Ordinary people, extraordinary kindness: Free services across Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City, a dynamic economic hub known for its modern developments and longstanding historical sites, also embraces people who have left their hometowns to make a living here through simple acts of kindness and small but meaningful gestures offered free of charge.

Where kindness comes without a name

Early in the morning, a small cabinet bearing a sign that reads, “Anyone in need is welcome to take one loaf,” stands ready outside To Coffee on Tran Quoc Thao Street in Nhieu Loc Ward.

Inside, loaves of bread are neatly arranged, offering a simple but heartwarming gesture.

The free bread cabinet is maintained by the coffee shop’s owner, Pham Quang Huy, who hopes to share a little kindness with others.

In just over an hour, the cabinet welcomed a steady stream of visitors, including elderly people and young people.

They stopped, opened the cabinet, took a loaf of bread and left. By around 8:00 am, all 100 loaves Huy had stocked were gone.

Holding a loaf of bread, a woman around 40 smiled and said, “I find this bread cabinet really helpful. I live nearby, so I come by two or three times a week.

I only take one when I need it. I also tell others who might need it about this place.”

Elsewhere in the city, beneath the Nguyen Thai Son overpass in Hanh Thong Ward, Khong Van Tung and 10 other barbers have been running a free haircut station for five years.

The station operates from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

The small space beneath the overpass is always filled with the snipping of scissors and lively conversations. Around 40 people come for haircuts each day, most of them elderly.

Tung said many visitors had become regulars, returning frequently and expressing their gratitude to the barbers. For him, their sincere thanks are the most valuable “payment” he receives for his work.

Beyond free bread and haircuts, a small alley off Phan Dinh Phung Street in Cau Kieu Ward is home to Do Van Ut, 63, who has spent more than 30 years repairing vehicles free of charge for people with disabilities.

Asked why he helps people without charging them, Ut smiled and said, “I used to see people with disabilities who sold lottery tickets coming to my shop to have their motorbikes repaired.

I then thought that instead of charging them VND10,000 [US$0.38], which is equivalent to the amount they would earn from selling 10 lottery tickets, I could repair their vehicles for free to ease their burden a little.”

Since 2012, Ut has also maintained a first-aid cabinet stocked with bandages, gauze and common medicines for fever, headaches and colds.

For nearly 30 years, the man has also quietly connected disadvantaged families who have lost loved ones and funeral service providers willing to provide coffins free of charge.

Giving a helping hand for as long as possible 

Keeping these free community services running has not always been easy.

Huy said the bread cabinet had been stolen several times and had even been knocked over and damaged by strong winds. Each time, he bought a replacement and put it outside his shop so people could continue taking bread.

Ut, meanwhile, has had to put up with negative comments from some people.

“They say I am dirt poor and have to rent a house, yet whenever someone asks for a coffin, I immediately agree to give one away. They suspect I must be getting paid for arranging the coffins,” he said, recounting some of the comments he has heard.

Nevertheless, Ut chooses to ignore the negative comments and carry on with his work.

“I only spend my time helping others. It does not cost me anything, yet people still talk about me like that. But I think people can say whatever they want. I will just keep doing what I believe is useful,” he said.

Asked how long they intended to keep providing these free services, Huy, Ut and Tung gave the same answer: “As long as we still have the strength and ability, we will keep helping.”

They have set no deadline for their acts of kindness and expect nothing in return.

They simply hope their efforts can ease other people's difficulties and inspire more free community services across the city.

Each person has chosen a different way to help: providing bread every morning, offering haircuts, repairing vehicles without charging labor fees, or keeping a first-aid cabinet ready for anyone in need.

They do not necessarily know those they help, nor do they require recipients to explain their circumstances.

These community services may be small in a sprawling city, but they have been sustained for years through the perseverance of ordinary people.

Sometimes, what makes someone remember Ho Chi Minh City is not just its streets or new developments, but also a place where someone once offered them a helping hand.