At 5 am, when many people were still fast asleep, Mr. Son Bach (70 years old, Tai Van commune, Can Tho city) quietly pushed his old scrap cart away from his small house in Bung Chong hamlet.
His familiar journey is to follow the Mac Dinh Chi road, going down to Tran De commune, and then returning when it is already dark. Every day, the distance back and forth is about 40km, in return for plastic cans, bottles and old items given by the people, gradually accumulated into a source of livelihood for the whole family.
At an age that should be resting with his children and grandchildren, Mr. Bach still has to shoulder a whole house. His 71-year-old wife has been in a wheelchair for 6-7 years now, her eyes are no longer visible, her health is gradually weakening and she has to take medicine every day. The youngest child, 32 years old, has leg disabilities, has difficulty walking, only stays around cooking rice and taking care of his mother.
The burden did not stop there. He also took care of 2 grandchildren living next door. The children's parents divorced more than 6 years ago, the mother remarried, the father went to Ho Chi Minh City to work as a hired laborer. The intellectual granddaughter was not lucid, and the 18-year-old older brother stayed at home to help his grandparents look after his younger sister.
“The house has no land, when I was young, I hired anyone to do whatever they wanted. Now that I am older, no one hires me, I have been collecting scrap for 6-7 years now, if I don't work, I don't know what to live on,” Mr. Bach said.
The scrap cart he is pushing is a gift from philanthropists who have supported him for many years. What he collects does not sell immediately but is saved for a whole month to sell once, earning about 600-700 thousand VND. That meager amount must be divided among the money for food, medicine for his wife and living expenses for the whole family.
Even so, every day Mr. Bach persistently walked. Even the sun went, even the rain went. On the car, in addition to scrap metal, there was also a box of cold rice and a small bottle of water to carry along the way to eat and drink.
In the morning, I brought rice with me, sometimes just white rice with soy sauce to get through the meal," he said.
Not long ago, he had a traffic accident while pushing his car, was hit from behind, had a head injury and had to be hospitalized. He stayed in the hospital for 5 days, resting for nearly a month, and was supported with 3.5 million VND for medicine by the person who caused the accident. But when the wound had not yet fully recovered, he continued to go out.
Do it forever, do it until you die," he said as if accepting.
According to his wife, due to old age, poor eyesight, and often going out early and coming home late, Mr. Bach has had accidents about 7 times to date. After the most recent accident, his health declined, he no longer travels regularly every day but only continues the journey every few days.
She loves her husband but is also helpless. Her legs can no longer walk, her eyes can no longer see light, making it impossible for her to share the burden. The family has 6 children, the youngest child is disabled, and the remaining 5 children all have their own families, life is difficult, so they cannot help.
The house they are currently living in has been built with state support since 2024, being the only shelter from rain and sun for the whole family. In addition to the monthly allowance for the disabled child, the family has almost no other source of income.
Mr. Ly Sinh Hoang - Head of the People's Committee of Bung Chong hamlet (Tai Van commune, Can Tho city) said that Mr. Son Bach's family is in difficult circumstances in the locality. Previously, they were supported with cows to develop livelihoods, due to lack of caregivers, they could not maintain raising them. Currently, Mr. Bach's disabled child receives a monthly allowance of only a few hundred thousand VND, so it is still not enough to cover living expenses.
All help for life situation LD26065, please send to Tam Long Vang Charity Social Fund - 51 Hang Bo, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. Account number (STK) 113000000758 at Vietinbank Hoan Kiem Branch, Hanoi; Account number: 0021000303088 - at Vietcombank Hanoi Branch; Account number: 12410001122556 - at BIDV Hoan Kiem Branch.
Or contact directly Mr. Ly Sinh Hoang - Head of the People's Committee of Bung Chong hamlet (Tai Van commune, Can Tho city). Phone number: 0969253001
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