In the days leading up to Tet holiday, Alley No.7/3/4/16 on Thanh Thai Street of Dien Hong Ward is bustling with the colors of spring like bright yellow apricot blossoms, crimson flags, and Tet decorations prepared by the residents of Neighborhood No.5 themselves. Few remember that during the intense days of the pandemic, this very winding alley, only a few hundred meters long, saw seven children suddenly orphaned by Covid-19.
Mrs. Lam Quynh Hoa, Head of Neighborhood No.5, busily reviewed lists for Tet support. Holding a gift package, she spoke of her wish for a full holiday for the seven children in her neighborhood orphaned by Covid-19, whom she affectionately calls “her children.”
Mrs. Hoa recalls the pandemic’s devastating toll on the former Ward 14 of District 10, where 54 people passed away, with Neighborhood No.5 accounting for 28 deaths. In this working-class area, the loss of breadwinners left a void of pain and a heavy financial burden. “The children lost their fathers, mothers, and their greatest support system,” she said, eyes reddening.
Yet, Mrs. Hoa is deeply moved by the sustained efforts of the local authorities, unions, and benefactors over the years. Beyond scholarships and school supplies, the children receive crucial emotional care during these vulnerable years. Acting as both a leader and a mother figure, Mrs. Hoa remains dedicated to accompanying these remaining family members, helping them reorganize their lives and secure a future for the children.
Post-pandemic, Neighborhood No.5’s most visible change is the tighter bond of neighborly love now enveloping six families and seven orphans. Mrs. Hoa recounted the moving story of P.N.G.H., a quiet boy who lost his father to Covid-19. He became his mother’s spiritual pillar, striving in his studies to move forward. When he passed university, Mrs. Hoa wept reading his online tribute: “Dad, rest assured, I will grow up to take care of Mom.”
Nearby, the brothers of T.L. and Q.A. learned early independence after losing their father. They now commute to school together and help their mother, Mrs. Phan Thi Cam Linh. Though facing hardship, they never lack love. Welcoming Mrs. Hoa, their pandemic benefactor, Mrs. Linh shared that local support policies allowed her children to stabilize their lives and continue schooling. As they prepared for Tet, she expressed deep gratitude: “If there hadn’t been that helping hand back then, my family really wouldn’t have known where to start again.”
In a dilapidated house on Lac Long Quan Street (Minh Phung Ward), 16-year-old Au Khanh Ngan cares for her bedridden grandmother. Having lost her mother long ago, Ngan relied on her grandfather for encouragement until Covid-19 took him in 2021. The sudden loss left the sixth-grader bewildered and withdrawn.
During these darkest days, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Oanh, Head of the Neighborhood No.35 Women’s Union, stepped in as a “second mother.” She mobilized tuition and scholarships, ensuring Ngan wouldn’t abandon her education. The Union even donated a sewing machine to provide Ngan’s aunt a livelihood. These timely helping hands provided a vital lifeline, helping the near-poor family navigate their grief and ensuring Ngan’s future remained secure despite the tragedy.
Accompanying Ngan is Nguyen Ba Ngoc, Party Cell Secretary cum Head of Neighborhood No.35. When mentioning Ngan and the pandemic days, the Secretary could not hold back his tears. “My biggest regret is that there was a time when we had exactly one oxygen tank left; saving one person meant not saving another. That pain still remains somewhere inside me...” Mr. Ngoc choked up.
When peace returned, he and the neighborhood executive board focused their energy on caring for families who lost relatives to Covid-19, urgently connecting and implementing policies of the Party, State, and locality so the children would see they were never left behind.
He was also the one who mobilized support to get Ngan a motorbike so she could go to school every day. Although Ngan’s family is still a near-poor household, and the house still has peeling walls, inside, warmth and the will to live have returned so she does not have to go through those difficult days alone.
Spring returns, and the small alleys of yesteryear have passed through their hardest days. The children who suffered loss are now growing up under the protection of the community, just as the locals here tell each other: after all, what remains is human kindness.
During Tet, the HCMC Women’s Union organized the “Arms of Love” program, presenting Tet gifts and 41 savings books to students orphaned by Covid-19, with a total value of nearly VND3 billion (US$115,500).
According to HCMC Women’s Union Chairwoman Vo Ngoc Thanh Truc, following the Covid-19 pandemic, there were over 2,500 orphans due to the virus in HCMC, leaving behind much loss and pain for families.
Aware of that, various units accompanied the HCMC Women’s Union in caring for and supporting the children through monthly financial aid, helping them attend school with peace of mind. To date, this form of support has shifted to awarding savings books, aiming to instill more faith and strength so the children can step more firmly on their educational paths and in life.
