(Baonghean.vn) - Although there hasn't been a proper International Women's Day (March 8th) in the past decade, for Mrs. Nguyen Thi Song, a woman who transports goods by cyclo at the foot of Cua Tien Bridge, her three well-behaved and academically successful children are priceless gifts to her every day.
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| For over 16 years, living in Block 11, Ben Thuy Ward, Vinh City, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Song (1964) has diligently worked as a cyclo driver to support her family. Since her husband passed away from cancer three years ago, the burden of raising her children, who are still in school, has fallen heavily on her shoulders. Early in the morning, starting at 5 a.m., she wakes up to take care of household chores before riding her three-wheeled cyclo to work as a porter and transporter. From 7 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m., the area near Cua Tien Bridge becomes the gathering place for Mrs. Song and four or five other women who work as cyclo drivers and porters. |
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| For anyone who needs to load or transport anything, Mrs. Song will do it. From sand, wood, gravel, stone, cement, furniture… depending on the volume and distance, the price per trip ranges from 100,000 to 120,000 VND. On busy days, it's normal for her to transport several loads of cement, gravel, or wood, sometimes totaling a ton. |
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| Normally, women like her wear gloves when moving furniture, but sometimes they're in a hurry and have to use their bare hands. Because of the strenuous work, it's almost a daily occurrence for gloves to wear out quickly. Mrs. Song jokingly says that in nearly 20 years of working, she's probably replaced hundreds of gloves. |
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| Ms. Song confided that women working in this arduous profession don't look forward to days off because if they take a break, where will the money come from to support their families and children? The work is hard, and earning money is becoming increasingly difficult as customers are gradually switching to hiring smaller transport vehicles, so most people like Ms. Song don't even think about gifts on March 8th. "We struggle to even get enough to eat, so March 8th or 9th is all the same to me," Ms. Song said. |
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| When she was younger, her home was far away, so she would bring a lunchbox with a few tomatoes to save money. But now that she's older and needs to maintain her health to raise her children, she spends an extra 5,000-10,000 dong on food, or sometimes, when she's too tired, she buys herself a bowl of noodles. |
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| Her only consolation is raising three daughters: one has graduated and has a stable job, another is a sophomore in university, and the youngest is in 12th grade preparing to enter university. For Mrs. Song, seeing her children grow up healthy and well-behaved each day is the most priceless gift. Therefore, even if it means sweating, crying, or falling ill, as long as it's not too serious, she is willing to do any job to raise and educate her children. She confided that as long as her children understand the hard work and dedication of their parents, and are well-behaved and studious, that is a gift more precious than any flowers or presents on International Women's Day. |
Chu Thanh
