Woman sells 4 houses in Hanoi to escape air pollution

Ms. Mai Tuyet Minh, 45 years old, grew up in a poor family in the suburban district of Son Tay, Hanoi. Years of tireless efforts in her youth helped her advance to become the purchasing manager of the luxury hotel chain JW Marriott.

While working for hire, she opened two private import-export companies. Her monthly income of hundreds of millions of dong helped her buy five properties in the most beautiful locations in Hanoi.

"I decided to stay in the capital for a long time because I think only the city can give me many career opportunities," she said.

But tragedy struck in 2015. Ms. Minh fell ill and had to have her entire gallbladder removed. Two years later, her body was constantly covered in itchy rashes. ''I was like an air pollution forecaster. Whenever I felt itchy, the next day the AQI index would turn purple (a color indicating extremely polluted air quality)," she said.

Ms. Minh has to take anti-allergy medication continuously, and if she stops taking it, she gets a rash the next day. The doctor said that if she takes so much medication, her liver will soon fail. A weak liver will cause more hives and itching on her skin. "The more polluted the environment, the worse the skin allergy," she said.

The life of a woman in her 40s turned into hell. Allergies made it impossible for her to concentrate on work and had no motivation to wake up every day. Her son, who was in high school, also suffered from chronic allergic rhinitis and had to take antibiotics regularly. Her mother showed signs of serious health decline, and later learned that she had lung cancer. Her father suddenly had a stroke and always had difficulty breathing.

"I wanted to go crazy, I wanted to smash something. I didn't care about anything anymore, I wanted to let go of everything, I felt like money and status didn't mean anything anymore," she said.

To escape the suffocation of Hanoi, Ms. Minh and her son backpacked along the coastal areas from the North to the Central for a whole month. The mother and son realized that the more they traveled, the more their health improved significantly.

Once stopping at Van Phong Bay, Khanh Hoa, Ms. Minh's son looked up at the sky and exclaimed: "This is the first time in my life I've seen so many stars!". Suddenly, she was startled, realizing that it had been a long time since she had seen a clear sky or moonlit nights as bright as day. Hanoi, where she lives, is always covered in dust and smoke, with skyscrapers.

"Suddenly I felt sorry for my disadvantaged child," the mother said.

Van Phong Bay is home to some of the most beautiful coral reefs of any sea in the world she has ever set foot on. It has a long, gentle stretch of white sand and calm water. ''I meditated for hours and when I opened my eyes, I still found myself in that same position,'' she said.

That day, Ms. Minh learned that a house with a sea view was for sale, so she went to see it and paid a deposit after 15 minutes. The next day, she paid in full.

At the end of the trip, the mother and daughter returned to Hanoi and continued to suffer from allergies. At this point, Ms. Minh thought it was time to leave the capital.

In 2018, she sold four of her five homes, closed two companies and resigned from her job, much to the surprise of her colleagues and the reactions of her parents. ''At that time, all I thought about was how to live a healthy and happy life,'' she said.

At the beach, every morning she goes swimming and then comes back alone to fix up the newly bought house, read books, chat with neighbors, and cook. ''I no longer have rashes, and my son's rhinitis is gone without having to take a single pill,'' she said.

Recently, she welcomed her father, Mr. Mai Trinh, from Hanoi to live with her. Every day he goes to the beach to swim, watch the sunrise and wait for the sunset, read books, and chat with the fishermen. From a person who had to stay in one place, calling his daughter every day to say "tomorrow I will die", he can now go for walks and wants to find a lover.

''Living in Hanoi was stuffy and stuffy, now coming back here, the air is fresh, I feel healthier, my blood pressure is stable'', Mr. Trinh said.

Ms. Tra Giang, 33 years old, Ms. Minh's employee at the JW Marriott Hotel, was surprised when her boss suddenly decided to quit and move to Khanh Hoa. Last year, having the opportunity to meet her old boss again, Tra Giang saw that Ms. Minh was completely different from when she quit her job.

''Back then, I was always stressed, tired, and sometimes irritable. But now I'm more outgoing, happy, young, and full of energy,'' Tra Giang said.

When her physical and mental health improved and she regained her energy, Ms. Minh wanted to work again. Seeing the beauty of Van Phong Bay, she opened a homestay to attract tourists to this land. At the same time, she established a company in Vietnam and a company in Italy.

''My income now is many times more than when I was in Hanoi,'' she said. Her son has been studying online since Covid-19 but still got into the Polytechnic University of Italy.

The Hanoi woman finds her life more joyful and meaningful when she helps many Van Phong residents find jobs instead of going to the city to make a living like she used to. She also builds a wide network of relationships around the world even though she works online.

The woman who left the city for the sea believed that as long as she was hardworking and creative, she could succeed anywhere. The idea that success came only in the city caused everyone to flock there, not only polluting the air, but also inadvertently putting pressure on all the ancillary services.

''I realized that you can't get rich just by staying in Hanoi,'' she said.