And some even went so far as to help her clean up after a day’s work.
“I don’t know who they are, where they come from or why they help me,” said Tha, 92, who sells fruit on the sidewalk of An Duong Vuong Street in HCMC’s District 6.
Beside her were two plastic bags containing milk, water and snacks that people gave her. It is also thanks to the kindness of strangers that for the past week she has been able to return home early and avoid the afternoon rain.
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Luu Thi Tha selling fruit for a living in An Duong Vuong Street, District 6, HCMC on the morning of July 26, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Ngan |
In 2022, when a client learned of Tha’s situation, he posted it on social media. Since then, she occasionally gets help from strangers, but recently her clientele has grown so much that they often line up around her.
When this happens, Tam Hoang, a 61-year-old woman who has been selling drinks next door to Tha for many years, rushes to help her serve customers, prepare orders and rearrange fruit. Every day, she gives Tha two cups of tea to refresh herself.
Tha, born in Tien Giang province in the Mekong Delta, said her husband and five of her children all perished in the war. Only his 50-year-old youngest son remains, but due to his poisoning with Chemical Agent Orange, his brain never developed properly and he is unable to work.
Two years ago, Tha was invited to stay with a friend in Binh Chanh district of HCMC, but her son was unhappy with this, demanding to go home so he could play with the children in his neighborhood.
Previously, Tha sold fruit in Tien Giang, but in recent years people have increasingly bought fruit from local orchards due to cheaper prices. Unable to compete, she decided to sell to HCMC in hopes of earning enough money for herself and her son.
Every day she takes a coach from her home at 9 p.m., traveling more than 70 km to HCMC. The bus arrives at midnight, then she sleeps on the sidewalk of Trieu An hospital. At 4 am, she calls a motorcycle taxi to go to An Duong Vuong street to start setting up her stand. Once she’s finished her day, the process begins again.
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Tha talks about the strangers who have silently helped her for the past few days. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Ngan |
She earns between 150,000 and 200,000 VND (6 to 8 USD) every day, just enough to pay her family’s daily expenses.
On the morning of July 26, Thanh, 30, traveled 10 km from District 3 to look for Tha fruit stall. When he arrived, there were about 5-6 people from other districts also there for her.
“She looks like my grandmother, so thin that I feel sympathy for her,” Thanh said. He was there because he accidentally discovered Tha’s story on social media the day before. He was so moved that he was determined to find her the next morning. He bought fruit for 40,000 VND, but gave 200,000 VND to Tha without asking for change.
Tieu Phung, 18, who stopped to buy 2 kg of mangoes, said she had to walk around An Duong Vuong Street several times before finding Tha. The young girl took the time to encourage the old woman before leaving.
Tha said that for the past few days, a woman in her 40s has been stopping in every day to snag a portion of banh bot place (light dumpling) on an electric pole so she can eat breakfast.
Every day this week around 2 p.m., when almost all of Tha’s fruit had been sold, a young man in his 30s helped her pack and take out the trash before driving her to the bus station. so she can return to My Tho.
“I can go home early and spend more time with my son, so I’m incredibly happy,” Tha said.
