Staying up all night to prepare pickled jackfruit and salted bamboo shoots to support the people of Vinh City in fighting the epidemic.

Working together to prepare food.

For the past two nights, the women of Son Thinh hamlet, Thanh Thinh commune (Thanh Chuong district), have been staying up late making "nhut" - a traditional local dish that has existed for a long time - to send as gifts to people in Vinh city.

Ms. Phan Thi Tam (38 years old) - a woman in the hamlet - said that in coordination with the Youth Union of the commune, the women of Mo Nu group, Son Thinh hamlet, started making jackfruit pickle to support the "0-dong" charity stall.Vinh City.

Jackfruit pickle, made from unripe jackfruit, has long been a specialty of the people of Thanh Chuong. Photo: Huy Thu

Each night, around 15 people participate. After gathering jackfruit (donated by the villagers and picked by the young people) and other ingredients, at about 8 pm, the women gather at Ms. Tam's house to start processing the jackfruit into pickled jackfruit. Some peel the jackfruit, others chop ginger and lemongrass, and still others grate and mix the ingredients. The atmosphere is very lively, and the work continues until 11 pm before they rest.

“Each night, our team processes 10 unripe jackfruits. Over two nights of showcasing our jackfruit pickling skills, we've produced more than 50 jars of high-quality pickled jackfruit. We also shelled peanuts. We hope to contribute a small gift to the people in Vinh City,” Ms. Tam shared.

Residents of Thanh My commune (Thanh Chuong district) stayed up all night making jackfruit pickle to support the "0-dong" charity stall in Vinh City. Photo: Huy Thu

Similar to Son Thinh hamlet in Thanh Thinh commune, many other hamlets have also started processing food in this way. The people involved are mainly women, mothers, and grandmothers, who work in the fields and gardens during the day, and then join hands with their neighbors in the evenings.

Besides the female farmers, there are also youth union members, teachers, etc. Some hamlets make jackfruit pickle, others make sour bamboo shoots, and other hamlets also make other dishes such as sesame and peanuts, pickled vegetables, etc.

During this time in Thanh Chuong, people from many communes such as Hanh Lam, Phong Thinh, Thanh Mai, Thanh My, Thanh Duong, Thanh Tung, Thanh Dong… also simultaneously organized the processing of food and specialties to support Vinh City.

Making jackfruit pickle involves many steps: peeling, grating, kneading, mixing, and salting... In the photo: People in Thanh Ngoc commune (Thanh Chuong district) working together to make jackfruit pickle. Photo: Huy Thu

The Women's Union of Thanh My commune also established a "Rice Jar for Epidemic Prevention" to collect rice donations for frontline workers. Young people in some communes also participated in this initiative.unripejackfruit,Sesame seeds and peanuts can also be used to make face shields to prevent the spread of disease.

Ms. Le Thi Tuyet from My Huong hamlet, Thanh My commune, shared: “In a short time, the Women's Union branch has worked together to make 60 jars of pickled jackfruit, collected 200 kg of rice and many other food items to send to people in Vinh City. Although we stayed up late and were a little tired, we all felt happy and warm-hearted.”

In addition, local people also shell peanuts and process sesame seeds... In the photo: Young people in Thanh Dong commune (Thanh Chuong district) processing sesame seeds and peanuts. Photo: Huy Thu

Support every bundle of vegetables, every egg.

Although they don't process food, the club members...volunteerHung Thai Nghia from Nam Dan district was equally enthusiastic in supporting people in quarantine in Vinh.

Mr. Nguyen Truong Khuyen (36 years old) - a member of the club - said: In recent days, the club has actively called on people in communes such as Nam Nghia, Nam Hung, Nam Thai, Nam Thanh, and Xuan Hoa to contribute clean vegetables and fruits grown by the locals themselves (green bananas, water spinach, morning glory, bamboo shoots, lemons, bitter melon), meat, eggs, etc., and successfully organized two truckloads of food to distribute to four locations in Vinh City.

Residents of Nam Dan district contributed fruits and vegetables to support Vinh city. Photo: Huy Thu.

In the scorching heat, the club's volunteers worked through lunchtime. Due to overwork, Mr. Khuyen fainted right in front of the Hung Dung Ward People's Committee. Despite the hardships and difficulties, nothing could deter the enthusiastic steps of the volunteers. "We are raising funds to launch the next food aid deliveries to Vinh City and Dien Chau," Mr. Khuyen shared.

During this time, people in many communes of Nam Dan enthusiastically contributed food, vegetables, and fruits to temples in the area to be transported to Vinh. The image of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nam (Mrs. Man, 90 years old) in Xuan Son hamlet, Nam Xuan commune, who, despite her advanced age, still brought peanuts and eggs to support people in quarantined areas, touched many hearts.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nam (90 years old) brings food to donate to the people of Vinh City. Photo: Huy Thu.

It can be said that, in order to provide timely support to COVID-19 quarantine areas in the province, especially in Vinh City, in recent days, many organizations, individuals, departments, and associations in localities have launched campaigns and joined hands to donate with the spirit of "mutual support" and "a little help in times of need is worth more than abundance in times of plenty," all for the cause of successfully combating the epidemic.

During this time, people in each rural area participated and supported the cause in many ways. Some contributed their labor, others contributed resources: cash, fruits from their gardens, local specialties... In some localities, people put in the effort to process food into ready-to-eat meals that can be preserved for a long time.

Although these were just ordinary, simple dishes, they conveyed the deep affection of people from rural areas for the quarantined areas in the province. In some places, where people couldn't prepare food, they immediately transported fresh vegetables and fruits they had donated that day to Vinh City. For example, the Fatherland Front Committee of Xuan Lam commune (Hung Nguyen district) coordinated with benefactors to donate 5 tons of green pumpkins to the Fatherland Front Committee of Vinh City.

Heartwarming acts of kindness amidst the pandemic.

In the spirit of "every household joining hands to fight the epidemic," a widespread mutual support movement has emerged across localities. Besides donating materials, cooking meals, contributing milk and eggs to support the task force and those in quarantine, people in the districts have also actively organized charitable programs directed towards the beloved city of Vinh.

The simple gifts from the countryside sent to people in Vinh City may be modest, but they are filled with warmth and human kindness. Photo: Huy Thu

Mr. Nguyen Huu Quang, originally from Do Luong, said: "In the past few days, I have organized six free trips to transport relief supplies from people in Thanh Chuong and Do Luong, including food, to Vinh and deliver them directly to the receiving points."

Late at night, families joined hands to prepare pickled jackfruit and sour bamboo shoots, while charitable vehicles carrying relief supplies rushed towards Vinh City, evoking images of the floods of previous years, when our people shared joys and sorrows with those affected by the floods in Central Vietnam. It seems that amidst natural disasters and epidemics, the spirit of brotherhood shines brighter than ever.

Trucks loaded with fruits and vegetables from the Hung Thai Nghia Charity Club arrive in Vinh. Photo: Tran Ngoc

Huy Thu