Single mother with 2 million dong in her pocket took her 2 children to America to make a living

"Capital" of 2 million VND in America

"On August 8, 2010, when I landed at San Francisco airport, USA, I was very confused and had no idea what the life of my family and I would be like in the future. At that time, I only had 120 USD left in my pocket, of which 100 USD was extra money given by my mother. At that time, the USD exchange rate was 18,000 VND, so it was only about 2 million VND," Ms. Tuyet began to recount her journey of starting a business in a foreign land.

Born and raised at Hang Xanh intersection in Binh Thanh district, Ho Chi Minh City, after getting married, Ms. Do Thi Anh Tuyet, 55 years old, has tried many jobs, from sewing, opening a restaurant, real estate brokerage to selling interior decoration.

The small family took a photo when Ms. Tuyet's husband was still alive (Photo: NVCC).

However, the family's finances were still mainly taken care of by her husband, she only helped out. The life of the small family consisting of parents and two sons passed peacefully.

In 2006, a major family incident suddenly occurred. Her husband suffered a stroke and passed away at the age of 39. Mrs. Tuyet was bewildered and uncertain when her mother and children lost their strong spiritual and economic support. Although she worked many jobs to make a living, raising two young children (13 and 9 years old) in the middle of Ho Chi Minh City made life very difficult for the mother and children.

After a long time of thinking and considering, and with her sister in the US doing the sponsorship procedures, Ms. Tuyet decided to find a new direction for herself. Four years after her husband passed away, the three of them set out to make a living in a foreign land.

Before going to the US, Ms. Tuyet rented a room in her sister’s apartment for $300. After completing the paperwork and buying the plane ticket, the woman born in 1969 had almost no money left in her pocket. Her mother gave her an additional $100 for emergency expenses.

The mother and her three children landed at San Francisco International Airport (USA), were picked up by her brother-in-law and taken to her sister's house to eat and rest.

"Thinking back to that time, I don't remember how I overcame it. The three of us lived in a small room, sharing a Nokia phone that only had calling functions," Ms. Tuyet said.

When she first came to the US and worked at a local nail salon (Photo: NVCC).

When she first arrived in America, the woman from Ho Chi Minh City decided to pursue a career in nail care to earn a living and ensure a good life for her and her three children.

During the first 3 months, Ms. Tuyet tried to complete all the paperwork (social security number, permanent resident card) to start applying for school. In 2010, to work as a nail technician in California, workers had to complete 400 hours of school to get a license. She worked as a waitress at a restaurant, and saved up money to gradually pay for tuition and gas.

After receiving her degree, Ms. Tuyet applied for a job at a small local nail salon. The woman worked seven days a week to make ends meet. Meanwhile, her two sons were accepted into local schools.

At first, her communication skills were limited and she did not have much experience, so she only received 3-4 customers a day. Usually, the customers only needed water-based nail polish, not too elaborate nail art.

Serving customers enthusiastically and having a receptive attitude, after a while she had a more stable source of regular customers. In addition to the main salary of 9 USD/hour, she also received tips from customers from 10%-15% of the total bill.

The Vietnamese woman said that in the US, if you cook at home, you will reduce your living expenses a lot (Photo: NVCC).

After completing the course and receiving a certificate, the mother and her three children moved out and rented a room. During the first year, the woman from Ho Chi Minh City did not hesitate to do anything to earn money. Her monthly salary was about 2,000 USD (in 2010), but she spent it all without any money left over.

In addition to the heaviest burden of rent, she also bought a car on installments for convenience, and took care of gas and car insurance. To help make ends meet, the woman applied to the government for support for single-parent households. Each month, the mother and her three children have an additional 260 USD to buy food, rice, oil, fish sauce, salt, etc.

"In America, knowing how to cook at home will save you a lot of money. I always calculate every penny to ensure my family's life," she said.

"Opportunity is in your hands, make money with your ability"

After a period of struggling to make ends meet, by the seventh month, Thien Truc, the eldest son, began to have the idea of ​​earning money. Seeing his mother working hard, Truc woke up early to deliver morning newspapers to the houses of the people around. Everything had to be finished before 6am. After that, Truc went home to rest and eat so that she could be at school by 9am.

After living in the US for only a short time, Ms. Tuyet realized that this country has many opportunities to earn money, as long as you are diligent. Many jobs here do not limit the age of the worker, the important thing is whether the worker can meet the demand or not.

Ms. Tuyet and her second son (Photo: NVCC).

"I always keep in mind that I only allow myself to struggle in the first year, and I cannot let this period last too long. Also in the first year in the US, I never slept before midnight and woke up after 6am and always wished for 48 hours in a day so I could do more, earn more money to make life less difficult for my children and me. In the US, I only fear laziness, but there is never a lack of work to do," she commented.

For example, in nail work, if the worker is talented, it doesn't matter, but as long as they are diligent and meet 50% of the customer's expectations, they will receive an extra tip.

"In nail salons, there are many services for workers to be creative. If workers know how to apply powder and paint nails, their income will increase a lot. For example, a set of nails costs 50 USD, but if workers know how to please customers and paint according to their preferences, they can earn 65 USD, not including tips. Therefore, all opportunities are in hand and income depends on each person's ability," said Ms. Tuyet.

Two sons celebrate Mother's Day (Photo: NVCC).

By the second year, life for the three of them became easier. Thien Truc learned to drive herself to take her younger siblings to school instead of her mother. Thanks to that, she only worked 6 days a week and had one extra day to rest. Her income also increased thanks to her experience in the job and her gradually improving English communication skills.

"As long as I get a college degree before I'm 60"

More than 30 years ago, during her second year of university, Ms. Tuyet had to temporarily put aside her dream of going to university to work as a factory worker to support her family financially. Later, after getting married, having children and moving to the US to make a living, the 55-year-old woman still could not give up her dream of going to school.

In 2019, when her children were grown and financially independent, the Vietnamese woman's dream of returning to school rose even stronger.

She initially chose to study the General English program at Cosumnes River College for two years, then met the requirements to transfer to university to major in nutrition.

The 55-year-old woman studied English before going to university to major in nutrition (Photo: NVCC).

When Covid-19 hit, classes had to be switched to online learning. Her listening skills were not good enough, so her studies were put on hold. She officially returned to school in the spring of 2022.

At this time, Ms. Tuyet loved studying more and more, and could even sit and review her lessons until 2am without getting tired. She spent all her time studying during the week and only worked to earn money on the weekends.

"Right now I only need to worry about the car installment payment and car insurance, but my children will help with the financial burden, so everything is less of a headache," she said.

By early 2024, she had passed the English exam and was eligible to study her chosen major. The Vietnamese woman confided that her nail job helped her make a living in a foreign land, but it was not her hobby.

She wants to major in nutrition to learn more about health, protect herself and those around her. If she graduates and gets a degree, she will be able to do the job she loves and support the community.

She found that many older people in the Vietnamese community in the US, for personal reasons such as inferiority complex, do not dare to learn more English, leading to a major language barrier. If a foreign language is good, workers will have more opportunities and find jobs more easily.

"This coming August, I will officially enter a big game that will last 4 years. After the shock of my husband's sudden death, I realized that everything that happens in life is no longer terrible and there are ways to overcome it.

"We only live once, so why do we just live by instinct instead of striving according to our abilities? As long as I can get a university degree before I turn 60, that's fine," she said happily.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/an-sinh/me-don-than-trong-tui-con-2-trieu-dong-dat-2-con-sang-my-muu-sinh-20240602233410558.htm