Nguyen Sot (centre) and representatives from Dantri Newspaper and local authorities in Phu Yen Province commence construction of his new home on April 28.
The house is being built with a total budget of VND160 million, including VND100 million contributed by Dantri readers and VND60 million from Dong Xuan District’s programme to eliminate makeshift housing.
Following the publication of an article detailing Sot’s difficult circumstances, readers donated a total of VND122,395,701 to support his family (which Dantri Newspaper has transferred directly to Sot’s personal account). With the received amount, Sot’s family decided to allocate VND100 million for building a new house, while the remaining funds will be saved in a bank account.
According to the article published on March 29, 2025, Sot’s wife, Huynh Thi Dung, 60 years old, suffered from multiple serious illnesses including cirrhosis, diabetes, and heart failure, yet lacked the means for proper treatment. The couple lived in a dilapidated 15-square-metre house. Dung’s only wish was to have a new home where her husband, who has cognitive impairments, could live more safely after her passing.
A file photo of Nguyen Sot and his late wife Huynh Thi Dung at their old house.
Nguyen Sot shared that just over a week after the article was published, his wife passed away. Her dying wish was for the family to have a proper house to escape the leaking and flooding during stormy days.
"Last night, I lit incense and whispered to her at the altar that our family will soon have a new house. On behalf of my family, I sincerely thank the kind readers and Dantri Newspaper for their help," Sot said emotionally.
Phan Tien Trinh, Chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee of Xuan Quang 1 Commune, stated that Sot’s new house will cover a total area of 50 square metres, including a living room, two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom. The roof will be tiled, the floor covered with ceramic tiles, and the doors made of iron.
"With the generous support from Dantri readers, we believe that Sot will soon have a clean, solid, and spacious new home," Trinh shared.
Tran Quoc Huy, Vice Chairman of Dong Xuan District People’s Committee, expressed his gratitude on behalf of the local authorities, acknowledging Dantri Newspaper’s valuable contributions. He noted that following the article, many readers showed their support for disadvantaged individuals like Sot, giving them hope and better opportunities in life.
In response to the government's campaign to eliminate temporary and dilapidated housing, Dantri originally set a goal of building 100 homes for poor and near-poor families nationwide between 2024 and 2025.
With overwhelming support from readers, donors, businesses, and local authorities, the newspaper has already achieved this goal ahead of schedule.
Dantri has now set a new target of building an additional 100 charity houses this year, helping 100 more disadvantaged families move into safe, permanent homes.
From April 10, 2024, to date, 125 charity houses have been initiated, with 75 already completed.
To meet the overall target of constructing 200 houses by the end of 2025, Dantri hopes for continued support from readers, philanthropists, and organisations to help families in need realise their dream of stable housing.