Bui Van Khanh and his wife Tran Thi Phan both suffer from chronic illnesses but continue to care for their intellectually disabled daughter.
Their greatest fear is what will happen to her when they are no longer able to provide care.
Phan, suffering from high blood pressure and severe arthritis, finds it difficult to walk and has been unable to work for the past decade. Despite qualifying for free health check-ups, she avoids hospital visits due to associated costs.
Despite her condition, Phan has never dared to visit a hospital, even though her family qualifies as poor and receives free health check-ups. "It still costs money to travel to the hospital," she explained. "And even if I'm diagnosed, I don't have money for treatment."
Khanh, the family's sole breadwinner, earns a meagre income by cleaning the local market and collecting recyclables, receiving VND 1,000 to 2,000 (approximately USD 0.04 to 0.08) per task. Occasionally, sympathetic vendors provide him with meals.
The family's most stable source of income is the monthly social allowance given to their 36-year-old daughter, Bui Thi Nhung.
Their 36-year-old daughter, Nhung, classified as severely disabled, can only utter simple words and relies entirely on her parents for daily care.
"She has a mental illness, but she's gentle," Phan said. "She doesn't scream or cause trouble. She doesn't want to go outside or meet strangers. After eating, she'll retreat to a corner of the house, sit quietly, and lie down when tired."
Trinh Thi Hong, a niece of Khanh, said he has shown signs of memory loss and mental confusion in recent months.
Earlier this year, Khanh was hit by a motorbike while scavenging for recyclables. "The driver saw that my uncle looked confused, so he just gave him VND 100,000 (approximately USD 3.9) and drove off," Hong recounted. "Uncle came home in pain but said nothing. It wasn't until my aunt heard him groaning that she found out he had been hit. We took him to the hospital, and doctors discovered he had three fractured ribs."
"Thanks to support from local authorities and kind-hearted neighbours, we're still getting by," Phan said. "But what worries us the most is what will happen to our daughter when we're gone."
Their house which was built by the local government 20 years ago, is now dilapidated and unsafe.
As Vice Chairman of Tan Ninh Commune People's Committee, Au Hoang Vu said, "Khanh's family is registered as a poor household with no income. Now, all three members of the household are ill, and their situation is even more difficult. The house they live in was built by the local government 20 years ago, and it's now dilapidated and unsafe, especially with the rainy season approaching."
If you can help, donate through:
1. Code 5590: Bui Van Khanh
Address: Nam Ngan Village, Tan Ninh Commune, Tan Thanh District, Long An Province
2. Dantri/DTiNews Newspaper
Email: nhanai@dantri.com.vn
No. 2/48 Giang Vo Str., Dong Da Dist., Hanoi
Tel: 024. 3. 7366.491/ Fax: 024. 3. 7366.490
3. Dantri/DTiNews' banking accounts
* Vietnam Dong Account information at Vietcombank:
Account name: Bao Dan tri
Account number: 1017378606
Bank name: THE BANK FOR FOREIGN TRADE OF VIETNAM – Thanh Cong Branch
* US Dollar Account information at Vietcombank:
Account Name: Bao Dan tri
Account Number: 1017780241Swift Code: BFTV VNVX 045
Bank Name: THE BANK FOR FOREIGN TRADE OF VIETNAM (VietComBank)
*EUR Account information at Vietcombank:
Account Name: Bao Dan triAccount Number: 1022601465Swift Code: BFTV VNVX 045
Bank Name: BANK FOR FOREIGN TRADE OF VIETNAM (Vietcombank)
* Vietnam Dong Account information at Vietinbank:
Account name: Bao Dan tri
Account number: 126000081304
Bank name: Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade – Hoan Kiem Branch
* Vietnam Dong Account at Vietnam Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV)
Account name: Bao Dan triAccount number: 26110002631994
Bank name: BIDV, Trang An branch
* Vietnam Dong Account information at MB Bank:Account name: Bao Dan tri
Account number: 0231195149383
Bank name: MILITARY COMMERCIAL JOINT STOCK BANK - Thai Thinh Branch, Hanoi
* Vietnam Dong Account information at Agribank:- Account holder: Bao Dan tri
- Account number: 1400206035022
- At Agribank, Lang Ha Branch, Hanoi
* Vietnam Dong Account at Saigon-Hanoi Commercial Joint Stock Bank (SHB)- Account name: Bao Dan tri- Account number: 1017589681
- At SHB, Hanoi branch
* Vietnam Dong Account at Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank (ACB)
-Account name: Bao Dan tri- Account number: 333556688888
-ACB, Dong Do branch
4. Dantri/DTiNews' representative office
Office in HCM City: No. 51-53, Vo Van Tan Street, Vo Thi Sau Ward, District, 3, HCM City
Tel: 028. 3517 6331 (on working time) or hotline 0974567567