In an effort to share the burdens faced by workers—especially those renting accommodations in Thu Dau Mot city’s Phu Hoa ward has swiftly mobilized owners of the local lodging facilities to reduce rent, helping laborers surmount difficulties. In the spirit of “mutual affection, mutual love”, hundreds of owners of the local lodging faculties have signed up to reduce rent in order to assist workers.
More than just sharing
Chau Thi Tuyet Mai, a worker from Soc Trang who works at a garment company in Thuan An city said that over the past two years, the company has had fewer orders, resulting in a significant decrease in her income. Her husband is a construction worker, but recently he has also had little work. Meanwhile, they have to raise two young children and send money back to their parents in the countryside, so the couple has to spend very carefully to save even a small amount for unexpected needs. With efforts in spending carefully, they barely manage to save a little for emergencies. Understanding the hardships of Mai’s family and others in similar situations, Nguyen Thi Huong, the owner of a lodging facility in Phu Hoa ward’s quarter 8 decided to reduce rent for all 7 of her rooms by VND 300,000 per month per room.
Mrs. Huong shared that her family is still repaying a bank loan when they invested in building a row of rental rooms. The tenants are also facing difficulties, so she decided to reduce the rent slightly to support them. "Each month, I reduce over VND 2 million in room rental fees, but I still have a stable income compared to many workers. Well, I just try to help however I can - every little bit counts. We’re all in this together, trying to get through tough times...", she said. Meanwhile, Mrs. Mai shared that the 300,000 VND reduction in rent each month has eased her family's financial pressure considerably
Mrs. Huong's family is among more than 670 boarding facility owners participating in the model of “Compassionate lodging facility-The sentimental attachment of Thu Land”. This is the first model of its kind in Thu Dau Mot city, initiated by the Steering Committee for the Project to Improve the Quality of the Movement on “Building a Cultural and Civilized Urban Lifestyle” in Phu Hoa ward. Once the model was launched, hundreds of boarding house owners contacted the ward to register their participation. With its practical, meaningful and humanitarian values, the model has quickly spread, reflecting the spirit of mutual care and sentimental attachment in Thu land, helping people overcome difficulties and strive for a better life.
Ensuring social welfare
Nguyen Minh Tam, Secretary of Phu Hoa ward’s Party Committee stated that in recent years, the Steering Committee for the Project to Improve the Quality of the Movement on “Building a Cultural and Civilized Urban Lifestyle” has organized ceremonies to launch the rent reduction initiative and called for boarding house owners to actively participate in the “Compassionate Lodging Facility – The sentimental attachment of Thu Land” model. In addition to rent reduction, boarding house owners give Tet gifts and lucky money to disadvantaged tenants, migrant workers, students and pupils. The ward also mobilizes donors to provide essential items such as rice, noodles, sugar and milk to those in need.
“The Party Committee, authorities and local organizations have highly appreciated contributions by boarding house owners and donors who have joined hands with the ward to care for the disadvantaged, especially lodging workers, thereby significantly contributing to the success of local social welfare efforts…”, shared Nguyen Minh Tam.
According to the Steering Committee for the Project to Improve the Quality of the Movement on “Building a Cultural and Civilized Urban Lifestyle”, over 670 boarding house owners have participated in the initiative, with total rent reduction worth several billion dong. In 2023, nearly 9,000 rooms were granted rent reduction amounting to nearly VND 4 billion. In the first quarter of 2025, in response to the campaign to reduce rental costs, proprietors in the ward lowered room rent and gave Tet gifts to tenants, with the total estimated value reaching VND 1.7 billion. From this pioneering model in Phu Hoa ward, it has now expanded to other wards in Thu Dau Mot city, including Phu Loi, Phu Tho, Phu Tan, Chanh Nghia…
Phu Hoa ward is home to a large number of immigrant residents who come to live and rent rooms. Taking good care of these tenants is one of the local social welfare policies aimed at contributing to social order, economic development and improving the quality of life for people from all strata. With the motto of “Leave no one behind”, Phu Hoa ward was proactive in taking care of the lives of those with difficult circumstances, regardless of whether they are permanent or temporary residents over the pas time. In addition to the “Compassionate Lodging Facility – The sentimental attachment of Thu Land” model, tenants living in Phu Hoa ward received support through other charitable initiatives such as the “House of Compassion”, the “Zero-dong market”, free health check-ups, unexpected assistance from the Fund for the Poor... These models demonstrated a high level of social engagement and reflected the spirit of community solidarity in supporting those with difficult circumstances, thereby spreading love, compassion and deep humanity in the community to make human relationships more intimate and sublime.
With the “Compassionate Lodging Facility-The sentimental attachment of Thu Land” model, Phu Hoa ward’s Steering Committee for the Project to Improve the Quality of the Movement on “Building a Cultural and Civilized Urban Lifestyle” is also implementing the “Zero-dong kitchen” model at the Voluntary Park in quarter 7, Phu Hoa ward, on Le Hong Phong street. This initiative offers free breakfasts such as instant noodles to those in need, including street vendors, motorbike taxi drivers, lottery ticket sellers and construction workers. This model is led by Truong Thi Hieu, who takes charge of cooking. It is supported by the ward’s Steering Committee, which regularly mobilizes donations like vegetables, instant noodles, fish sauce, salt and other essentials from donors…
Reported by Tri Dung-Thao Nguyen-Translated by Kim Tin
