Sad single life

Passengers traveling on Highway 7A, Hamlet 4, Vien Thanh Commune (Yen Thanh) often see a woman with a cane in her hand, limping, selling a few clay pots in front of her house. She is Bui Thi Dang (born in 1947) - a former Youth Volunteer (TNXP), who was present at the fiercest attacks on the North-South route through the "fire line" of Nghe An.

Ms. Dang said: “At the age of 20, I followed a group of frontline workers carrying supplies to support the Lao battlefield. Upon returning, I joined the Youth Volunteers, operating in Dien Chau, Nghi Loc and Quynh Luu; the main task was to fill bomb craters to clear roads and allow vehicles to reach the front line...”.

Former Youth Volunteer Bui Thi Dang in front of her small, dilapidated house. Photo: Cong Kien

During the nearly 3-year period (1969-1971), female Youth Volunteer Bui Thi Dang and her teammates regularly held positions at key points along National Highway 1A such as Bung Bridge (Dien Chau), Cam Bridge (Nghi Loc) and Hoang Mai Bridge (Quynh Luu). These points became fire coordinates, because the enemy attacked day and night in an attempt to cut off the strategic route and prevent support for the southern battlefield.

As soon as the bombs stopped, the Youth Volunteer Force arrived in time to level the road and reconnect the bridge so that the convoys could continue to pass. At night, when the American planes were not operating, Ms. Dang's unit went to Dien Ngoc and Dien Bich beaches to carry ammunition from ships and boats to serve the anti-aircraft artillery positions, anti-aircraft artillery positions, and militia units in the area.

Mrs. Bui Thi Dang reserved the most solemn place to hang the donated documents. Photo: Cong Kien

Once, a bomb fell near the shelter, a piece of earth fell down and crushed her back and legs, the pressure of the explosion made Ms. Dang faint. Fortunately, her teammates were there and rescued her in time, she escaped the hands of death but had to suffer lifelong injuries.

Returning to her hometown at the age of 24, with injuries on her body, at that time (1971) she was considered "too old, too late". Because, most of the men and young men went to the battlefield, at home there were only women and children. As the days passed, the girl Bui Thi Dang only knew how to work, stick with the fields and take care of her parents.

The brothers and sisters gradually got married, the young girl from the Youth Volunteer Force also passed the age of 30 - the age of "about to get old". The secret desires that for many years seemed to have been buried deep in her heart now flared up again. In the long night, the woman sobbed, longing for a tight embrace and passionate breaths.

Living alone in a dilapidated house, with difficulty moving around, and many illnesses, former Youth Volunteer Bui Thi Dang's life was extremely difficult and deprived. Photo: Cong Kien

Without the chance to be a wife, Ms. Dang still longed to be a mother, longed to have children to cherish and rely on in her old age. Overcoming the rumors, in 1981 she gave birth to her first son, and three years later gave birth to her second son, her long-cherished wish fulfilled...

But in the time of “80 years, 80 rice”, it was really not easy for a single, disabled woman to raise two young children. During those years of famine, the mother spent all day working in the fields, working for hire, and sometimes had to go hungry to give rice to the children.

Former Youth Volunteer Bui Thi Dang sells small items to make ends meet. Photo: Cong Kien

The two children grew up in hardship and deprivation, their childhood was filled with years of hardship and hunger, and they had to help their mother earn a living early. In 1998, the second son, who was then 14 years old, about to enter 8th grade, was loading sand onto a truck to earn money, when he unfortunately had an accident and died. Losing his son and losing hope, Mrs. Dang collapsed, thinking she would never be able to get up again...

Mrs. Dang's first son, Nguyen The Trung, also had a very difficult, deprived and unhappy life. After getting married, his wife left him and returned to his parents' house two days after giving birth. The child had Down syndrome and at first had to be raised by someone else. Now he is 7 years old but still can't walk steadily. All he knows is to sit at home, laughing and crying.

The marriage broke down, now Mr. Trung has remarried, life is difficult, he has to work far away to earn money to raise his young children. Not wanting to bother the children, Mrs. Dang let him and his wife build a small house in the backyard, while she lives alone in the dilapidated old house.

Former Youth Volunteer Bui Thi Dang prepares clay pots to sell to passersby. Photo: Cong Kien

Mrs. Dang's house was built decades ago, with a cement roof and lime walls. It was low, cramped, and dilapidated, but she had no money to rebuild or repair it. The walls were peeling off in patches, the roof was leaking everywhere, and when it rained, water leaked everywhere. At night, she had to sleep with her neighbor.

In the summer, the house was as hot as a “bagua furnace”, and as soon as she stepped in, she started sweating. When the heat was too unbearable, at night, Mrs. Dang had to take her bed outside and put up a mosquito net to sleep. In her dreams, she could faintly see the cozy and cool tiled house.

Now 71 years old, former Youth Volunteer Bui Thi Dang’s mobility has become even more difficult, because her legs are hard to straighten, she has to use a cane, and many other illnesses (diabetes, pneumonia, stomach) have further weakened her health. The allowance has just been increased to 540 thousand VND/month, helping her cover some of her living expenses.

To earn extra money for daily medicine, Ms. Dang sells small items such as soft drinks, cigarettes, brooms, clay pots... But with little capital and too many vendors, she can't sell much, sometimes she can't sell anything for a whole week.

Former Youth Volunteer Bui Thi Dang confided: “At this age, I have no other wish than to have a small house with a tiled roof so that it is less hot in the summer and does not leak in the rainy season.” After saying that, tears suddenly welled up in the corners of her eyes, her expression seemed to be trying to hold back the pain and hold back a sigh...