Exactly one week after the horrific landslide that buried the young couple, Mr. Vu Duc N (32 years old) and Ms. Ho Thi D (29 years old), Mrs. Nguyen Thi Phong, Mr. N's mother (61 years old, in Phuong Dao commune, Tran Yen district, Yen Bai province) still could not hold back the pain in her eyes when thinking about the future of her three young grandchildren who had lost their parents forever.
Every time she went to the altar to burn incense and looked at the portraits of her son and daughter-in-law, Mrs. Phong's tears fell. She felt sorry for her two short-lived children, and even more sorry for the uncertain future of her three grandchildren.
Mrs. Phong said that after the heavy rains of storm No. 3, small landslides appeared behind Mr. N's house. Feeling bad, Mrs. Phong took the 3 children to her house first.
Mrs. Phong still remembers when she took the three children to stay temporarily at home, her son still reassured her: "Don't worry, Mom, we will take care of ourselves. You help me take care of the children for a few days. When it's safe, I will take them home." Unexpectedly, those "few days" were as long as the lives of the bewildered children.
Mr. N is a truck driver for a construction company, and Ms. D is a freelancer. The couple saved up and borrowed money from relatives to build a house, and they have been happy with their three children for less than a year. That night, because they still regretted not being able to pay off their biggest debt, the couple decided to stay.
After 3 consecutive nights sleeping outside the truck cabin to prevent landslides, on the 4th night, the couple moved inside the house to sleep after seeing that the rain had stopped. But luck seemed to only last on the other side of the hill, when on the very night they decided to move in, a landslide occurred. A large mass of earth and rock fell from behind at around 4am, completely burying Mr. N's house and damaging 2 other houses. The place where they had settled down and made a living was now the place where they buried everything.
At around 10:00 a.m. the same day, excavators and authorities found the bodies of the couple under the layer of dirt and rocks...
Mrs. Phong confided: "The house collapsed, there was nothing left, not even a photo to worship. Relatives had to separate the photo from a photo of the couple posted on Facebook, then print it to use as a photo to worship."
Their house was buried under rocks and soil, so the three children Vu Quoc Bao (12 years old), Vu Quoc Viet (10 years old) and Vu Quynh Mai (5 years old) had to wear white scarves, set up an altar, and watch their parents' coffins at their grandmother's house. The eyes of the children were unconscious, not fully understanding the fear of the word "orphan", and the confusion when they had to do whatever they were told made everyone in the neighborhood feel sorry for them.
Since her parents passed away, Vu Quynh Mai has been hanging around her grandmother every day: "Where have you been? Why haven't you come back yet?". Seeing her granddaughter still too young to understand the loss, Mrs. Phong could only comfort her and distract her with other stories.
Older than him, Vu Quoc Bao, as if he knew his parents would never return, sat in a corner, absent-minded, not answering any questions. The warm house where they used to play has now turned into rubble, the loving embrace of their parents is now just a memory. The lives of Bao and his two siblings have changed forever after that terrible landslide.
With a hundred thoughts in her mind, not yet over the pain of losing her child, and busy worrying about the future of her three grandchildren, Mrs. Phong is now over 60 years old, although not well off, but does not hesitate to work hard for the rest of her life to take care of her grandchildren. But unfortunately, she is old and sick, her husband died early, every day she only goes up to the mountain to peel cinnamon bark for hire and raise livestock, a few years from now or the future, she does not know how long she will live, she is only worried that her grandchildren will be orphaned once again...
On the funeral table, two portraits were hastily cut from everyday photos of Mr. N and Ms. D, who were still too young, making everyone shocked by the sudden and painful loss.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan (63 years old, mother of Ms. Ho Thi D) said that in recent days, the family has received a lot of attention and help from the government, neighbors and benefactors.
"More than anyone else, I understand that the road ahead is long and full of thorns, not only for my family but also for my grandchildren. My grandchildren need their parents, but life has inadvertently taken them all away. I just hope to have enough health to take care of my grandchildren as they grow up," said Ms. Lan.
Yen Bai is one of the localities that has suffered heavy damage due to the current flood and natural disasters. The recent storm 3 has killed 50 people due to landslides, 3 people died due to floods, 1 person is missing and 42 people were injured.
In addition, 25,263 houses were flooded, landslides and swept away.
Millions of arms turn to compatriots affected by storms and floods
Storms and floods have caused severe damage in many northern provinces.
"A piece of food when hungry is worth a whole package when full", with the spirit of mutual love that has always been a beautiful image of the Vietnamese people, the Golden Heart Social Charity Fund calls on philanthropists at home and abroad to join hands to share with people affected by the storm and post-storm circulation... to soon stabilize their lives.
The Golden Heart Social Charity Fund would like to sincerely thank the precious affection of agencies, businesses, and philanthropists at home and abroad.
Please send all donations to: Tam Long Vang Charity Fund, 51 Hang Bo, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi. Phone: 024.39232756. Account number (STK): 113000000758 at Vietinbank Hoan Kiem Branch, Hanoi. STK: 0021000303088 - at Vietcombank - Hanoi Branch, STK: 12410001122556 - at BIDV - Hoan Kiem Branch. Or scan the following QR code:
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