Nguyen Thi Lanh, 60, in Luc Yen Commune, Lao Cai Province, has recently settled into a new house built with financial support from readers of Dantri/Dtinews.
Lanh married twice. Her first husband died early, while her second abandoned her and their daughter. Without stable work, she took on physically demanding jobs to earn a modest income to raise her child.
Her daughter later married but recently divorced, leaving her own daughter, Tran Nhat Mai, born in 2023, in Lanh’s care before moving to southern Vietnam in search of work. She sends home a few hundred thousand VND each month to help cover medicine and basic expenses.
Lanh and her granddaughter at their newly-built home funded by donations from readers of Dantri (Photo: Dinh Tung).
The house Lanh previously lived in had severely deteriorated, with multiple leaks during rainy weather.
Despite ongoing hardship, she had spent decades saving small amounts. Her total savings reached just under VND 50 million (USD1,900), far short of the cost needed for a solid home.
After her story was published by Dantri, donors contributed VND 192.6 million (about USD 7,700) to support the construction of a new house.
With this support, Lanh has been able to build a modest but sturdy home. She expressed deep gratitude to readers and donors:
“I am past working age and caring for a young grandchild, so I never imagined I would have a secure home like this. Thanks to kind-hearted people everywhere, my wish has come true. Thank you for helping us have a place to live.”
After receiving the second transfer of reader donations, Lanh is able to build an additional room (Photo: Dinh Tung).
She said she now feels healthier and happier living in a safe and airy house.
“I only hope to live long enough to see my grandchild grow up,” she added.
Lanh also buys a new set of tables and chairs (Photo: Dinh Tung).
In addition to public donations, local authorities in Luc Yen Commune provided extra funding to help her purchase essential household items.
As part of the government’s campaign to eliminate temporary and dilapidated housing, Dantri has set a target of building 200 charity homes for poor and near-poor households nationwide in 2024 and 2025.
Since April 2024, the outlet has launched construction on 254 such homes, with 220 already completed.
Beyond housing support, Dantri has also built 58 classrooms, 32 rural bridges and roads, and 50 floating shelters for flood-prone areas. It has organised 32 free medical check-up programmes benefiting more than 6,000 people, distributed 7,210 health insurance cards to disadvantaged students, and launched fundraising campaigns to assist nearly 6,000 families in difficult circumstances.
