Thieu Manh Trong, 89, and his wife, Vi Thi Lich, 85, from Dong Luong Commune, Cam Khe District and their 39-year-old son, Thieu Manh Trinh, live in a dilapidated house.
The couple live in a dilapidated house (Photo by Huong Hong)
The house contains nothing of value, only a worn-out table and chairs, two rickety beds, a soot-blackened pot with a broken handle, a filthy mosquito net, and several musty sacks of old, foul-smelling clothes.
The brick walls are covered in mould and moss. Typhoon Yagi tore off part of the roof in 2024 and has been temporarily patched with a plastic tarp. The house is at constant risk of collapsing.
“My wife’s been bedridden, I can barely walk, and our son is slow and doesn’t know how to help, so the house has become quite a mess,” Trong said.
Trong has seven children, four sons and three daughters. Six are married and living separately but suffer from financial hardship and can’t offer much support. The youngest son remains single and slow-witted.
The house has severely deteriorated (Photo by Huong Hong)
Built in 1983, the house has severely deteriorated. Whenever storms hit, they have to shelter at their neighbour’s house. Three years ago, during one such move, Lich fell and has been bedridden since then.
Despite poor health, fading eyesight, and difficulty walking, Trong always tries to support his wife. Their son catches crabs and snails in canals near the house to get by.
Hoang Thi Anh Hong, Head of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs in Dong Luong Commune, said that Trong’s family is among the poorest in the locality.
Local authorities have called for donations to help the family, but most residents in the commune are also struggling, so support has remained modest.
If you can help, please donate through:
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