Touching stories from the vegetable stall

Mom's vegetable tray

At 3 a.m., while the city was still asleep, Ms. Nguyen Thi Chung (born in 1982) prepared her goods for a new day. Her vegetables were dropped off at the entrance of the alley next to Cua Bac market (Vinh city). As scheduled, as soon as the vegetables were dropped off, an old cyclo slowly arrived, picked up all the vegetables, and carried them about 40 meters into the alley before dropping them off next to the side gate. With a flashlight on her head, Ms. Chung slowly spread out the tarp, unloaded the goods, and removed the plastic bags to display the vegetables for sale. The light from the flashlight on her forehead was bright enough to clearly illuminate her weathered face.

Ms. Chung starts a new day with a bus from Hoang Mai to Vinh City. She wakes up at 0:00 a.m. to prepare goods for the street and catches the 1:00 a.m. bus to Vinh. “When I arrive in Vinh at 3:00 a.m., I have enough time to buy more vegetables, prepare goods and deliver to some close customers at 4-5 a.m. After selling until 1:00 p.m., I take a sleeper bus back to Hoang Mai. When I get home at 3:00 p.m., I rest and prepare to go collect vegetables from the people at 6:00 a.m. and cook at 7:30 a.m. When I finish packing, it is exactly 10:00 a.m.,” Ms. Chung said as she quickly prepares her goods. Ms. Chung has maintained this schedule for many years, regardless of rain or shine, winter or summer. Because she is diligent, honest, and goes to the market regularly, many restaurants and eateries trust her and order from her.

Ms. Chung’s vegetable tray is not too big but has a variety of types. Besides the vegetables collected from the people, there are also some selected from the wholesale market and some “specialty” items that regular customers ask to buy such as Quynh Di fish sauce, free-range chickens, etc.

Compared to Ms. Chung's vegetable tray, Ms. Dinh Thi Huong's vegetable tray is smaller. Living in Nghi Phu commune, Vinh city, selling vegetables at Quan Bau market, Ms. Huong's vegetables are mainly taken from the wholesale market or bought from some households at the market. On a tarpaulin about 2m wide²There are cucumbers, bamboo shoots, squash, vegetables, potatoes… she displays a little of each, just enough to sell in the morning. The “specialty” that she receives the most support from customers is homemade bean sprouts. While selling, she takes the time to sift and pick the sprouts, dividing them into bags for customers to easily take.

Although she doesn’t have to go as far as Ms. Chung, Ms. Huong still has to wake up quite early to go to the wholesale market. “I do small business so I don’t buy a lot from traders. I often choose to buy from people who collect vegetables from the people. These types are usually picked in the evening and sold in the morning, so they are very fresh. They are similar to local vegetables, so the quality is also better. If I come across a family that picks their own vegetables to sell, I will buy them all. The vegetables may not be as pretty, but they are cleaner and more secure. My customers like these types of vegetables,” Ms. Huong explained while picking up the price.

Collect coins to nurture hope for your child's life

Experiencing the sun, rain, wind and frost, the income from the small vegetable trays is saved up by each penny. The more deprived, the more the women next to the vegetable trayssimpleThe more they hope their children will have a more prosperous and peaceful life.

No one around Quan Bau market (Vinh city) does not know the situation of Ms. Huong. Five years ago, her vegetable tray always had two children standing next to it. Her husband died early, leaving her with no breadwinner, Ms. Huong struggled to stand up, determined to stay at the market to pay for her children's education. The older child helped her mother pick vegetables and pay for customers. The younger child, who could not walk yet, either lay in her mother's lap, hung on her side, or sat among the vegetables to play. The mother and children were all skinny, the two children were always dirty, eating whatever was given to them. "If I sold everything, I would make a profit of about 150,000 - 200,000 VND. If I didn't sell much, I would bring the vegetables home to cook. In the afternoon, when I didn't go to the market, I would buy scrap. It was very hard, but even if I had to borrow money, I had to let the two children study properly. Only by studying would their lives be better than mine," Ms. Huong confided.

In her story, Ms. Huong tells about a woman named Hoa, who lives near her house. She said: “Ms. Hoa’s shabby vegetable tray raised all three children to study properly. Now all three children have a prosperous, fulfilling life, stable jobs, and high salaries. I don’t want my children to be rich, I just hope their lives don’t suffer like mine.” As if understanding her mother’s thoughts, her eldest child grew up to be more obedient and independent, and when her mother was busy, she took care of her younger siblings and cooked for them.

With that same wish, Ms. Chung has the motivation to cling to her mother.vegetablefor the past 15 years. “After deducting the cost of 150 thousand VND for transportation, my average daily profit is 200 - 300 thousand VND. On days when there are many wholesale orders, I can earn 500 thousand VND - but that's rare. Many people tell me, with such hard work, I can only earn 200 thousand VND, so why go all the way to Vinh to sell... But for people like us, 200 thousand VND is already valuable. Compared to the salary of 250 thousand VND/day as a construction worker, selling vegetables gives me more control over time and work" - Ms. Chung confided.

Although she is more proactive about her time and more relaxed mentally, Ms. Chung has health problems when her body's biological calendar is disrupted. Many years of insomnia have reduced her resistance and she often gets sick. "Luckily, my family has 3 children, all of whom love their mother. My first two children are now studying at university in Hanoi, the second one is also doing well academically. When my mother goes to the market, the sisters just advise each other on studying and eating, without letting her say anything harsh to her" - Ms. Chung smiled. Her smile is full of hope for the future of her children.