Amidst the hustle and bustle of Hanoi, in Thai Phu village, Soc Son commune, there is a worker who quietly spends most of his free time cooking meaningful meals and operating zero-dollar buses for the poor. He is Nguyen Qui Tam, born in 1990, a simple worker but with a heart full of compassion.
Since 2017, Mr. Tam has started participating in charity activities. The motivation comes from his own difficult experiences. In his childhood, he used to pick up trash, wash shoes, do all kinds of jobs as long as he could earn a living. Those hard years have sown seeds of compassion in him, urging him not to ignore the suffering of the less fortunate.
The big turning point came in 2022, when he had to take care of his mother for treatment at the K2 Tam Hiep Institute. Here, he witnessed many circumstances that made anyone feel sad. Those were poor patients having to borrow every penny to treat their illnesses, their daily meals were just corn and sweet potatoes, some families when their loved ones passed away still did not have enough money to rent a car to go home.
It was those experiences that motivated him to call on everyone to jointly establish a 0-dong rice kitchen. At the same time, he mobilized charitable hearts to contribute to buy a 0-dong ambulance, opening up meaningful car trips, helping difficult families, sharing burdens in times of distress.
Initially, it was just small meals, a few bus trips to support, gradually, Mr. Tam connected many hearts to join hands. The funding for the activity comes entirely from the voluntary contributions of the community.
Before cooking the 0 VND meal, he made a menu, exchanged with the group to agree, and then ordered fresh food. “We do not use frozen food, always try to ensure the meal is as clean and delicious as possible,” he said.
The time and location of rice distribution are fixed according to available cycles and have been notified to patients from the evening before. Every month, Mr. Tam and his group distribute rice about 2 times. The first time on the first Sunday of the month (about 400 meals) and the second time on Thursday, Tuesday of the month (about 600 meals).
The main target is patients receiving long-term treatment at the Hematology Hospital, where the economic burden almost erodes all hopes of many families.
Parallel to the kitchen is the operation of the 0-dong bus trip. Mr. Tam's group operates in a flexible form, whoever receives information about the circumstances in need of help will be taken to the group, and those who can go will receive the trip. For cases where specialized vehicles are not needed, the group deducts funds to support passenger bus tickets. "Just helping people get home safely is enough for us to be happy," he said simply.
Feedback from recipients is the biggest motivation. Many patients look forward to the monthly meal schedule. There are people who initially do not believe that they are being supported for free, do not believe that a 0-dong bus really exists. But when they receive help, they shed tears of emotion.
Looking back at the past journey, Mr. Tam admitted that the first 3 years were the most difficult time. No one believed it, no funding, no human resources, but he chose to persevere, share the truth, do the truth, so that time would prove everything.
Charity activities not only change the lives of many poor people, but also change him and his family. “I have learned how to share, understand and believe in the strength of the community,” he said.
In the future, Mr. Tam only hopes to continue to do his best, maintain a 0-dong rice kitchen and try to cook 1-2 more meals each month. For him, charity is simply giving others a support so that they have more faith to overcome the most difficult days of life.
