In 2019, on the way home from his unit, Captain Truong Van Tai (finance officer of Dien Bien Guest House, under the General Staff Department, Hue City Military Command) witnessed many poor workers sitting and eating lunch boxes on the sidewalks, even a lunch box but a mother and child shared it together. With a compassionate heart of a soldier, understanding the difficult life of poor workers, Tai wondered what he would do to help poor workers have a more complete and decent lunch. The image of poor workers followed Tai all the way home and that night he could not sleep. He decided to organize a charity rice selling point for only 2,000 VND/meal for the people. He thought that if it was completely free, people would be hesitant and suspicious, and poor workers did not have much money, so the amount of 2,000 VND was the most suitable.

Captain Truong Van Tai (far left) gives rice to poor workers.

Sharing the idea with his teammates in the unit, he received enthusiastic support from everyone. After more than a week of preparation, with the support of the union members, youth in the unit, friends and relatives, the charity rice selling point for cheap 2,000 VND for patients and the poor on Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Thuan Loc Ward ( Hue City) officially started operating every Sunday afternoon. Before organizing the sale of rice at 2,000 VND/meal, Mr. Tai printed a banner with the words "Cheap rice selling point for 2,000 VND, for patients and the poor at 10:30 every Sunday" and hung it up a week in advance. On his way to work, he saw lottery ticket sellers and poor workers walking on the street, so he approached them and introduced them: "Hey, ladies! This coming Sunday, at this location, at 10:30, we'll be selling cheap rice, only 2,000 VND/serving!"...

“I remember clearly that the first week, we only made 40 lunch boxes and sold them from 10:30 a.m. to nearly 2 p.m. The workers did not believe that there were cheap meals, so they just walked by and looked in. Partly because they saw the young soldiers in neat uniforms, they were shy. Understanding that mentality, my brothers and I ran to the place to explain, and only then did the people come in to buy rice,” recalled Captain Truong Van Tai.

After that, every Sunday was a busy but meaningful day for Mr. Tai and the young members. Some cooked, some packed, some distributed, everyone did it with all their heart. Each lunch box had enough white rice, savory dishes, stir-fried dishes, soup and a portion of fruit for dessert, sometimes bananas, sometimes watermelon. At the rice selling point, there were also tables and chairs for people to sit and eat.

Members of the "2,000 VND Meal" Volunteer Club sell rice to poor workers.

Mr. Tai said that from nearly 10 members in the early days, he and his teammates and close friends have now established the "2,000 VND Meal" Volunteer Club with more than 40 members, mainly officers, soldiers, union members, and youth working at agencies and units under the Hue City Military Command and some friends and relatives. In the early stages, the cheap charity rice selling point of 2,000 VND/meal only sold about 40-50 boxes per session. After a period of operation, this place has become familiar to patients and poor people here. Up to now, after more than 5 years, the club's volunteer model sells an average of 110 boxes per session and usually sells out within 15 minutes. The people who buy rice are mainly poor workers, lottery ticket sellers, scrap collectors, street vendors, cyclo drivers, and poor patients being treated at Military Hospital 268...

The work of Captain Truong Van Tai has aroused the volunteer spirit of the people around. Many benefactors contacted him hoping to quietly contribute funds to maintain the rice selling activities more regularly. Among them, a carpenter felt that the activity was humane and meaningful, so he asked to contribute two carts of firewood for the young soldiers to cook rice to serve the workers. In the near future, Captain Truong Van Tai and the club members plan to expand the model, organize more volunteer activities such as distributing porridge to patients, awarding scholarships to poor students, giving gifts to the homeless, etc.

Article and photos: HOA LE

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/nuoi-duong-van-hoa-bo-doi-cu-ho/suat-com-2-000-dong-va-trai-tim-cua-nhung-nguoi-linh-tre-832816