

Wiping away the tears rolling down her cheeks, she continued: “My mother collected scrap metal, and I did whatever anyone asked me to do. We spent every day we worked, and we didn’t even have enough to eat, let alone repair the house. Since we built the hut, the whole family has been sleeping on rubber mats on the floor, without any beds or anything. For about 3 years now, the house has been leaking. Every night when it rains, my mother and I roll the mats and move from one place to another. One night, it rained so hard that water from the surrounding ponds flooded into the house. There was no place to sit, let alone a place to lie down. So we stayed up all night…”

Fill your home with love

With such a situation, right in the first round of "erasing temporary and dilapidated houses" in Phu Loc town, Ms. Ly Thi Nhung's household was on the preliminary list. But right at the first step of completing the paperwork to proceed with construction, they encountered obstacles. Ms. Ly Thi Anh Dao - Vice Chairman of Phu Loc town People's Committee said: "When we went down to the house to complete the paperwork, it was clear that Ms. Nhung's household had no land, the house the family lived in was built on her sister-in-law's land. While everyone was still confused and didn't know what to do, the sister-in-law who was also there said: "I have let you and your sister-in-law stay on this land, now that my brother has passed away, it's the same, I'll give it to my sister-in-law. And this time, I'll give it to you. Today, with the government here, we'll make a handwritten document first, if we need any paperwork in the future, I'm ready." So the first and most difficult problem was solved. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief."

The second step is “inviting bids”. The chosen contractor is also a local, specializing in building houses for people in the hamlet. During the face-to-face “project handover”, after the functional department clearly stated the source of capital, the requirements for the house to be built this time “3 solid, concrete pillars, corrugated iron roof, tiled floor…”, Ms. Nhung would like to say one sentence: “I know, if I had more money saved, my house would be more beautiful. But to be honest, my mother and I live from hand to hand, we have not saved a single penny. So the contractor tried to estimate that he would save enough for me the 60 million VND that the State gave me. I will work, whenever I have free time, not working for others, the contractor will ask me to do whatever I need to do. Just don’t let it turn out that I have extra money, I don’t have any money to compensate”.

After nearly a month of construction, the house was completed before the Lunar New Year 2025. On the handover day, witnessed by local authorities and neighbors, after completing the procedures, the contractor withdrew 2 million VND and gave it to Ms. Nhung and said: "The total amount of money to build the house for you is 58 million VND. This is the remaining amount, I will give it back to you." Everyone was surprised, but Ms. Nhung was in tears...

On the same day of handing over the house, when the local authorities asked if they needed any further support, she shyly said: "Yes, if possible, please give me a bed so that my old lady can lie down comfortably. For decades, she has been sleeping on the floor on a mat." A few days later, through the local government's efforts, a local material trading establishment donated a bed to the family. Earlier this year, from the drought and salinity prevention program, her family received support for a 500-liter water tank.

“As for this TV, the day I went to collect scrap metal, Mr. Sau in the neighborhood asked me to give it back to him. He said someone offered 200,000 VND but he didn’t sell it. It looks old but the picture is still very good. There’s a power outage now, otherwise I would force you to watch it,” Mrs. Ly Thi Danh showed off the TV in her house. Then she continued: “My mother and I are very healthy now, we have a house to live in, a bed to lie on, and TV to watch. Oh, and a water tank so we don’t have to worry about the drought for a few months. We’re very healthy, now we just have to work to earn a living.”

After decades in the profession, I have traveled a lot, written a lot, and visited many homes, from typical examples to unfortunate lives. But I have never felt as “emotional” as when sitting at Ms. Nhung’s house. Suddenly happy, suddenly sad, happy and sad mixed together, emotions intertwined with each story. Especially the word “love” filled the house of love.

NATIONAL BEGINNING

Source: https://baosoctrang.org.vn/xa-hoi/202507/dong-day-chu-tinh-trong-mai-am-9ec2147/