Dao Thi Thanh, chairwoman of the Women’s Union in Phuc Trach Commune, said local residents had spent recent days helping the family of Nguyen Thi Chau, 52, harvest more than 1,500 square metres of rice.
Chau had recently undergone kidney surgery and remained in hospital while her family’s rice crop reached harvest time.
Heavy rain and strong winds had flattened the fields, forcing residents to harvest the rice manually.
“The rice had collapsed, so it could only be harvested by hand. If it was not collected in time, it could sprout and rot,” Thanh added.
After learning of the family’s situation, dozens of women from Tan Hoi Village joined together to cut, gather and transport bundles of rice for drying.
The entire field has now been harvested, local officials said.
In a separate case in the same commune, local women also helped another family harvest more than 1,000 square metres of maize after Nguyen Thi Thuy received news on May 1 that her son had died in an accident in the southern region of Vietnam.
Residents later transported the maize to a local community hall to shell and dry the crop together.
Thanh said the efforts reflected the community spirit and neighbourly solidarity of local residents.
“We hope Chau recovers soon and returns to her family, and that Thuy can overcome her loss and rebuild her life,” she said.
