The person who gathers the 'flame' of compassion for the poor and needy.
"I left my hometown behind, so whenever something happens there, my heart aches..." These were the heartfelt words of Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Huong when we met her during a charity trip at the end of 2025 to Na Ngoi border commune.
From "early spring" at the foot of Phu Xai mountain
Following the historic floods in western Nghe An province at the end of July 2025, the road to Na Ngoi remains rugged, but it couldn't deter the volunteer group called "Nghe An People in Hanoi." Leading the group is Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Huong, a native of Nghe An who has been away from her hometown for nearly 20 years. Her story on the way to Na Ngoi surprised us. She knows that this is the highest point in Nghe An province, a place with a harsh climate, experiencing snow and ice in winter and scorching sun in summer; and her understanding of the lives of the ethnic minority communities there, with their hardships, toil, and poverty year-round… All of these things are the reasons why Xuan Huong organized this journey to bring an early spring to the people at the foot of Phu Xai Lai Leng mountain.
The "People of Nghe An in Hanoi" charity convoy arrived at the center of the commune around noon. A large number of local people had already gathered at the commune's People's Committee office. The sight of the petite woman and the working group, in coordination with the Na Ngoi Border Guard Post, meticulously distributing each item moved everyone. It wasn't just 3 tons of rice, 3 tons of warm clothes, or essential items like blankets, medicine, and other necessities, but also a deep understanding of even the most delicate needs of women in the highlands, evident in each package of sanitary pads and each bottle of shower gel. Particularly noteworthy was the presence of medical equipment such as hospital beds, wheelchairs, and refrigerators, demonstrating a philanthropic vision that extends beyond simply providing food, encompassing long-term healthcare for the villagers.
In the radiant eyes of the children in the highlands receiving their new school bags, or in the warm handshake of the elderly in Na Ngoi, one can clearly see that spring has arrived early. And from this deeply human encounter, we gradually came to understand more about the persistent journey of "gathering fire" that this woman has undertaken over the past year.
Towards the "springtime" of a compassionate heart.
Her philosophy of "traveling to return, living to share" didn't come naturally. It was forged from the arduous life of a native of Nghe An province living far from home. Once a secondary school teacher forced to change careers due to circumstances, she experienced various jobs from cleaning and office work to venturing into business and participating in social projects; she also held many positions at the Nghi Loc - Cua Lo Hometown Association and the Nghe An Hometown Association in Hanoi… While these jobs didn't bring her material wealth, they allowed her to travel widely, interact with diverse people, and empathize more deeply with those in need.
Then she realized that the poverty of the people in her remote hometown was a haunting memory that had lasted for generations. She recounted that in the early days of establishing herself in the bustling city, the image of innocent children's eyes in the impoverished village or the hunched backs of the women and mothers in the "scorched earth" was always present in her mind. It was like a debt of gratitude urging her to do something.
Instead of contributing silently, Ms. Huong chose the role of a "pioneer"—a connector of compassionate hands. She understood that the strength of one person, no matter how great, is just a drop in the ocean, but if one can inspire the spirit of solidarity among the people of Nghe An living far from home, that drop can become a powerful river. For her, charity is not about giving, but about sharing among those who speak the same dialect, share the same unwavering will, and possess profound compassion. This very mindset transformed a busy businesswoman into a dedicated "logistics manager" for the poor and needy. Whenever she hears about a rural area cut off by floods or a village lacking food and clothing, she forgets her role as CEO or the pressures of daily business, devoting herself entirely to the journeys to the central region of Vietnam.
Looking back at Xuan Huong's journey over the past year, one cannot help but admire a woman who is "resilient" on the humanitarian front. When the devastating floods of July 2025 hit western Nghe An, submerging many villages in water and mud, her phone became a constantly active "hotline."
In the heart of Hanoi, Xuan Huong launched her "Flame of Compassion" campaign. Beyond simply posting on social media, she personally visited gatherings of people from Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces, knocking on the doors of businesspeople in the capital to stir their empathy. The result of sleepless nights was the rapid collection of tens of tons of rice, thousands of boxes of instant noodles, and essential medical supplies.
She didn't stand idly by watching the crowds transporting goods; instead, she was directly involved on the overnight journeys, accompanying the convoy through landslide-prone roads where "a slight misstep could lead to a deep abyss." There were times when her feet were covered in mud, her face haggard from lack of sleep, but her eyes lit up with joy whenever she personally handed out heartfelt gifts to the people in times of hardship.
Not only focusing on her hometown of Nghe An, during the historic floods of 2025 in Central Vietnam, Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Huong also directly called for and organized the transportation of relief goods to many severely affected areas. From Hanoi, she and other benefactors directly brought more than 10 tons of essential goods to support flood victims in Phu Yen, followed by 2 tons of relief goods for people in Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa) and 4 tons for people in Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh province. These long lines of trucks carried not only rice, noodles, clean water, and medicine, but also shared compassion and offered moral support to the people during their most difficult times.
And a promise filled with love for the homeland.
Concluding her trip to Na Ngoi, the woman quietly returned to the hustle and bustle of life, to her role as CEO and the daily business pressures in the capital. However, the lingering memory of the highland smiles remains, becoming the motivation for her to continue building bridges of compassion.
Recently, while working with the "Bridge of Compassion" program of Nghe An Newspaper and Radio and Television, Ms. Huong once again moved us with a heartfelt promise. Faced with the unfortunate lives of those struggling daily with illness and poverty, she couldn't hold back her tears. She affirmed that she would do her utmost to mobilize philanthropists and successful people from Nghe An to join hands in helping those in difficult circumstances.
That promise is not just a personal commitment, but the continuation of a "flame" of enduring compassion over the years. "I haven't chosen to stop; as long as I have the strength, I will keep going, as long as I have breath, I will keep sharing," Ms. Xuan Huong confided. She believes that, with her reputation and pure heart, she will continue to warm more homes and write more fairy tales in everyday life for the impoverished people of Nghe An.