In early October, when Storm Bualoi had just passed, the local Tan Ky commune was still submerged in water. Thick layers of mud covered the roads; homes and belongings were damaged, and hundreds of motorbikes – essential for people’s daily travel – lay motionless after being flooded. Amid the devastation, a group of volunteer mechanics arrived, becoming the “doctors” for damaged motorbikes, restoring not only engines but also the spirits of flood-hit residents.
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At the Roi junction in Tan Ky, hundreds of motorbikes line up patiently each day, waiting their turn to be “treated” |
At the Roi junction in Tan Ky, hundreds of motorbikes line up patiently each day, waiting their turn to be “treated.”
Wearing sweat-soaked, mud-stained clothes, Tran Tien, a local mechanic, shared that he and more than 30 fellow technicians have been working tirelessly to bring the flooded vehicles back to life.
“After the floods, many motorbikes were submerged in mud and water, leaving the engines and electrical systems badly damaged,” he explained. “We do the initial fixes of changing the oil, air filters, and spark plugs, and cleaning the engines, just to get the bikes running again so people can move around. Some are too heavily damaged and take much longer, but no matter how tough, we try to fix them so everyone can get back to normal life soon.”
On average, Tien’s team repairs more than 100 motorbikes a day.
Beyond his group, several local dealerships, including Vinh Thu, Hai Hien, and Hong Ngan, have also joined in. They have set up mobile repair stations equipped with all the necessary tools and parts. Remarkably, these workshops provide motor oil, spark plugs, air filters, and basic components entirely free of charge. For more expensive parts, they offer partial support to ease the financial burden on flood-affected households.
One young mechanic said simply: “Repairing bikes for free is the least we can do to help people get their lives back together.”
For residents like Nguyen Ngoc Ha, the gesture means more than words can express. “My motorbike was underwater for days during the heavy rain, I thought it was completely ruined,” she said, her voice trembling. “Getting it fixed would have cost over a million dong, and we’ve already got so many other problems at home. Thanks to these kind people, my bike runs again. I’m so grateful.”
In these difficult times, every small act – a meal from a relief kitchen, a packet of noodles, a bottle of water, or a simple repair – becomes a precious source of encouragement, giving people the strength to push through the hardship.
Not stopping at motorbike repairs, from October 4, a group of young volunteers and technicians launched a free electronic repair programme at Ky Tan primary school, offering to fix essential household appliances such as televisions, fans, washing machines, and refrigerators damaged by floodwaters.
Source: VNA