On October 24, Dantri, in coordination with the People’s Committee of Tan Long Commune in Tay Ninh Province, held a ceremony to hand over three houses to families in particularly difficult circumstances: those of Le Van Gan, 52, Nguyen Quoc Ly, 47, and Nguyen Thi Bich Van, 35.
All three families were living in severely dilapidated homes built with wooden frames, leaf walls and earthen floors. Their houses were at risk of collapsing during heavy rain and strong winds. Although the families wanted to rebuild to improve their living conditions, they could not afford to do so.
Three families facing extreme hardship in Tay Ninh Province receive new homes on October 24 (Photo: An Huy).
After Dantri published articles highlighting their circumstances, numerous readers and philanthropists donated money to help them build new homes. Gan’s family received VND 80,800,933, Ly’s family received VND 94,531,238, and Van’s family received VND 74,123,517.
Once the donations arrived, the families bought building materials, hired workers and enlisted help from relatives to rebuild their homes. All three houses have now been completed, featuring brick walls, corrugated metal roofs, bedrooms and clean, well-equipped bathrooms.
Standing inside his new home, Nguyen Quoc Ly could barely contain his joy. He said it was the house his family had always dreamed of, adding that without support from Dantri readers, he did not know when they would have been able to afford to build one.
Ly lives with his wife and their two children. He suffers from a spinal condition that prevents him from doing heavy work, so he stays at home doing lighter tasks, handling household chores and caring for his school-age children. The family relies entirely on his wife’s factory wages of just over VND 5 million a month.
Nguyen Quoc Ly's house before and after it was rebuilt with support from Dantri readers (Photo: An Huy).
During storms, their old wooden house would shake violently, while rainwater leaked through the roof and made it difficult for their children to study. Seeing his family living in such conditions left Ly feeling sad and helpless, as he had no idea when they would be able to rebuild.
Ly said the donations, combined with additional help from relatives, had enabled the family to build a solid home and secure more stable living conditions.
“I don’t know what else to say except to express my heartfelt gratitude to the generous readers who have helped my family build a new home,” he said.
Standing in front of his newly completed house, Le Van Gan said that without donations from Dantri readers, he did not know when his family could have replaced their rotting old home, which had tilted dangerously to one side.
“With the donated money, I borrowed some more from relatives and managed to build a sturdy, clean and beautiful house. Since it was completed, my family has been very happy. We would like to express our sincere thanks to Dantri readers,” Gan said.
Le Van Gan's house before and after it was rebuilt with support from Dantri readers (Photo: An Huy).
Nguyen Thi Bich Van also thanked Dantri readers for joining hands to help her family build a solid home and achieve more stable living conditions.
“My family is deeply moved by the readers’ spirit of mutual support and compassion. Their contributions have helped us fulfil our dream of having a new home. I wish all the readers good health and success in life,” she said.
At the handover ceremony, Phan Thai Cong, deputy managing editor of Dantri, congratulated the three families on receiving financial assistance from readers to rebuild their homes. On behalf of the newspaper and its readers, he wished them a more stable life, the strength to overcome their difficulties and the opportunity to gradually improve their living standards.
Cong said the donations had enabled the families to rebuild their homes and gain secure accommodation, providing a foundation for a more stable future.
“I hope the families will continue working to improve their circumstances and spread the spirit of compassion after overcoming this difficult period. I also hope the local authorities will continue working alongside Dantri to support other people in need in the coming years,” he said.
The inauguration ceremony for homes built for three disadvantaged households in Tan Long Commune, Tay Ninh Province (Photo: Cong Binh).
Speaking to Dantri, Nguyen Huu Tam, vice-chairman of the People’s Committee of Tan Long Commune, said that following an administrative merger, the commune’s area was now nearly half the size of the former Thu Thua District in Long An Province. Most local residents earn their living through agriculture.
The commune has around 100 poor and near-poor households, approximately 250 families facing hardship and 270 policy-beneficiary families. As a result, the need for housing assistance for disadvantaged residents remains substantial.
Tam said Dantri’s charity programme had practical significance and expressed hope that more readers would join the newspaper in carrying out social welfare initiatives in different localities.
Over more than 21 years, with contributions from its readers, Dantri has built 60 classrooms, 32 community bridges and roads, and 100 floating houses designed to protect residents from flooding. It has also organised 44 free medical examination and consultation programmes for nearly 9,200 people, provided 8,855 health insurance cards to disadvantaged students, and supported more than 6,000 families facing particularly difficult circumstances.
Since April 2024, donations from readers have enabled Dantri to work with local authorities to launch construction of 283 Nhan Ai houses for poor, near-poor and disadvantaged households across Vietnam. Of these, 273 have been completed and handed over.
