The difficult circumstances of veteran Tran Van Viet

We went to the house of veteran Tran Van Viet (born in 1960) in Van Khe village based on information provided by the Cao Thang commune government (Thanh Mien) about a family in particularly difficult circumstances in the commune.

In November 1978, Mr. Viet joined the army and participated in the fight to protect the northern border. In 1982, after completing his mission, he was discharged and returned to his hometown. A year later, he married Ms. An Thi Tan from the same hometown and had a daughter. After that, Mr. Viet suddenly became mentally ill and paranoid. There were times when he sat alone all night talking about the battlefield and his comrades. His family tried to find treatment everywhere but his condition did not improve.

Due to his inability to work and the high cost of medical treatment, his family's situation became increasingly difficult and poor. Unable to bear the pressure, Mrs. Tan took her daughter and left, and her whereabouts are still unknown. Since then, Mr. Viet has been living alone in the old house built for him by his brother, Mr. Tran Van Dien. All of his living expenses are covered by his brother and relatives. "My younger brother used to be very agile and resourceful, he knew how to do everything. It's just a pity that due to illness and difficult circumstances, his wife and children left him," said Mr. Dien.

Mr. Dien's family had done the paperwork for Mr. Viet to receive a meritorious service allowance, but because almost all the relevant documents were lost, they could not do so. In recent years, due to his old age, Mr. Viet has become increasingly weak. Whenever the weather changes, he sometimes remembers and sometimes forgets. The old house has been degraded for many years, but he has no means to repair it. In 2023, the provincial Red Cross Society and local authorities supported more than 100 million VND to rebuild a new 36 m2 house for Mr. Viet.

After nearly 40 years of taking care of his younger brother, Mr. Dien is no longer healthy enough to take care of everything. He himself is a war invalid with chronic lung disease. His wife is sick and has difficulty moving around. Mr. Dien hopes that benefactors will pay attention and help him so that he can take better care of his younger brother.

Any help for Mr. Tran Van Viet, please send to the address: Mr. Tran Van Dien (Mr. Viet's brother), Van Khe village, Cao Thang commune, Thanh Mien district, Hai Duong province; phone number: 0347.254.138; account number: 2305205115229, account holder: Tran Van Dien, Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Agribank).