The 37-year old man was a military Captain of Army Corps 12 of the Ministry of National Defense. Many of his family members are also working in the military. When Kien was still a military officer, he was always eager to do charity work and help people in need.
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Tran Trung Kien, founder of the “VND 1,000 Eatery,” preparing ingredients to cook free food for children with cancer and illnesses in Vietnam National Children’s Hospital |
A few years ago, Kien’s daughter was diagnosed with cancer at the age of two and then spent two years at the cancer department of the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital. The father immediately decided to devote himself to taking care of his beloved daughter. During his time at the hospital, staying side-by-side with his daughter combating cancer, the warm-hearted father experienced and understood hardships that families of children with life-threatening diseases were facing. When his little angel departed this life, he managed to cope with the pain of loss, which highly motivated him to launch the “VND 1,000 Eatery” project in late 2021. Knowing Kien’s story, friends and philanthropists from different regions have been willing to lend him a helping hand.
Over the past two years, members of “The VND 1,000 Eatery” have distributed hundreds of meal portions to hundreds of children suffering from cancer and illnesses and their caregivers at the Vietnam National Children's Hospital.
Twice a week, on Thursday and Sunday, the project’s volunteers, including white-collars, artists, lecturers, and bussinesspeople, cook and provide free lunch with tasty and nutritious food for pediatric patients in the hospital.
Dishes are made from highly-nutritious ingredients, such as Australian beef, Japanese snow pork, abalone, scallops, shrimp, crab, tuna, bought at supermarkets and donated by benefactors. To make the food appealing for the children, besides its taste and texture, they try to make it with various shapes and eye-catching colors. The members of the project always do their best and show their dedication in every dish.
Talking with journalists, Mr. Kien smiled and said that the food is cooked with a special spice that is the spice of love of the "VND 1,000 Eatery" members. On holidays such as Tet (Vietnamese lunar New Year), Mid-Autumn Festival, and International Children's Day (June 1), the chefs make many special dishes for the children.
Despite busy schedule, the project’s founder still cherishes many plans. Apart from maintaining activities of the eatery, Mr. Kien has organized cooking, crafts making from recycled materials, and life skills classes to equip children with essential skills and arouse their sympathy for ill-fated ones. In addition, a small bookcase was born to give them the opportunity to read books for free.
Mr. Kien shared that although he no longer works in the military, he has been preserving and promoting the virtues of "Uncle Ho's Soldiers.”
It is hoped that Mr. Kien and his colleagues at the “VND 1,000 Eatery” will keep their enthusiasm and compassion, thus spreading love everywhere they go.
Translated by Cong Nguyen