50k cup of coffee

Journalists working in Quang Ngai province participate in the program "50k cup of coffee". Photo: HUYNH VAN THUONG

At first, when I heard that name, I clicked my tongue and pouted because the coffee was so expensive. Then, thanks to my acquaintances with journalists in the province, I understood the "inside story". The person who shared the most with me was Mr. Huynh Van Thuong (reporter of Quang Ngai Radio and Television Station), a member of the organizing committee of this program.

He told me that the program originated from the idea of ​​"rice plate on the wall". Since 2016, the Quang Ngai Journalists Association has "launched" this program for the first time. And so, every first Saturday of the month, the association will choose a coffee shop and organize the program. This is a form of raising money to help those in difficult circumstances. Thanks to that, many people with serious illnesses are treated, and poor students can continue to go to school.

A cup of coffee costs 50 thousand. Photo: HUYNH VAN THUONG

I remember the most the time of the COVID-19 epidemic in Bac Giang. At that time, also with "50k Cup of Coffee", the Quang Ngai Provincial Journalists Association raised more than 100 million VND and sent that 100 million to support Bac Giang province in fighting the epidemic, with the slogan "Towards Bac Giang". To put it modestly, our small province was able to do something "earth-shattering" and "50k Cup of Coffee" not only participated in social work, but also contributed to a larger work, when the State considered fighting the epidemic as fighting the enemy.

A drop of coffee is always bitter, but human love makes that bitter drop sweeter and richer. Suddenly writing here, I remember the first two lines of the song "Street Improvisation" by musician Tran Tien: "In Hanoi, everything is cheap, only friends are the most expensive / In Hanoi, everything is cheap, only human love is the most expensive". How much is expensive? Maybe it is priceless. So now thinking back, I realize that 50 thousand to buy a love is still quite cheap.

(Entry to the contest "Impressions of Vietnamese coffee and tea" under the program "Honoring Vietnamese coffee and tea" for the 2nd time, 2024 organized by Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper).

Graphics: CHI PHAN

Source: https://nld.com.vn/ly-ca-phe-50-ngan-196240320101843801.htm