The misery of a disabled couple whose house burned down

(Baonghean.vn) – Hearing that the house of Mr. Luong Van Hieu and his wife was burned down this morning (February 18, 2017), the authorities of Thach Giam commune (Tuong Duong) and the people of Mac village promptly came to encourage and share so that the family could soon overcome the situation.

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Hieu and his son next to the burned down house. Photo: Lu Phu

After the fire that occurred on the morning of February 18, the family situation of Mr. Luong Van Hieu and Ms. Luong Thi La, in Mac village, Thach Giam commune (Tuong Duong) became even more miserable, causing many people to feel heartbroken.

The life of Mr. Hieu and Ms. La started with nothing, difficulties have followed them since their marriage until now because they came together with the sympathy of two disabled people. Mr. Luong Van Hieu and Ms. Luong Thi La became husband and wife in 2012, and in 2013, they separated and built a house on the production land behind the village. They had no fields or gardens, were not good at trading, and their income depended on the 820,000 VND subsidy from the State. Every day, Ms. La picked bamboo shoots and dug up wild tubers to sell to make a living. Despite the difficulties, they still loved and encouraged each other to overcome them, and together took care of their 3-year-old son, Luong Chi Vi.

The thatched house and all of Mr. Hieu's family's belongings were left with only ashes after the fire. Photo: Lu Phu

They thought their lives would go on peacefully like that. But at around 8:30 a.m. on February 18, 2017, disaster suddenly struck the family of Mr. Hieu and Ms. La. While playing with fire, Mr. Hieu's 3-year-old son, Vi, accidentally set fire to the roof. The house was thatched and covered with bamboo, so in no time, the entire house, furniture, and all of the couple's personal documents were burned down by the fire.

Mr. Hieu said that in the morning, Ms. La and another woman in the village went into the forest to pick bamboo shoots to sell at the district market to earn some money to pay for food for her son. "At that time, I was at home looking after the children. Around 8 o'clock, when I was making a fire, Vi said that he would help his father make the fire. Then he took a small torch and went behind the house. A moment later, he saw that the fire had reached the roof. I was so scared that I used a piece of wood to put out the fire. The more I tried to put it out, the bigger the fire got..." - Mr. Hieu said, wiping away tears.

Mr. Luong Van Hieu's family is a particularly difficult household in the village. Both husband and wife are disabled at over 62% and are eligible for a subsidy of 410,000 VND/person/month.

To help Mr. Hieu's family have a place to stay, local authorities visited and mobilized people to help.

On the afternoon of February 18, the Mac villagers helped Mr. Luong Van Hieu and his wife move to the house of his brother-in-law, Vi Van Khay, who lives in the same village. Mr. Khay and his wife are working far away, so the house is currently empty. The villagers also promptly helped Mr. Hieu repair some damaged parts. At the same time, many relatives and neighbors brought rice, food, blankets, clothes, dishes, books and some necessities to support Mr. Hieu's family.

Luong Van Hieu's family members prepare dinner. Photo: Dinh Tuan.

It is known that Mr. Luong Van Hieu (born in 1984) has had muscular atrophy since childhood, his wife, Ms. Luong Thi La (born in 1987), is mute from birth and has intellectual disability. The two got married in 2012 and currently have a 3-year-old son named Luong Chi Vy.

Phu - Kien - Tuan