Zing Muse – Mr. Vu Van Son, 63 years old, is deaf and mute, and has to sell lottery tickets every day to make a living, but he firmly refused the 70 million VND donated by everyone.

“Although the amount of money is large and meaningful, I am very happy to receive a little. I will save the rest for people in more difficult circumstances,” the man from Tan An, Long An explained why he refused the large amount of money donated by the community to support him, on the evening of April 11.

This gift came from a week ago when Ms. Nguyen Do Truc Phuong, 27 years old, in District 1, accidentally saw a photo of Mr. Son next to a bicycle, selling lottery tickets and a sign with the words: “I am deaf and mute. Please help me. Thank you very much”.

The girl called on the community to donate to help Mr. Son on her personal page. After one night, Truc Phuong received 75 million VND. However, Mr. Son often moved his selling point, so Ms. Phuong tried to find him many times to give him money but could not find him. With the help of a friend, on the evening of April 11, Ms. Phuong found him at the Dien Bien Phu – Hai Ba Trung intersection, District 3.

“At first, I thought I would ask more about his situation, and the next day I would take him to open a savings account,” Phuong shared. When Ms. Phuong offered to give him all the money she had donated, Mr. Son refused. Surprised by this reaction, Phuong tried to beg him but he still refused to accept. Finally, the girl withdrew 20 million VND, put it in a small box and gave it to him, but he only accepted 5 million. The deaf-mute man gave Phuong the remaining amount and pointed to the traffic on the road, implying: “Let’s use the rest to help other people in need.”

“I have called for help for dozens of situations, but this is the first time someone has refused such a large amount of money. When he only accepted 5 million, I offered to give him a new bicycle, but he also refused,” Truc Phuong shared.

Speaking to VnExpress, Mr. Son said that he has been selling lottery tickets in Saigon for two years now. He was given free accommodation by the landlord in District 1, and only had to pay for electricity and water. When he first came to Saigon, the man walked to collect scrap metal, then switched to selling lottery tickets. Because he did not have much capital, he only paid the agent half of the lottery ticket price in advance each day, and only returned the rest at the end of the day.

“At first, because I did not hang the lottery ticket sign on my bike carefully, a young man on a motorbike snatched it. Passersby shouted and chased after me, so he threw it back. Learning from my experience, I tied a rope tightly to the handlebars of my bike,” the man wrote on a piece of paper and said.

Every day, he cycles to sell in many places around District 1 from 6am to 12pm, then comes home to rest. At 5pm, he continues selling on Tran Hung Dao Street until 7pm, then cycles to Hai Ba Trung Street and parks his bike on the sidewalk. At 9 p.m., he moves to Hang Xanh intersection to sell until late at night before returning home to rest.

For the past year, he has sold about 300 tickets a day. In addition to buying an old bicycle to ride to sell, he also pays the dealer in full without owing any money like before.

“Mr. Son has been selling on the sidewalk of Hai Ba Trung Street for about 2 months now. Seeing that he is deaf and mute, and also gentle, the shop owners let him stand on his bicycle to sell. He always gives out lottery tickets, receives money from customers with both hands, and then repeatedly shakes his head to thank them,” said Mr. Nguyen Nam, a security guard at a fashion store near the intersection.

Mr. Son shared that since he came to Saigon to sell lottery tickets, he feels happier than when he worked in the fields in his hometown. With his daily income, the man is enough to cover his living expenses. He only returns to his hometown every few months to visit his two daughters and 4 grandchildren.

“For me now, life is just enough. When I feel that I have enough, I feel more at peace. I rarely dare to think about wishing for anything more,” Mr. Son shared.

Linda (Community)