Goodness is misjudged
Mr. Do Binh Nguyen is the one who opened a free Saigon bread box on Xo Viet Nghe Tinh Street (District 19, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City) for almost 5 months. Before the Covid-19 translation reappeared, every day Mr. Nguyen would put around 100 loaves of bread in the basket and then increase them with the help of some friends, some days up to 150, even 200 – 250.
“Free bread, everyone needs it”
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It is the income from Mr. Nguyen’s milk tea shop that finances him to maintain this bread basket. Mr. Nguyen spends around 200,000 VND (more than 6 million VND per month) for this free bag of bread. The restaurant staff, instead of the 8 am shift, arrived earlier to help Mr. Nguyen serve the poor.
Almost 5 months of free bread opening, Mr. Binh Nguyen took a break for almost a week. He recalls that the free bread box stopped working for about a week, not due to lack of funds, but because he was saddened by some people’s low conscience.
Binh Nguyen opens his bag of bread at 7:00 am every day
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“I reminded myself 10 days in a row, but most of the people who came to greet didn’t mind, so I had to pause. Some people come to receive too much cake. At first I recorded free bread and then I added 1 loaf of each person, but some people took too much, some even brought bags and filled them completely, ”he said.
“I actually do volunteer work, so I remind the recipient that I don’t want it either because it will touch the recipient’s pride. However, the number of cakes is not much, I want to share with many people. Some people who come later without permission to eat are very sorry. So I had to remember. After reminding myself that the situation has not changed, I stopped giving bread for a few days. My heart is very sad because normally every hour, lottery ticket sellers and working poor come to collect cakes and eat a full meal, ”shared Mr. Binh Nguyen.
Binh Nguyen (right) adjusted the bread basket to make it easier for the recipient
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Mr. Nguyen said that he was “high” many times due to his volunteer work. “Some people say that I advertise, I advertise … I am very warm because the work that comes out of the mind is misjudged and insulted. But I thought again about some difficult circumstances to help me and I had no bad intentions, so I kept working, the bread box was reopened, I forgot all the past.
The recipient chooses soy sauce or condensed milk to eat with the bread.
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“The bread is warm, fragrant, delicious, and full of food”
Every morning from 7:00 to 9-10, many workers come to receive bread on the way to their livelihood. Bread is always carefully protected for both hygiene and heat. Mr. Nguyen prepares soy sauce or condensed milk for the flavor change.
Recalling the days when he opened the bag of bread for the first time, Mr. Nguyen said that some people were confused and ran in to ask the staff or Mr. Nguyen if they would accept the bread. Anh Nguyen chooses to observe from a distance so that the recipient feels comfortable and is not afraid of receiving free items.
“At the beginning, seeing many difficult circumstances, there was a street vendor. When he went to take shelter in the rain, if I asked him, I knew more about his life.” He was too hungry but he couldn’t sell, he only had a few tens of thousands left in his pocket to go buy rice, he pretended to tell the restaurant that he had lost weight and that he should eat rice, but in reality he saved to take care of his family. Loving many difficult circumstances, I decided to open this bag of bread, ”shared Mr. Nguyen.
With the words coming in, Nguyen still feels warm when he knows that the bread box helps many people warm their stomachs every morning. Ms. Nguyen Thi My Hanh (42 years old) confided: “I was disabled when I was a child, I was not in good health, I only worked as a day laborer and then they gave me lunch. In the morning I know there is free hot bread, I usually come and receive it every day. The bread is warm, fragrant, delicious, and very filling. I came to receive it, although I knew it was free, but I accepted as usual, every day as one, I take it, if I want to eat more or take it for you, I will say it clearly, but I do not care “.
Bread – A breakfast dish that helps many workers warm up on their way to earn a living.
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Mr. Nguyen said that from the day he opened this free Saigon bread basket, he and his staff also had hot bread for breakfast to share with people in need. Although sometimes he still hears about worrying about money … but he still uses the support of his friends and the care of his family to motivate him to continue this volunteer work.
