Tears where love is "hung"
Stopping her car full of scrap, Ms. Hong Dao (43 years old, from Long An province) shyly walked into a "hanging" noodle shop on Pham The Hien street (District 8, HCMC), asking for a portion to take home: "Can I still eat noodles today?".
Ms. Dao receives a "hanging" noodle package from the owner (Photo: Nguyen Vy).
Hearing her words, Mrs. Tran Thi Thuy Hong (57 years old), the owner of the noodle shop, was moved and quickly scooped a full bag of noodles for the regular customer. Mrs. Hong shared that Ms. Dao is one of the elderly workers with difficult circumstances who often visits the shop to eat "hanging" noodles.
Since the beginning of September, Ms. Hong's noodle shop has been "hanging" dozens of bowls every day. The shop will hang 10 bowls of noodles in advance, the rest will be contributed by customers and donors from afar. On some days, the shop has received so much support that it hangs up more than 80 bowls of noodles. Many customers see too many workers coming, fearing that the number will not be enough to meet demand, so they are willing to hang up 10-20 bowls of noodles at a time.
However, recently, due to the weather, the shop can only serve 20-30 bowls/day.
"Hanging" noodles are always sold out (Photo: Nguyen Vy).
"The shop opens at 6am but there were already workers waiting early. They were shy, afraid that the shop hadn't opened yet, so they waited until 7am before daring to come in and ask. There were many people who came later and didn't have time to receive the bun thang, so I also "cheated" and sold it to them for free. Seeing them waiting to eat but having to leave, I couldn't help myself," said Ms. Hong.
Receiving the noodle package from Mrs. Hong, Ms. Hong Dao smiled brightly and teared up when talking about her situation.
Ms. Dao was moved to tears when talking about her situation (Photo: Nguyen Vy).
Every day, Ms. Dao pushes her cart to sell scrap metal from early morning until late afternoon. The amount of money she earns is less than 150,000 VND. There are some days when the weather is erratic, her head hurts so much that she has to struggle to push the heavy cart home at noon.
"The money I earn is just enough for daily expenses, I always have to save a lot. I am very happy to have volunteer models like this. Workers like us can also save, have a little extra to take care of our families," Ms. Dao said emotionally.
Sympathy for the hard days
Coming from her hometown of An Giang to Ho Chi Minh City to work as a maid for more than 6 years, Ms. Thai Thi Men (56 years old) shared the simple joy of being able to eat a free bowl of vermicelli soup every day.
The workplace is right next to the "hanging" noodle shop, Mrs. Men comes over every day to help Mrs. Hong clean the shop, sharing the noodles with the needy. When she sees that no one is coming, Mrs. Men comes over and asks for a bowl of noodles to fill her stomach.
Many people who came to eat "hanging" noodles also stayed to help Ms. Hong for a while before leaving (Photo: Nguyen Vy).
"At first, I didn't understand what bun treo was. It wasn't until I saw people coming in to ask for it that I dared to stop by to eat. Being able to have a delicious meal without worrying about money is truly a great comfort," Ms. Men confided.
Since opening the "hanging" noodle model, every time Ms. Hong goes to the market, workers bow and thank her profusely. "I tell people not to thank me, because this is a contribution from many people. I feel like I receive a lot in return, not just give," Ms. Hong shared.
Previously, she had seen the "hanging" pho model in Hanoi and had cherished the desire to do the same for the poor workers living around her. At first, her daughter advised her, fearing that Ms. Hong would have a hard time, but she insisted on doing this model alone.
The male security guard smiles when receiving the "hanging" noodles (Photo: Nguyen Vy).
"There were days when I was taking a lunch break but saw someone coming to ask for noodles, I immediately got up to scoop them up for them. Sometimes the shop was sold out but there were still many people waiting to eat, I still ran to the market to buy more ingredients to cook. The moment the workers got to eat a hot bowl of noodles, I felt indescribably happy," Ms. Hong confided.
Every day, this woman wakes up at 3am to prepare the ingredients and opens the shop at 6am. At 12pm, Ms. Hong will temporarily close the shop to rest, waiting for 2pm to reopen until the "hanging" noodles are gone. Many times the shop closes late, and Ms. Hong can only go to bed at 10pm. Every day she is exhausted, but Ms. Hong has never thought of stopping.
"I used to be a poor laborer, selling on the streets to make a living and raise my children. I also experienced many hardships, feeling the pain of many days of hunger, eating cold rice to get through meals. So for me, a delicious, nutritious meal is a great motivation for the poor laborers. I personally hope that more people will join in, so that the model can be maintained for a long time," said Ms. Hong.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/an-sinh/bun-treo-tai-tphcm-treo-tinh-thuong-cua-nguoi-hao-sang-20240919160410473.htm
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