Hanoi family receives new home thanks to public donations

A poor family in Hanoi has been given a new home after receiving financial support from readers and donors, bringing renewed hope after years of hardship.

Chu Thi Ha, 66, who lives in Dong Bang Hamlet, Vat Lai Commune, shared her joy shortly after moving into the newly completed house earlier this year, despite having recently undergone eye surgery.

Ha said the solid, well-built house was once beyond her imagination.

After her husband’s death, she struggled to raise her three children alone without a stable income. Two of them have since married and moved out, and she now lives with her youngest son, Tran Van Thinh, 43. Thinh has divorced twice and is raising his four children on his own.

In 2014, Thinh suffered a workplace accident that caused a traumatic brain injury, leaving his memory impaired and deepening the family’s financial difficulties.

Two of his daughters, aged 20 and 21, are currently studying at university. His third child who is 17 left school after secondary education to find work and support the family, while the youngest, aged 10, is suffering from malnutrition.

The family had been living in a severely deteriorated house that risked collapse at any time.

After Ha’s story was published, readers and benefactors across the country donated more than VND 117 million (about USD 4,600), enabling the family to build a safe and permanent home.

Local authorities and organisations also provided additional support, helping to complete the house quickly.

“I know I no longer have the strength to manage everything, but knowing that my children and grandchildren now have a proper place to live gives me motivation,” Ha said.

She expressed deep gratitude to the donors, saying their support had not only provided a home but also restored a sense of stability and hope for the future.