The most miserable woman in Linh Khe village

Deep in the alley, Mrs. Mai leans on her cane and walks alone in front of her small old house. The stench of waste wafts up from the gate. Her niece, who regularly takes care of her, cannot stand it and runs outside to vomit. Mrs. Mai has lived like this for many years. At nearly ninety years old, she can no longer control herself and defecates on the spot. Political and social organizations also care about cleaning and supporting her, but the cleanliness does not last long.

"Mrs. Mai has suffered since she was a child. Now she is old and lives alone, with no children. She is probably the most miserable woman in Linh Khe village, and perhaps the most miserable woman in Thanh Quang commune," said Ms. Tran Thi Quynh, Mrs. Mai's niece.

Mrs. Mai used to have a husband and children, but now she is alone because of her unfortunate fate. Her father died early, she lives with her mother and a mute brother and sister. She married a man in the same Linh Khe village but they divorced not long after having two daughters.

After her failed marriage, Mrs. Mai returned home to take care of her elderly mother, young children and a mute sister. At that time, Mrs. Mai was the only one taking care of the family of four women because her brother was working far away and had not returned. After that, Mrs. Mai's mother and sister passed away. Mrs. Mai's daughter, born in 1963, was not as agile as usual. She got pregnant while working and was tricked into going to China. Until now, there has been no news, no one knows if she is alive or dead. Because she is no longer conscious, Mrs. Mai sometimes asks her niece to call to see where her daughter is, even though no one has her phone number to call. There is also no news of the daughter raised by Mrs. Mai's ex-husband. She has lived alone until now.

The house where Mrs. Mai lives was built by her brother for her to live in temporarily. Currently, Mrs. Mai lives on nearly 800,000 VND in monthly senior allowance and her brother's support. Mrs. Mai can no longer eat or live on her own, so she relies on her nephew who lives nearby to take care of her.

The matchmaker's brother, Mr. Tran Chuc (born in 1932), was in poor health but still had to support his miserable sister. Mr. Chuc's children also lived far away.

Mrs. Mai’s life is currently difficult both physically and mentally. The small house is too simple with poor living conditions. Every day, Mrs. Mai closes her doors from 2 p.m. to the next morning, and no one can reach her. Sometimes, Ms. Quynh, Mrs. Mai’s niece, has to come over to check on her because she is afraid that she might have an accident in the house without anyone knowing. Mrs. Mai keeps talking to herself, missing her children in her confusion.

Mr. Tran Phong, Party Cell Secretary and Head of Linh Khe Village, assessed that Ms. Mai's case is currently the most difficult in the village. Ms. Vu Thi Huyen, President of the Women's Union of Thanh Quang Commune, said that Ms. Mai's situation is very difficult, and despite receiving attention and help, it has not improved much. Ms. Mai is in dire need of help and encouragement from benefactors, both materially and spiritually, to ease the sadness and deprivation of being alone in old age, especially during the Tet holiday. Mr. Chuc also hopes to receive support to take care of his elderly sister.

For any assistance, Ms. Tran Thi Mai in Linh Khe village, Thanh Quang commune, Nam Sach district (Hai Duong) can be contacted via Ms. Vu Thi Huyen (Chairwoman of Thanh Quang commune Women's Union), phone number 0346199789, account number 2303215009014 (account holder Vu Thi Huyen, Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development).