Over the past 15 years, Thien Hoa charitable kitchen, located in the premises of provincial General Hospital, has kept its fire burning every day to provide warm meals for patients and their families. The dedication of the kitchen's founder and the team of volunteer cooks not only helps patients—especially those with difficult circumstances—ease part of their financial burden during treatment, but also spreads love and kindness, multiplying acts of goodness in life.
Sharing love
Every day, the kitchen serves breakfast from 5:30 am to 6:30 am, lunch from 10:00 am to 11:00 am and dinner from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Additionally, it provides hot water 24/7 for anyone in need.
For many years, the daily schedule of Thien Hoa charitable kitchen has remained consistent. Beyond serving patients, the kitchen also provides meals for their families as well as hospital security staff and cleaners.
Tran Thanh Liem, the founder and manager of Thien Hoa charitable kitchen shared that the early days of establishing the kitchen were filled with challenges. However, over time, as more people became aware of the kitchen’s mission, generous donors and volunteers came together to support it, allowing it to stabilize and continue its operations untill now. On average, Thien Hoa charitable kitchen, including its branch at Thuan An city’s Medical Center, serves around 2,000 free vegetarian meals daily. Approximately 200 volunteers participate in meal preparation and service, working in rotating shifts of about 15 people per shift for a month before switching teams."Although we do not actively seek donations or fundraising, our main goal at Thien Hoa charitable kitchen is to prepare delicious meals to serve people, encouraging them to recover quickly and reunite with their families", Mr. Liem shared.
To ensure that warm, nourishing meals reach everyone on time, the kitchen's volunteers start their day early, carefully preparing ingredients and cooking each dish with dedication. All meals served here are vegetarian and every step of the process is handled with meticulous care. For these volunteers, the joy of those who receive the meals is their greatest motivation. Their passion and commitment drive them to create flavorful, high-quality vegetarian dishes that meet nutritional needs, providing comfort and strength to patients undergoing treatment and their families.
Spreading kindness
Many young volunteers join the kitchen simply because they find its mission meaningful and want to contribute their efforts. Notably, many elderly individuals who have been with the kitchen since its early days are still actively involved. Some, due to distance or declining health, can no longer participate regularly, but they still visit the kitchen from time to time and are ready to assist when the kitchen needs them. For the volunteers, their greatest joy is to see the smiles of patients and their families when they receive warm meals.
Nguyen Thi Dinh, from Co Do district in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho shared that both she and her husband used to serve at the kitchen. Now, they are elderly and they only participate occasionally when there is a need for a larger number of volunteers. “After more than 10 years with this kitchen, I always feel happy and at ease. Seeing people come to receive and enjoy their meals happily makes me feel joyful”, Mrs. Dinh shared.
When it’s serving time, everyone lines up in an orderly manner to receive their meals. Everyone deeply appreciates the kindness of the founder and those who serve at this meaningful kitchen. Although the material value may not be great, each meal given with love at this kitchen provides encouragement and motivation for patients to overcome their illnesses. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Lan Hieu, Director of provincial General Hospital shared that since taking office at the hospital, he has been greatly impressed by the presence of a charitable vegetarian kitchen right next to the hospital’s canteen. “Every morning, noon and evening, people form long lines, holding their food containers and bowls to receive free meals. I have personally tried the food and found it to be of excellent quality—carefully prepared, thoughtfully cooked and most importantly, ensuring food safety. The hospital frequently collaborates with the nutrition department to support the kitchen in sourcing quality ingredients and improving meal preparation. I believe that everyone in life wants to do charity, but sustaining charity in a long-term, consistent and high-quality manner like this kitchen is truly a remarkable example that should be widely promoted in the society", shared Dr. Nguyen Lan Hieu.
For the past 15 years, Thien Hoa charitable kitchen has become a familiar place, a symbol of love and compassion, helping to ease the hardships of those less fortunate in society and encouraging patients with difficult circumstances to feel more secure during their treatment journey. The dedication of the kitchen’s founder and volunteers continues spreading kindness, inspiring more people to engage in charitable work and come together to build up a compassionate community.
“I believe that everyone wants to do charity work at some point in their life. However, sustaining it with consistency, quality and dedication—like this kitchen has done—is truly special and should be expanded across the society”, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Lan Hieu, Director of provincial General Hospital.
Over 664,480 poor patients provided with free meals
According to provincial Red Cross Society, there are currently 15 charitable kitchens across the province, actively maintained and organized by all-level Red Cross branches. These kitchens provide free meals, including rice, porridge, milk and light snacks, to those with difficult circumstances. In 2024 alone, these kitchens served over 664,480 free meals to impoverished patients, with a total value exceeding VND 10.1 billion.
Reported by Hong Thuan-Translated by Kim Tin
