In July, Le Ha moved from one of the house’s branches in Cu Khe Town, Thanh Oai District, Hanoi, to the new location in Xuan Mai Town, Chuong My District.
His family was once well off, but his wealth gradually disappeared due to his son’s irresponsible spending. Although she receives a monthly pension of 5 million VND (210 USD), this is not enough to cover her monthly expenses.
So Ha started considering renting a room with a college student to save money. When she shared her troubles with Tran Thi Thuy Nga, deputy director of the Dien Hong retreat center, Nga told Ha that her facility would soon open a new, more affordable location.
Thuy Nga says she was wracked with guilt when she opened her first center and saw the endless line of people who wanted to move in but couldn’t afford it. She says she’s lost count of how many times people have asked her “When will the center open a more affordable house?”
There were also several cases where people had to leave because they had run out of money.
“While we were racking our brains to solve the problem, a labor export company decided to partner with us to build a new house,” she says.
Apart from the fact that the new location is in the cheaper outskirts of Hanoi, another factor that has helped reduce the cost is the readily available land that allows them to build the facilities they need.
 |
|
The newly opened Dien Hong retirement home in Xuan Mai, Chuong My district, 50 km from the center of Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Phan Duong |
Currently in the first phase of construction, the nursing home opened on June 22 as a row of single-storey houses with 36 beds each. Each house contains two double rooms and eight communal rooms for four people.
All rooms are equipped with beds, mattresses, fans, air conditioners, televisions, refrigerators, water heaters and private bathrooms. The grounds include gardens, ponds, a swimming pool and a ball court on 3 hectares of land.
At this new location, the community hall costs 6 million VND, the double room costs 8 million VND, a single room costs 10 million VND, a day stay costs 200,000 VND and the stay during the Tet holiday costs 500,000 VND per day.
Although she had settled in a retirement home in Yen Nghia neighborhood of Ha Dong district for three years, 86-year-old Nguyen Thi Thanh moved without hesitation when she learned that the new location at the outskirts of town was cheaper.
“The new place is not only beautiful, it’s also cheap, so why not?” she reasons. “Living here is less of a burden for my children.”
A survey of 10 mid-range nursing homes in Hanoi reveals that their monthly fees are between VND 8 and 20 million, with a community room for 5 to 8 people being the cheapest.
According to a survey that asked more than 6,000 VnExpress readers “How much can your family afford to send a family member to a nursing home?”, 40% said they couldn’t afford it, 38% said they could spend 8-10 million VND, 14% responded with VND10 -15 million, and 8% responded with more than 15 million VND per month.
Nearly 2.7 million people receive a pension in Vietnam, the average being 5.4 million VND per month.
On the morning of August 8, 75-year-old Nguyen Thi Phi hired a moving truck to transport all his clothes and belongings to the newly opened house in Xuan Mai. As soon as she arrived, a smile appeared on her face, more certain than ever that this was the place where she was to spend the rest of her life.
During her first week alone, Le Ha picked star fruits and longans from the garden, went fishing, and explored every nook and cranny of the property. When other people started arriving, she volunteered to be their guide.
“The nurses invite me to go swimming, but I’m looking forward to winter, when I can get dressed and walk around the lake. It’s going to be so nice,” she says.
