Nine thousand people eke out a living at Vinh Market Bus Station under the scorching sun.
Around midday, the ground at Vinh Market Bus Station in Truong Vinh Ward was scorching hot. Large and small trucks lined up to enter the station, waiting to unload their goods. Amidst the roar of engines and the clanging of goods, porters continued to toil under the intense summer sun of Nghe An province.
As a truck pulled up to the corner of the dock, Tran Ngoc Tuan and Le Tuan Nha immediately went to load the roofing sheets onto the truck. When it came to the heavy sacks, the two men couldn't lift them, so Nha waved his hand, and immediately two thin, dark-skinned young men, covered in sweat, ran quickly to help.
During a short break, Tuan shared that he has been working as a porter for over 5 years. His daily work mainly involves loading and unloading goods from trucks.
"Loading and unloading goods is already hard work, but it's even harder on hot days. Sometimes I'm so exhausted I can't continue, but I have to keep going because I think of my wife and children," Tuan said.
In the Vinh Market Bus Station area, Mr. Le Van Tan (65 years old) is well-known as one of the long-time porters. Short, stocky, and with a dark complexion, he chatted while tying goods onto his old motorbike.
"With a large family and difficult circumstances, we have to cling to this profession to make a living. Even on the hottest days, we have to keep selling goods continuously; we go whenever a customer calls. Earning a few hundred thousand dong a day is a blessing," Mr. Tan shared.
It's not just men; at this bus station, there are also women working in goods transportation. Completely covered to protect herself from the sun, Ms. Duong Thi Thao, a resident of Thanh Vinh ward, nimbly ties bulky packages onto her motorbike before handing them over to truck owners.
For many years, her job has been to receive goods from distributors and then transport them to the bus station. Some shipments weigh nearly 100kg.
"It's all for the sake of my children's lives and future. The work is hard, but as long as it provides an income, I'll keep doing it," Thao said.
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In another corner of the bus station, Mr. Le Quoc Dung (67 years old), thin and gaunt, still struggled to transfer steel bars from his rickshaw to a cargo truck. Sweat soaked his faded shirt and even the scarf draped over his shoulder... He has been doing this job since he was under 30, exposing himself to the elements almost every day on the roads, exchanging labor for profit, and his strength for a living.
In recent years, my health has deteriorated, and after each day of work, I feel aches and pains all over my body, but I still can't take a break.
"If I quit, I don't know how I'll afford medicine for my wife and cover our daily expenses," he said, then bent down again to continue moving goods.
It was well past noon, and the number of trucks at the dock was dwindling, with only a few dozen remaining. Near the outer wall, Nguyen Sy Khanh (30 years old) and another porter were still loading goods onto the trucks. Despite his face being drenched in sweat, salty and tanned, his eyes still smiled when asked about his work.
He said he had also considered finding a less demanding job, but so far hasn't found a suitable option.
"For now, I still have to work long hours to provide for my family," Khánh said.
Amidst the scorching summer sun of Nghe An province, the porters at Vinh Market Bus Station quietly eke out a living through their labor. As the buses depart, they huddle in a corner, waiting for the next shipment to continue another arduous day of earning a living.