Dantri said on March 31 it was completing procedures to transfer donations to Ha Thi My Huong, 16, from Tan Hoi Commune in Lam Dong Province, after readers contributed VND 4,536,818,182 (about USD 170,000) by March 29.
Huong left school and took on casual work to care for her three younger siblings after their father died and their mother left home.
Ha Thi My Huong and her three young siblings (Photo: Minh Hau).
The newspaper published her story on March 26. Following the appeal, readers sent more than VND 4.54 billion to the newspaper’s donation account. Huong has since asked for the fundraising to stop so that support can be directed to other people in need.
Ha Thi My Huong states that direct donations from benefactors are managed by authorities to ensure safety (Photo: Minh Hau).
Because she is still a minor, and with her father dead and her mother no longer at home, Dantri reporters met Huong, local officials from Tan Hoi Commune and representatives of the Lam Dong Sponsorship Association to agree a plan for receiving and managing the money transparently and for the proper benefit of the four children.
Under the agreement, the donations will be placed in a savings account in Huong’s name. The Lam Dong Sponsorship Association will manage the account, under the supervision of relevant authorities, until she reaches adulthood.
Interest from the deposit will be transferred each month to help cover living and education costs for Huong and her siblings.
If the children need a large sum for medical treatment, medicines or other essential spending, the authorities will review the circumstances and coordinate the withdrawal of funds for the proper purpose.
If Huong wishes to buy land or build a house, the relevant bodies will also coordinate the release of part of the savings to meet that need.
Since Dantri published her story, benefactors have also travelled to see the family, offering visits, encouragement and gifts.
Huong said the siblings had directly received more than VND 38 million (about USD 1,500) in cash, along with rice, instant noodles and other essentials. Donors have also given them an electric bicycle, desks and chairs for study, and clothes to help stabilise their lives.
Ha Thi My Huong with her youngest sister (Photo: Minh Hau).
Ha Thi My Huong lives with her siblings in a borrowed, dilapidated house in Tan Hoi Commune. Her father, Ha Van Ot, died at the age of 38 in a traffic accident three years ago while returning from construction work. Her mother, Nguyen Thi Yen Ha, 44, had relied on low-paid farm jobs to support the family, forcing Huong to leave school to help care for her younger siblings.
In late 2025, her mother suffered a psychological crisis and left home. Since then, Huong has become the sole provider, earning about VND 150,000 (USD 5.80) per day from manual work in local vegetable gardens.
Nguyen Thi My Le, a distant relative, has become the family’s main support. She has allowed the children to stay in her old house and occasionally provides rice, food and small amounts of money.
“I felt sorry for them, so I repaired the old house for the family to stay. Since the mother left, I and some neighbours have continued to visit and help the children when we can,” she said.
