More than 10 years of keeping the promise "repair with money, repair without money" in Ho Chi Minh City

More than 10 years of free tire repairs for the poor

Amidst the busy pace of life, the simple signboard erected on the sidewalk of Au Co street with the words "Repairing cars day and night. Have money to patch, no money to patch" has long become a familiar support for many poor workers. That is the car repair shop of Mr. Vo Thanh Vinh (62 years old), where he and his wife have maintained support for people who are stranded for more than 10 years.

Suffering from leg defects from birth, Mr. Vinh taught himself the car repair profession to earn a living. After many years of hard work, when his family's life stabilized, he decided to hang a sign to support the community. Customers coming to the shop are mostly lottery ticket sellers, workers, students or those who unfortunately have car breakdowns in the middle of the night when their pockets run out.

For Mr. Vinh, this job is not only for making a living but also a joy when helping others. Seeing customers visiting the shop with only 20,000 VND left in their pockets, he resolutely refused to take it.

Someone came to repair a car and only had 20,000 VND in their pocket. They insisted on paying, but I didn't take it. If I took it, people would run out of gas money to fill up, so I told them to rest assured and go," Mr. Vinh confided.

What is precious is not only in the free tire repairs, but also in the way Mr. Vinh understands the circumstances and maintains self-respect for the person being helped. For him, sometimes sharing is not simply about money, but also helping a person in difficulty to continue their journey without having to bring feelings of inferiority or debt.

He added: "I am very happy to help anyone, I always prioritize doing it first for the poor, for those who do not have money to go immediately. People who do not have money but have to sit and wait are easily self-conscious, so I prioritize doing it first, for those who have money I do it later".

Ready to wake up in the middle of the night to help the lost

The words "just call" on the sign also mean that his family accepts sacrificing sleep. No matter how late it is, as soon as there is a door call from a stranded customer, the couple suddenly wakes up. "1 or 2 am, I fix everything at any time. Every night someone calls, I don't refuse anyone," Mr. Vinh said.

Ms. Le Thi Ranh always supports and accompanies her husband. "I used to go from poverty, now although I'm not rich yet, I don't mind, I just help those who are more miserable than me. When customers call at midnight, I happily go out to work without refusing, because during the day if people don't fix this place, there is another place, but at night there is only me," she shared.

Not only free tire repairs, Mr. Vinh also stockpiles old, good tires to replace for people in need, and provides additional fuel and travel expenses. For more than a decade, the small tire repair shop on Au Co street has quietly turned red in the deep night, spreading the beauty of simple but generous affection in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City.

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