Free room transfer for students

SGGP 09/18/2023 10:28

“Hello, is this the phone number of Mr. Thi who drives a car to move dorm rooms for students for free?”. “That’s right. I’m busy right now, I’ll call you back in the afternoon. Text me in advance what you need to move and where it’s from so I can make arrangements”…

Mr. Nguyen Anh Thi with his 3-wheeled vehicle

Every day, there are dozens of phone calls to the number 0902918710 of Mr. Nguyen Anh Thi, a hired driver on Ngo Gia Tu Street (District 10), asking for free accommodation transfers for university and college students at dormitories and student accommodation areas in the area. Every day, Mr. Thi's 3-wheeled truck has a sign on both sides and the back of the truck "Moving dormitory for students (free), Tel: 0902918710", traveling everywhere through the areas of districts 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, Binh Thanh, Tan Binh...

No matter the weather, rain or shine, whenever there is a phone call, Mr. Thi starts the engine and rushes to deliver the students' belongings to their dormitory for free. A short trip is a few kilometers, a long trip is up to 15-20km, from the outlying districts, the suburbs to the central districts and vice versa. If transporting goods for hire, a short trip, the lowest fee is 200,000 VND, sometimes up to millions of VND. But for students far from home, Mr. Thi does not charge.

Opening the Zalo app on his phone, Mr. Thi showed us some messages from students asking for help with their belongings: “Just now, a kid named Nhien from the University of Natural Sciences sent us an address to pick him up from the alley opposite Children’s Hospital 1 to Nguyen Van Cu Street. Last night, a group of 4-5 students from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy called to ask for help but I couldn’t go. I’m free this afternoon, so I’ll take the opportunity to pick them up,” Mr. Thi said.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Thi shared with us about his journey over the past 5 years with hundreds of trips to support students from remote rural areas to Ho Chi Minh City in the first days of school. Many students were helped by Mr. Thi with free trips from one dormitory to another, and when they graduated and went to work, every time they had a chance to pass Ngo Gia Tu street, they would look for the kind tricycle driver to offer them a bottle of water, a basket of fruit, a loaf of bread... and ask about their life away from their families and children.

“I just thought I could help the kids a little bit in my free time, it’s not much but many kids still remember it,” Thi confided. According to Thi, for new students who come to the city to study, he gives them all the confusion from finding a place to stay, getting around, finding a part-time job... all of which he enthusiastically guides. This is what makes many students remember him forever, some of whom, after graduating, came to see Thi to give them a bouquet of flowers and a small gift as a souvenir.

Coming from his hometown of An Giang to the city to earn a living by driving a 3-wheeled vehicle to transport goods for hire, Mr. Thi also had difficulties and struggled to make a living, taking care of his wife and 2 children in his hometown. The income he earned from the trips he made to transport goods for cabinet, furniture, and interior decoration stores, he used part of it to take care of his life and send it back to his family, and the rest he used to fill up gas and repair his vehicle to help students move their accommodation. This small but heartwarming and meaningful work has helped countless situations, giving more spirit and strength to many students on their journey of studying, working and living in this city of love.

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