Thuy Tien: ‘If I die, I am not even afraid, I will be defamed’

– Almost a week to help people affected by storms and floods in central Vietnam, what makes you chase?

– When I was at home, I saw the images flooded on the radio, but it was terrible, but I saw more terrible things until I arrived. I am obsessed with the water rising so high that people throw away all their possessions to save their lives and panic because they realize they have lost everything. Seeing that, I felt great compassion and realized that my help could be a ray of hope for them.

In the places where I pass, the people are not very hungry because the village shares with each other, the local government also supports the people to hold on until the water recedes. Flood for a few days to remove but bring all the homes and goods. Hunger doesn’t scare people, but the feeling of losing everything does panic. Hearing everyone’s confession, I couldn’t hold back the tears. Being there, comforting everyone makes me happy. We are all the same, when we are about to drown and given the buoy, at least we ensure that we will not die.

Singer Thuy Tien.

– What about the dangers on the road?

– For almost a week in the Central region, I was in danger of dying from high tide, high waves and the capsizing of the ship. I don’t know how to express my feelings at the time, but we are all the same with no blood on our faces. However, I still remember my mother saying, if I do a good job, God will protect and protect. Don’t worry, if something happens, it’s fine because life or death has a number.

Before I left, I didn’t think I would be in such danger. After that, we learned why people were divided, why rescuers couldn’t come. Big floods like that, people can take care of themselves and if they haven’t ended, how can they take care of themselves. When I left, the situation was much better, only a tenth of what it was before, but as dangerous as it was before, it was definitely more terrible. Flood returned at 3 in the morning and was able to survive. In that situation, the rescuers were like discarded salt.

– What is the driving force that makes you defy danger, hide like this from your husband?

– My childhood had many days of poverty and destitution. When I was poor, anyone who gave me money felt very valuable. God, at that time he wanted people to give money because he could buy this and that, that could handle this and that. So now I think I can help people with anything.

Whenever I took the money, I also felt bad, I felt very guilty. Among them, of course, there will be hunger and greed. In the past I was poor, but for my dignity I did not dare to ask that. But if you follow Buddha, you will see that the nature of sentient beings is like that, if you don’t love them, don’t blame yourself.

– Her husband, the Cong Vinh player, once shared that he was worried when she left like this because her health was so weak. What is the force that helps you overcome your physical limitations to rain in storms and floods all day?

– The motivation is to see people suffer, so I can’t bear it. If I can help, I try to go there. When I go, I know it will take a lot of effort, going there will not help everyone, but you have to go, instead of not going, it will not help anyone. I don’t know where I get my health to go like this. Maybe I’m fine because whenever I do a good job I feel motivated.

– What do you think when the amount of donation poured into your account exceeds 100 billion VND?

– Before I get up to donate, I don’t think the amount will reach 100 billion. When doing charity work, nobody knows in advance how much money they will raise, everything knows in advance, everyone will buy the winning number (laughs). So I decided that I can go there and do it with my mind, whatever is difficult, I will try. True, this is a lot of pressure, but everyone is afraid of pressure, they do not stand up to do it, regardless of difficult people, they are too guilty.

– What pressure do you have with the amount of more than 100 billion collected?

– Sure everyone has pressure, but “Everyone chooses light work, who will be hard work?” I think the lyrics are very correct. When I arrived, I found my work very meaningful. There, I realized that people are not very hungry because the water in the stream has started to recede. People do not panic from hunger, but from panic because they are gone, their mentality panics and they cry a lot, not knowing how to live tomorrow, where to start. I went immediately to understand what they needed, to give food or a few million to go to the market was just “fighting fires”. The best thing I could help at that time was to give them hope, reassure them to calm down, and believe that Thuy Tien would return so there was no need to panic about what would happen tomorrow.

– How do you plan to use that 100 billion?

– I will use the amount of 100 billion to help people restore their lives after the floods. Many families have lost their houses, furniture, not even a plate of rice … I will build a house, I will give them a certain amount of money to rebuild their lives, I will get capital to do business like buying seeds. trees, land improvement … Many people borrowed money from banks to do business, but now they have lost everything and do not know where to get the money to pay. They are cases that need help.

100 billion, everyone who looks at it and talks about all kinds of things, but is it enough to build a house and stabilize a life for everyone?

Thuy Tien rained heavily and overcame the floods to help the people of the central region.

– How do you distribute that money between towns?

– I share them equally between the provinces, without focusing on a specific locality, where much is difficult, I share a lot. If any locality has only lost its furniture, and my house, I will support money to go to the market, to buy new things, and anywhere that loses all its houses, I will support the construction of houses and capital to rebuild lives.

I will contact the provincial authorities to find out how many homes have been affected by the floods and storms and distribute money to all those families. Of course, when the flood comes, the rich or the poor also suffer. More or less, it is necessary to help people to overcome difficulties after the flood. Receiving money is due to the conscience of each one, if people feel that it is enough, they want to share with others, they will not come to receive. For those who have enough and still come to receive, we also have to endure it. That is in the mind of each person, but I cannot clearly know millions of situations. I only define first of all to support them as such, second to more special circumstances. If there is a predestined relationship, I will definitely help depending on the village, each village to help them.

– With such a large-scale support plan, how do you handle everything?

– In the short term, I don’t know who I will find to work with because in reality, I only work with the mind of a citizen who wants to support my community and my country, but there is no great organization behind it. I don’t have enough time and I don’t plan on starting a charity, I just do it out of a desire to help anyone. If I have to plan to work with someone or organize with a professional team, I honestly don’t have enough money to pay them. I have many volunteers who support me, but all the people who follow me get paid to work.

Thuy Tien went to Hue on October 13 and continued to move to Quang Binh and Quang Tri provinces to support people affected by the floods and storms.

– Besides many compliments and admiration from everyone, there are still some negative comments about your work, how do you deal with it?

– Negative comments are everywhere, so I feel normal. If I die, I am not even afraid of being cursed or slandered by people (laughs).

– What did your husband say when he returned to Saigon after almost a week in the Central region?

– I went home but I have not met my husband yet because he will be back from work in 2-3 days. Rice goes to school all day, when I come back I only find a mother. I plan to stay in Saigon for a few days to fix things and then return to the central region to continue supporting my relatives. Depending on how the situation is at the time, I will consider continuing to provide help to “fight fires” with food, or start the second phase of house construction, rebuilding people’s lives.