A volunteer supports passengers on coach No 7. (Photo: sggp.org.vn) "Coach number 7" is a volunteer project implemented bythe TES sponsor fund, formerly the VNO Organisation.
The coach brings poor people to their hometown for free, departingfrom Ho Chi Minh City to central provinces such as Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen, Binh Dinh,Quang Tri and Quang Binh.
Huynh Thi Thu, who lives in district 8, has received a ticket forCoach No 7 . She has sold lottery tickets in HCM City for ten years.
"It's been almost ten years. I haven't been able to enjoy Tet in my hometown with my family.Living in HCM City and do not have money, I stay in my boarding room, waitingfor Tet to pass so I can returnto work," she said.
Nguyen Hoang Anh, a student of Thu Dau Mot University in southernBinh Duong province, was pleased to receive the coach ticket.
Anh said that his family was poor, so he intended not to come backhome this Tet.
"My mother had a traffic accident two years ago, weakeningher health. Then she suffered from COVID-19 and needed treatment at threehospitals at much expense. As a result, my family had to mortgage our house.Now I'm thrilled with the free-of-charge ticket," he said.
In a small boarding room in district 12, Bui Thi Khue, from QuangNgai province, said that with the work of selling lottery tickets, she did nothave any savings.
She walks for more than 20km each day and earns about 200,000 VND(8 USD), just enough for the daily expense.
As for Khue, returning home on Tet wasa distant dream.
"Honestly, I'm very moved by the free ticket. This year I donot have to worry about travel expenses. I hope to return home with my familysoon after eight years of living in HCM City," she said.
It is scheduled that Coach No 7 will start in the middle ofJanuary next year. As many as 300 people will benefit from the project.
VNO Organisation was founded at the end of 2016 by Nguyen Hoang Khai,who lives in district 12.
He said that he founded a charity team in 2013 with 20 members.Most of them are high school students in Tan Phu district.
The team delivered gifts for poor children, people in sponsorcentres, lottery ticket sellers and motorbike taxi drivers in HCM City.
In 2016, Khai decided to cycle from HCM City to Hanoi tounderstand more about people's life and culture in different regions.
While passing central provinces, Khai saw residents had to copewith natural disasters. Many properties they saved all their lives were sweptaway by flood water.
Back in HCM City, Khai founded the VNO Organisation, whichconducts charity programmes and supports workers and students from centralprovinces who live in HCM City.
The first coach was organised in 2017, taking 70 people to centralprovinces from HCM City.
So far, more than 20 such coaches have been organised with nearly1,000 beneficiaries.
Volunteers will come to their houses when receiving the poor'sregister to study whether they need the free tickets.
The volunteers also help bring luggage and take the people'shealth home.
Khai said that seeing the people's smiles and hearing their thankswere a great experience, giving him more motivation to continue his charitywork.
The HCM City Labour Union said that the union's tickets of loveprogramme planned to give 35,000 free-of-charge coach, train and plane ticketsto poor workers this year.
The HCM City Youth and Worker Support Centre will also present1,500 tickets during the Tet holiday.The centre's programme is scheduled to start on January 17 next year to takepoor workers to their hometown to enjoy the holiday./.
VNA
