For the past two decades, the image of Mr. Vo Van Tat (86 years old) in Bay Ngan town, Chau Thanh A district, Hau Giang province has become a beautiful symbol of kindness and sharing. People here often call him by the affectionate name "Mr. Tu Trung Thu".
Born and raised in rural areas, Mr. Tu always understands the hardships of his hometown people. Despite her old age and declining health, she still maintains a clean lifestyle and a deep compassion.
About 20 years ago, realizing that the locality still had many families in very difficult circumstances, mainly working for hire, selling lottery tickets or being old and no longer having the means to work, Mr. Tu decided to organize free rice distribution, share with poor households and maintain it until now.
In recent years, witnessing the muddy roads and difficult travel of the people, he decided to donate a part of his family's land to expand rural roads and build bridges to facilitate the people.
Recalling his bold decision, Mr. Tu shared: In the past, the roads here were muddy, people traveled miserably, trade was limited, and business was also difficult. I have organized and donated land to my house, encouraged people to participate in paving the road, and the cost of the road construction is supported by my family.
Not stopping at donating land, he also spent money and mobilized the community to join hands to build 2 solid bridges, helping people travel more conveniently and safely.
Thanks to the solidarity of the people, a rural road of more than 3m wide and more than 1km long was formed. The bridges named "love" have also become the pride of the people here.
When asked about his own " philosophy", Mr. Tu smiled gently and said: "I gave up land to build roads and bridges, many people also said that the land was sold for billions, why not sell it to repair old people. But for me, billions of dong are spent, only doing this kindness and virtue is still in my children's and grandchildren's generations".
That simple but profound statement touched the hearts of many people, strongly spreading the spirit of mutual love in the community.
Mr. Le Viet Hung ( Bay Ngan town, Chau Thanh A district) shared: "When mentioning Uncle Tu, everyone knows that he has a tradition of doing charity work since he was a child. Everyone is very respectful and admires his meaningful deeds.
Up to now, even at the age of U90, Mr. Tu has not stopped his volunteer journey. Every month, his children send money home, and he and his wife set aside a portion to buy rice, necessities, and support charity kitchens to help patients in difficulty and lonely elderly people in their hometown.
For more than 20 years, Mr. Tu has donated hundreds of tons of rice for free. On average, each year, he organizes more than 10 rice distributions to families in difficult circumstances, and also gives necessities and money to cases of illness but not able to treat them.
Mr. Tu's noble actions not only contribute to changing the face of the countryside, supporting the poor but also arouse profound human values, becoming a shining example for many generations to follow.
