When language is just a wave of the hand Information about the case of a woman collecting scrap to help a foreign male tourist find his lost shoes in Ho Chi Minh City has attracted millions of views and shares.
Reporters found the character of the woman in that kind story to be Ms. Phung Thi Tam (born in 1969, from Xuan An commune, Gia Lai), who has been making a living by scrap collection for more than 20 years in Ho Chi Minh City.
Talking to a reporter of Lao Dong Newspaper by phone from her hometown of Gia Lai, Ms. Tam said that day, she was working near the 20/10 kindergarten area on Nguyen Trai street when she saw a foreign guy with a confused face, looking for the lost item. That guy is Joe Brady (28 years old, a British content creator) traveling in Ho Chi Minh City.
Through the story of an acquaintance working nearby, Ms. Tam learned that this young man had accidentally forgotten a shoe bag and that another scrap collector passing by might have picked it up. Although she did not have the phone number of that colleague, Ms. Tam did not hesitate to ask someone to find a way to contact her. After connecting and knowing that the person was standing on Phan Van Tri street, Cho Quan ward, she immediately decided to take Joe Brady to find him.
At that time, to be honest, I didn't know a single English word, I didn't understand what language he spoke. But seeing that he was so pitiful, I just waved his hand and signaled:'Follow me, come up, I'll find you'. I went first, he went later. He was so happy, he kept thanking me all the way because he knew I was looking for shoes for him," Mrs. Tam recounted.
The persistence of the woman pushing the homemade scrap cart took two strangers through crowded streets, asking many people, and finally found the intact shoe box after nearly 1 hour of searching.
I love him like my own child...
When asked about the reason why she was willing to quit her job to make a living, spending nearly an hour walking along the streets to help a completely strange foreigner, Mrs. Tam shared with a very simple thought: "I feel so sorry for him, I just think he's like my child. My child goes out on the street and loses things, doesn't know the language of another country, how can he find them? I live with a sense of morality, seeing strangers, strangers, I feel sorry for them, I help them with anything I can help, but who will they ask now?".
The feeling of "foreign land" is something Ms. Tam understands better than anyone else. Leaving her hometown of Gia Lai to Ho Chi Minh City to make a living by carrying scrap metal for two decades, she knew what loneliness and difficulty were when there were no relatives by her side. It was this deep empathy that turned a normal working woman into a "hero" in the eyes of the British tourist.
People praise Vietnam for being good, I feel proud
These days, Mrs. Tam is in her hometown of Gia Lai for medical examination and treatment. Her story of helping Western tourists find shoes has spread throughout the internet, but she herself was completely unaware until her daughter accidentally surfed the phone and recognized her mother.
Yesterday, my daughter dialed her phone and shouted:'Wow, who is so much like me!'. I even scolded her, saying that my mother is doing honest business and hasn't done anything bad that people put it online. Until my daughter explained that people are praising my mother for being kind, praising Vietnamese people for being kind, I believed it," Ms. Tam shared.
Reviewing her images in the clip, reading the warm comments of the online community at home and abroad, the scrap collector woman could not hide her emotion and pride:
I see them praising Vietnam for having many good people, suddenly I feel very proud. I am a Vietnamese person, I can do good things so that people respect my country, naturally in my conscience I feel comfortable and extremely light," Ms. Tam shared with a smile.
