Humanity in adversity

“We urgently need information about those who are missing in the areas I circled below, or cannot be contacted, or are in a shelter without internet, unable to contact anyone.” Those are the messages from Mr. Nguyen Chi Thanh Duoc, who participated in a volunteer group that went to the epicenter of Ishikawa (Japan) to support Vietnamese people in difficulty when a terrible earthquake occurred on the first day of 2024.

Connecting with Thanh Duoc was not easy. At first, it was just hasty, intermittent text messages because the places Thanh Duoc visited were in weak signal areas. “We formed a group to help people. The journey started on January 3 and has been almost non-stop. The relief work is still ongoing because there are still Vietnamese people who need help. Everyone supports each other on a voluntary basis because everyone has to arrange family and work,” Thanh Duoc shared over the phone. On January 19, the volunteer group’s journey ended.

A group of volunteers went to Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan to support people after the earthquake. Photo: NGUYEN DUOC

Ishikawa Prefecture has more than 5,000 Vietnamese people, of whom about 600, mostly interns, are working at companies or factories in the Noto Peninsula area. Most of the interns are in Japan for the first time and have no experience in dealing with earthquakes and tsunamis. That is also part of the reason why when an earthquake occurs, they are confused and scared because they do not know what to do and where to go.

At the time of the earthquake, many Vietnamese trainees from dangerous areas called for help from the community. Many workers even lost contact with their relatives. With the spirit of mutual love, Thanh Duoc decided to find a way to support the people. He and some friends gathered, made a support plan, prepared food and water. Along with that were warm hearts ready to join hands. Some contributed water barrels, some brought boxes of cakes, some brought a whole truckload of goods from Tokyo to contribute to the shipment to the disaster area.

The journey, which lasted more than 2 weeks, had many disadvantages. The weather was cold, many roads were landslides, the Internet was affected, and many places could not be looked up on maps. There were areas that were almost isolated, cars could not enter and could only be walked. Thanh Duoc's group had to find their own way, encourage each other to overcome difficulties, and try to send support to 200 victims in Ishikawa. With the motto of helping those in need, the group not only aimed at Vietnamese people, but also supported local people in difficulty. Even though the locations were remote, whenever they knew there were Vietnamese people living, the group immediately found their way there and helped them contact their relatives.

Support team arrives in Ishikawa prefecture. Photo: Nguyen Duoc

From the very beginning, the group found a refuge in Wajima town and found 7 Vietnamese female trainees staying there. Small but meaningful gifts were given at that time, and the Internet, although only temporarily available, was a great source of encouragement for the children to be able to report safe news back home.

There are also other volunteer groups willing to go to the epicenter without fear of danger. A kitchen of Vietnamese volunteers was organized in the evacuation area in Ishikawa Prefecture, providing free meals to those who had to evacuate due to the earthquake. In addition, there are activities to deliver relief goods from agencies, organizations, businesses, and individuals to the Vietnamese community as well as local people. Relief shipments from the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, the Osaka Consulate General, and the Vietnamese community in localities in Japan also poured into Ishikawa Prefecture. Calls for volunteers to participate in relief activities on many social media accounts of Vietnamese people in Japan have always received strong responses.

To make things go as smoothly as possible, the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan took the lead in coordinating the relief activities of the Vietnamese people, in order to effectively promote collective resources, avoid overlapping and affect the activities of the Japanese side. This not only warmed the hearts of the Vietnamese people, but also left a deep impression and gratitude of the Japanese people for the Vietnamese community living and working in their second homeland.

THANH HANG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tinh-nguoi-trong-hoan-nan-post723635.html