Dantri/Dtinews Newspaper, in partnership with authorities in Tan Quoi Commune, Vinh Long Province, held a groundbreaking ceremony on July 22 for a new house for the family of Nguyen Thanh Hai.
A Dantri reporter and Tan Quoi Commune officials hand over readers' donations to Hai's family (Photo: Nguyen Minh).
Hai, 60, suffers from pulmonary tuberculosis and is in poor health, requiring respiratory support. Despite his condition, he has remained deeply concerned that his 11-year-old daughter and four-year-old granddaughter could be forced to leave school because of the family's financial hardship.
His wife, Nguyen Thi Oanh, 51, gave up her factory job in Ho Chi Minh City to return home and care for her seriously ill husband.
The couple have two children. Their eldest son, Nguyen Chi Cuong, born in 2007, left school early to work as a factory labourer, while their younger daughter, Nguyen Thuy Duong, born in 2015, is in Grade 5 at primary school.
The family's difficulties worsened in 2022 when Hai was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis. Around the same time, Cuong left his three-month-old daughter in the care of his parents after separating from his girlfriend, before disappearing without contact.
The family had been living in a deteriorating single-storey house with a corrugated metal roof.
Less than a month after Dantri published the family's story, readers in Vietnam and overseas donated VND 95.9 million (USD 3,660). Hai described the donations as "a miracle" that had given the family the opportunity to build a safe and permanent home.
Speaking at the ceremony, Oanh became emotional as she said she had never imagined having such a large sum of money.
Oanh becomes emotional at the prospect of a new home (Photo: Bao Ky).
"I don't know what to say except to sincerely thank the readers of Dantri and the local authorities for helping my family through this difficult time," she said.
The new house will have a floor area of 70 square metres and is expected to cost more than VND 100 million (USD 3,820) to build.
Reporters, local officials and Hai perform the groundbreaking ritual (Photo: Nguyen Minh).
Ly Van Nhan, vice-chair of the Tan Quoi Commune People's Committee, said Dantri's charity housing programme had made a meaningful contribution to local social welfare by supporting disadvantaged families.
"On behalf of the local authorities, I would like to thank the readers of Dantri for helping Hai's family build a new home. Soldiers from Brigade 226 are also assisting with the construction, which will shorten the building period and reduce costs," Nhan said.
Since April 2024, Dantri, with support from its readers, has worked with local authorities to begin construction on 279 homes for poor and vulnerable households across Vietnam, of which 239 have already been completed.
Alongside its housing initiative, the newspaper has funded the construction of 60 classrooms, 32 rural bridges and roads, and 100 floating shelters for flood-prone communities. It has also organised 40 free medical outreach programmes benefiting more than 7,000 people, provided 7,210 health insurance cards to disadvantaged pupils, and supported more than 6,000 families facing severe hardship.
The newspaper also regularly organises activities to honour veterans and people who made significant contributions to the nation during major holidays and commemorative events, while providing emergency assistance to communities affected by natural disasters and other crises.