Simple yet compassionate heart

(Baonghean) - This woman with her streaked gray hair and warm smile is no stranger to the Nghe An Newspaper editorial office, as she always chooses to use the Nghe An Newspaper to do charity work and share with those facing hardship in life.

Her house is in Tan Phuc Apartment Complex, Vinh City. She and her husband live on their pensions, their daily meals simple, but she is always enthusiastic about sharing with those less fortunate. She said: “Whenever there’s an article published in Nghe An Newspaper about the plight of the poor, I try to share, just a little bit of kindness is all I ask!...” Recently, Nghe An Newspaper published an article titled “The Dream of a Poor Student” about the plight of Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, a 9th-grade student from Phan Dang Luu Secondary School. After reading it, she cycled to the Nghe An Newspaper office to donate 500,000 VND and give a shirt to Lan Anh. She said that if Lan Anh passes the university entrance exam in Vinh City, she would like to provide food and accommodation if she wishes… Then, she hurried back home.

Her hometown is Nam Cuong, Nam Dan, beside the gentle Lam River. She said that her childhood was much luckier than many of her peers because her parents were government officials. But it was during those afternoons playing with her friends on the dike or the nights watching the oars stir the water on the green Lam River with small lights shining from the bows of fishing boats that she witnessed the hardships of life, and early on understood the yearning and hope for a simple livelihood that so many people couldn't easily attain...

In her mind, the images of children like Hong and Hoi remain vivid, as they faced hardship and suffering that seemed overwhelming. For example, Hoi – a young student from Ky Anh district (Ha Tinh province) who didn't have enough to eat, whose parents died early, and who had to live with her aunt. One day, she accidentally met Hoi, heard her story, and with only a few hundred thousand dong left in her pocket, she rushed to a roadside stall to buy two boxes of instant noodles, quickly telling Hoi, "Try your best, child." Then, through her letters and her small, everyday acts of care, she gradually gave the student the strength and willpower to overcome those difficult and impoverished years. Now, Hoi has a warm family and a stable job in Bien Hoa...

She was humble but resolutely refused to write, photograph, or talk about herself... Suddenly, I understood that everything she did simply stemmed from her compassionate heart, her belief that "love others as you love yourself"!

Thu Huong