Warmth in Xom Dau
Thank you Son"... those are words of gratitude to the group of elderly people in Xom Dau (block 6, My Tho ward, Dong Thap province) sent to Mr. Vo Van Son accompanied by tight handshakes as if grandparents met their children and grandchildren returning from afar. Each gift includes 500,000 VND and a Tet gift basket, but this "Loving Spring" gift is more than enough for the elderly to feel the warmth of human love amidst the cold before the Binh Ngo Tet.
Not only is it timely support for the elderly to have conditions to celebrate Tet, but also accompanied by spiritual gifts. "Every time gifts are given, Son kindly asks about each person's health, like children and grandchildren clearly remember grandparents' illnesses, so we feel very warm," shared Mr. Le Van Hai, 1 of 6 elderly people in particularly difficult circumstances in Xom Dau who received Tet gifts from Son.
Old age (born 1950) and suffering from heart disease, unable to work to earn money, all family expenses depend on the income from the street lottery ticket selling profession of his wife who has exceeded the age of "rare age". Therefore, this amount of money both helps him buy medicine for Tet holidays and has a pot of braised pork to offer to his ancestors to welcome the new year.
The remaining 5 cases, each person with their own circumstances, but all have a common denominator of being at the extreme of difficulty.
Like the case of Ms. Nguyen Thi Be (born in 1945). Homeless, without husband, children, or relatives, she lives in a rented room, living with philanthropists. As for Ms. Vo Thi Tuyet (born in 1980), she herself has mental problems, but has to sell lottery tickets to support her blind husband and her psychologically abnormal son...
Besides the lonely and difficult elderly, there are also children missing their fathers and mothers... in Long Dinh and My Tho wards, but for many humanitarian reasons, we would like not to name them specifically.
15-year journey and more
The Xom Dau elders have been supported by Dr. Vo Van Son since 2021, through Nguyen Ngoc Hieu - Secretary of the Youth Union of Ward 3. But that is not a temporary matter, but an addition to the journey initiated by Dr. Son 10 years ago.
In 2011, after graduating and being retained to work at Tien Giang University, Son pioneered a model of supporting people in difficult circumstances, such as learning from Uncle Ho about "loving people". Coming from a poor family, often in need, Son found for himself a direction of indirect support. Taking advantage of weekends and the Green Summer campaigns, Son went to households in difficult circumstances and wrote articles providing information to press agencies... Thus, Son persistently implemented it, both contributing more royalties and mobilizing organizations and individuals to support. For the past 15 years, Dr. Son has never interrupted this charity work. Even more and more content branches have been added. From focusing solely on supporting sick and diseased circumstances... Son expanded to supporting Tet for lonely people and vulnerable people.
Up to now, Son and his colleagues have implemented and mobilized philanthropists to give more than 300 Tet gifts, support critically ill patients... with an amount of more than 500 million VND. "This is one of 6 models of studying and following Uncle Ho that comrade Vo Van Son has effectively implemented for many years" - Mr. Nguyen Viet Thinh - Secretary of Party Cell 8, Party Committee of Tien Giang University, confirmed. With this persistent activity, in 2023, Dr. Vo Van Son was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Central Propaganda Department and the Tien Giang Provincial Party Committee for his outstanding achievements in studying and following Ho Chi Minh's thought, morality and style.
On December 31, 2025, Vo Van Son was proposed by the Chairman of Dong Thap Provincial People's Committee to be awarded the Third-class Labor Medal. "In the near future, I will transfer to work at Dong Thap University, I don't have much time left in My Tho, but when Tet comes, I will return to my ancestors," Dr. Son said confidently.
Amidst the busy pace of life, the story of a young lecturer (born in 1987) persistently bringing Tet gifts to people in difficult circumstances for 15 years is a simple but profound proof of the spirit of "kindness" in today's life - where small actions, done with sincerity and persistence... have built great values for the community.
