Le Thi Hai (centre) receives the donations at the groundbreaking ceremony of her house on June 18.
Dantri Newspaper, in coordination with the local government of Giao An Commune, Thanh Hoa Province, held a groundbreaking ceremony on June 18 to construct a new house for Le Thi Hai, a 54-year-old widow of the Muong ethnic group.
Hai and her late husband had two children but struggled with poor health and lacked stable jobs.
Their financial difficulties worsened after their son, Le Van Quynh, could not work in Taiwan due to a traffic accident. After eventually going abroad, he earned very little and was later deported for breaching his contract.
In 2020, Hai’s husband was diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer and passed away shortly afterwards. The family was so destitute that neighbours had to pool money to help with the funeral. Quynh, still overseas then, could not afford to return home.
Returning jobless and in debt, Quynh moved to Haiphong City to work as a labourer to support his mother and repay the VND 140 million (approximately USD 5,500) borrowed for the failed overseas labour plan.
Alone and in poor health, Hai has lived in a deteriorating thatched hut since her husband’s death, unable to afford repairs.
Hai's old house has badly deteriorated.
But thanks to generous donations from Dantri readers, her dream of a new home is finally coming true.
“I never imagined I could have a new house,” Hai said tearfully at the ceremony. “Thanks to the kind support of Dantri readers and the local government, I can now rebuild my life with a solid home.”
In addition to over VND 42 million (approximately USD 1,650) raised by Dantri readers, the local government contributed VND 80 million (approximately USD 3,140).
Hai plans to borrow additional funds from relatives and seek help from neighbours to complete the 100-square-metre home.
Do Thanh Son, Chairman of Giao An Commune People’s Committee, thanked Dantri and its readers, calling the support “a meaningful gift and great motivation” for Hai and her son to overcome hardship.
Dantri’s house-building programme, part of a national initiative to eliminate substandard housing, aims to construct 200 homes nationwide for poor and near-poor families by the end of 2025. So far, 133 homes have been started, and 125 have already been completed.
To meet the target of 67 more homes, Dantri appeals for continued support from readers, donors, and organisations nationwide.