Dinh Thi Tuyen and her daughter (centre) at the groundbreaking ceremony of their new house on April 21.
On April 21, representatives of Dantri Newspaper in the Mekong Delta region, in co-ordination with Thanh Hoa Commune People's Committee in Hau Giang Province, held a groundbreaking ceremony for a house gifted to the family of Dinh Thi Tuyen.
Speaking at the event, Pham Van Son, Vice Chairman of the Thanh Hoa Commune People's Committee, expressed his gratitude, "When we heard that Dantri was going to build a house for Tuyen, we were truly glad. In the past, some organisations have supported families in need, but this is the first time a donor has come forward with a significant amount, over VND138 million, to help build a proper home for a local household. With this funding, I believe Tuyen will be able to have a decent, sturdy house where she and her daughter can live without fear of rain leaks or strong winds like in their current shelter," he said.
During the ceremony, the Vice Chairman also committed to closely supporting the construction process to ensure the house is completed on schedule.
Throughout the event, Tuyen repeatedly expressed her gratitude. "Sometimes I feel like this isn't real like I'm dreaming. I've never had such a large amount of money before. I sincerely thank the kind-hearted readers of Dantri and the local authorities for helping me and my daughter get a new home. I promise that once we have our house, I will continue to work hard to support my daughter's education. If there is any money left after construction, I will save it to support her future," she said joyfully.
The new home is designed to be 4.5 metres wide and 11 metres long and includes a living room, two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom. The total construction cost is estimated at VND120 million, and completion is expected within one month.
On this occasion, Duong Thanh Vu, Principal of Thanh Hoa 2 Primary School, and Nguyen Hoang Nam, a representative of a charitable organisation, also visited and presented a VND1 million scholarship to Luong Thi Vang, Tuyen's daughter.
Luong Thi Vang receives a scholarship from Duong Thanh Vu, Principal of Thanh Hoa 2 Primary School, and Nguyen Hoang Nam, a representative of a charitable organisation.
Tuyen's husband passed away two months ago after a long illness. She now struggles to raise two children independently by making and selling traditional cakes with a modest income. After sixth grade, her son dropped out of school and worked as a factory worker in Ho Chi Minh City. Her youngest child, Luong Thi Vang, is 10 in fourth grade.
Tuyen and her daughter in their old house.
The family is staying in her sister's house, which is in serious disrepair and leaks heavily when it rains. Unfortunately, she had no means to build a new home until now.
In response to the government's campaign to eliminate temporary and dilapidated housing, Dantri originally set a goal of building 100 homes for poor and near-poor families nationwide between 2024 and 2025.
With overwhelming support from readers, donors, businesses, and local authorities, the newspaper has already achieved this goal ahead of schedule.
Dantri has now set a new target of building an additional 100 charity houses this year, helping 100 more disadvantaged families move into safe, permanent homes.
From April 10, 2024, to date, 117 charity houses have been initiated, with 75 already completed.
To meet the overall target of constructing 200 houses by the end of 2025, Dantri hopes for continued support from readers, philanthropists, and organisations to help families in need realise their dream of stable housing.
