The house was presented to Dao Van Chin and his family during a ceremony held in Xuan Lanh Commune, Dak Lak Province.
The new home cost more than VND 250 million (approximately USD 9,620) to build, including nearly VND 175 million contributed by Dantri readers.
A Dantri reporter, left, and local officials present the house plaque to Chin's family (Photo: Viet Hung).
Covering almost 68 square metres, the house includes a living room, two bedrooms, a kitchen and indoor sanitary facilities, providing stable living conditions for Chin and his sons.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, Chin became emotional as he thanked Dantri readers, donors and local authorities for helping his family secure a safe home.
“I am so happy. In my entire life, I never imagined owning such a beautiful house,” Chin said.
“Now my sons and I finally have a stable place to live and no longer fear the house collapsing during storms.”
Chin's house seen from above (Photo: Trung Thi).
Nguyen Thi My Linh, chairwoman of the Women’s Union in Xuan Lanh Commune, said Chin’s family had long been among the most disadvantaged households in the area.
Despite his old age and declining health, Chin has remained the sole provider for his three sons, all aged between 40 and 50 and unable to work because of illness and disabilities.
“Previously, the four father and sons lived in a severely deteriorated house with leaking roofs and rotten walls that became extremely dangerous during storms,” Linh said.
“The completion of this new home not only gives the family a safe place to live but also provides Chin with greater strength to overcome hardship.”
Tran Quoc Huy, secretary of the Xuan Lanh Commune Party Committee, thanked Dantri for connecting donors with disadvantaged families across Vietnam.
He also expressed hope that the newspaper’s charitable programmes would continue expanding to support more vulnerable people.
Inside the new home of Chin and his sons, which is spacious and clean (Photo: Trung Thi).
According to previous reports by Dantri, Chin has spent years caring for his three disabled sons alone.
One son has been paralysed since childhood, another suffers from severe mental illness and frequently wanders away from home, while the third has advanced diabetes and has lost one leg.
Before the new house was built, the family lived in a badly damaged wooden home with termite eaten beams, cracked walls and a decaying tiled roof. Rainwater regularly leaked throughout the house during storms.
The family survives mainly on monthly social welfare payments of VND 2.25 million (approximately USD 87). Authorities also provided them with a breeding cow to support their livelihood.
For years, the family’s greatest wish had been to repair their unsafe home and escape the constant leaks during rainy seasons.
Moved by their circumstances, Dantri readers donated nearly VND 175 million, helping the family realise their dream of a permanent house.
On March 20, Dantri and the Xuan Lanh Commune People’s Committee officially began construction of the project.
As part of the Vietnamese government’s campaign to eliminate temporary and unsafe housing, Dantri has pledged to build 200 homes for poor and near poor families nationwide during the 2024-2025 period.
Since April 2024, the newspaper has started construction on 255 houses and completed 238 of them.
Alongside its housing projects, Dantri has also built 60 classrooms, 32 rural bridges and roads, and 50 floating shelters for flood prone communities. The newspaper has organised 32 free health consultation programmes benefiting more than 6,000 people and donated 7,210 health insurance cards to disadvantaged students.
The newspaper has also launched fundraising campaigns to support nearly 6,000 families facing severe hardship.