The oldest female cyclo driver in Vinh City

(Baonghean.vn) – Under the scorching sun, Ms. Pham Thi Lan still sits waiting for customers to hire her to transport goods - a job that requires the health and flexibility of men.

Ms. Pham Thi Lan, 59 years old, in Dong Vinh Ward (Vinh City) is considered the oldest woman working as a cyclo driver, more than half of her life has been attached to the tricycle. Growing up in a family of 8 children, Ms. Lan is the second child in the family.

Every day, regardless of rain or shine, Ms. Pham Thi Lan still works hard pedaling a cyclo and transporting goods to make a living.

She thought that when she got married, her life would turn a new page, but unexpectedly, poverty still followed her. With no capital, she and her husband worked as coolies and saved up a little money to buy a cyclo to transport passengers and goods to earn money to pay for their living expenses and to raise their three children.

At first, although it was hard, there was still money coming in, but later on, as means of transport developed, cyclos became obsolete, so the number of passengers gradually decreased, and life became more and more difficult.

Mrs. Lan stands waiting for customers to take her.

While transporting goods, Ms. Lan’s husband unfortunately fell ill, and from then on his strength was weakened, and she became the main breadwinner of the family. Every day, from 6am to 6pm, the woman with two types of hair hurriedly cycled to Cua Tien bridge, waiting for customers to hire her to transport goods. She carried whatever people hired her to carry, from soil, rocks, sand, gravel to cement, wood, materials…

Ms. Lan carries many types of goods, including heavy and bulky items such as wood, steel, and construction materials. In the photo: Ms. Lan was hired to transport wood to a construction site in Vinh Tan Ward.

The work is hard but the pay is not much, each trip she is paid from 50,000 to 150,000 VND by customers, depending on the distance and volume. On rainy and stormy days, there are no customers, so Mrs. Lan does not earn enough money to feed her family. The work is hard and tiring, and she has often sprained her arm or slipped. If it is light, she rubs oil on it so she can continue the next day, but if it is serious, she has to go to the hospital for a few days of treatment.

The work is hard and tiring but the income is hardly enough to cover the family's daily expenses.

After a tiring day of work, at night Mrs. Lan returned to her role as a mother: cleaning, cooking, washing, taking care of the children... She thought that family life would gradually improve, but misfortune once again came to the family in 1994, when her first daughter was tricked and sold to China.

In 1998, her daughter escaped back to Vietnam with a child. Her two sons also had unstable jobs and incomes.

All day long, she earns her living by pedaling a cyclo. When she returns home, Mrs. Lan continues to fulfill her duties as a woman.

After more than 30 years of hunched over a tricycle, the hard work seemed to have drained Mrs. Lan's health. She had to be hospitalized twice to have her appendix and gallstones removed. After being discharged from the hospital, she continued to pedal a cyclo to make a living. At nearly 60 years old, with many grandchildren, and her health declining, Mrs. Lan still worked hard on each trip to earn her daily meals.

Sitting on the side of the road in the middle of a hot summer day, watching people passing by, the oldest cyclo driver in Vinh City only wishes to earn enough money to support her family and truly "retire".

Chu Thanh