A happy Tet holiday for special couples returning to Nghe An to avoid the epidemic by motorbike

House of love

In the last days of the year, Xong Ba Xo (22 years old, Pha Lom village, Tam Hop commune, Tuong Duong), is still busy with the group of workers with the final stages of building a house. Meeting the reporter again, Xo could not help but be moved when showing off that he will soon be celebrating Tet in the newly built house. "We are able to do this thanks to the appeal of the press and the kindness of benefactors. In the past, my husband and I could not even dream of having a house like this," Xo said, pointing to his now chubby son, who had to follow his parents through a stormy journey when he was less than 10 days old.

The house Xo built with community support money. Photo: Tien Hung

Xo was born into a poor family, like most of the other Mong people in this border village. A year ago, Xo got married, and his wife's family was not much better off. Therefore, the whole family of more than 10 people had to squeeze into a cramped house, roughly built with miscellaneous wood panels. Unable to bear the poverty, Xo and his wife decided to go to the South to work for hire, despite the raging Covid-19 pandemic. In Binh Duong, the young couple rented a small room and worked at a wood company. Xo said that although the work was hard, the income was much higher than staying at home and working in the fields.

The son returned home with his parents when he was only 10 days old. Photo: Tien Hung

But just a few months later, the pandemic hit. Xo and his wife, like many other workers, had to endure unemployment and spend all day in their rented room. At this time, Xo's wife, Giang A Tranh (19 years old), was in her final months of pregnancy, making life even more difficult. On July 21, Xo's wife gave birth to a 2.6 kg baby boy. After 4 days in the hospital, when they returned to their rented room, all the workers had returned home by motorbike.

At that time, seeing that the child was too young, it was a pity to take him back to his hometown by motorbike. But there was no other way, the money was almost gone, and I could not borrow any more. I had to go back as a last resort,” Xo said. When his wife was exactly 7 days old, the couple began their journey home.

The young father drove the old motorbike, behind was Ms. Tranh, her arms tightly holding her baby, trying to follow the group of repatriates for fear of being left behind. But the old motorbike refused to listen, constantly breaking down in the rain and wind along the way. As a result, Xo and his wife were left far behind. Luckily, after 3 days of struggling, Xo and his wife met a volunteer group when they arrived in Da Nang.

Thousands of Nghe An workers return home by motorbike to avoid the epidemic. Photo: Tien Hung

The group then volunteered to repair the car, then used a car to take the young couple back to their hometown safely. After the press published the story, many people could not hold back their tears when witnessing the image of the little child following his parents back home because of the pandemic. And in those difficult times due to the pandemic, the solidarity of fellow countrymen was shown. Many philanthropists then proactively supported Xo's family.

“Up to now, my wife and I have received more than 500 million VND in support. This is a huge amount of money for my family. I spent 100 million VND to build this house, and the rest is still in savings in the bank for our children,” Xong Ba Xo said, adding that he plans to let his wife and children stay home after Tet to raise livestock and work on the farm. He will continue to go to the city to work for hire. He does not dare to waste the money that benefactors have given him.

From lives that fell into dire circumstances due to the pandemic, finally, thanks to the solidarity of fellow countrymen, Xo and his wife are preparing for a warm and cozy Tet together. The couple said that they have never been as happy to celebrate Tet as this year. When we arrived, Giang A Tranh left her 5-month-old son with a neighbor so she could go shopping for Tet and return home. The Tet items that Tranh bought were quite meager, just a few packages of candy, soft drinks, and a few new clothes for the whole family as well as necessary items for the couple to live separately. Tranh could not hide her joy when she boasted that this was the first time she had gone shopping for Tet.

Mr. Bach and his wife are also gradually stabilizing their lives thanks to the help of the community. Photo: Tien Hung

Not far from Xo’s house, Luong Van Bach (28 years old, Vang Mon village) and his wife were also in a similar situation. But thanks to the support of the whole community, the young couple’s life is now stable in their hometown.

Bach and his wife came to Ho Chi Minh City to work for a living since the beginning of 2020. Bach is a freelancer, his wife Kha Thi Anh is a garment worker. Since June 2021, the couple had to quit their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic, "living a miserable life" in a cramped rented room. Their life became even more difficult when their first child was born at the peak of the pandemic.

On October 4, 2021, with no other choice, Mr. Bach and his wife, along with their 20-day-old newborn baby wrapped in a towel and a bunch of belongings, left the city to return to their hometown. The journey home was more than 1,500 km long by an old, broken-down motorbike.

After passing Hai Van Pass, Mr. Bach was exhausted and could not run anymore. Luckily, he and his wife met a volunteer group there and they supported them with a car to Nghe An, when the distance home was still more than 500 km. In addition, the community also supported Bach and his wife with a large sum of money to stabilize their lives.

Warm Tet of the child abandoned on the street

Saying goodbye to Xong Ba Xo and Luong Van Bach, we went up to the remote Huoi Moi village in Tri Le commune, Que Phong, to meet Va Ba Sao (22 years old) and his wife. However, we had to wait until dusk to be satisfied because Sao and his wife had to go to work in the fields, even though Tet was near. “They are very hard-working. Even though they have a lot of money now, they still carry their children to the fields all day long,” said a neighbor of Sao.

At the beginning of the year, Sao and his wife took their first son, who was just over a year old, to Binh Phuoc to tap rubber. However, also due to the impact of the pandemic, one day in early October, the young couple decided to return home by motorbike along with thousands of other workers. However, when they arrived in Quang Tri, Sao's wife, Tho Y Dung (19 years old), went into labor and gave birth to a baby girl right next to National Highway 1A.

At this time, the couple had no money left. The mother did not have health insurance, nor had she prepared clothes or supplies for the birth. The whole family was then helped to go to a nearby medical center. After Nghe An Newspaper published the story, many benefactors proactively contacted and supported the mother with money and necessary items. The whole family was then taken by ambulance to their hometown.

Sao and her husband were helped and taken home after giving birth on the road. Photo: TH

When we met again, Sao boasted that he had received nearly 100 million VND in support from benefactors. But he and his wife have not dared to touch that money yet, but still save it. Sao plans to withdraw some in the near future to prepare a warm Tet for the child who was born on the street. "I pray that we will soon overcome the pandemic. So that we will not have to face the situation like we did," Sao said emotionally.

Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2021, thousands of Nghe An workers had to travel a long way from the southern provinces to return home. Along the stormy journey, there were many losses and heartbreaking accidents. But it was also during those difficult times that the solidarity of compatriots was promoted.

Along the highway are charity stalls of organizations and individuals. Many groups were established to repair motorbikes, provide meals, clothes, etc. for their compatriots. In Nghe An, right at the gateway, there are almost always volunteer groups, social organizations, and authorities to give gifts and support to people in times of need. These actions have made the stormy journey of repatriated workers seem shorter.