On 27/7, patients, caregivers, and poor laborers formed two long lines stretching about 200 meters on Ba Trieu street, opposite the back gate of Cho Ray Hospital in Cho Lon ward, to receive free meals.

These meals are prepared by the Sai Gon Ngay Nay group, distributing around 500 portions. The program has been maintained for eight years, aiming to support those in difficult circumstances.

"Even a small meal helps them save some expenses during their treatment days," said group leader Dang Tuan Duong.

Many patients and their relatives, busy with caregiving or treatment schedules, reserve their spots early. They mark their positions with plastic bags containing empty lunchboxes as early as 5 a.m.

By 9 a.m., an hour before meal distribution, the queuing area was full. If someone couldn't return in time, those arriving later often proactively held their spots to ensure they wouldn't lose their turn.

Plastic bags on the sidewalk have become a unique queuing method, maintained by everyone's self-awareness.

Nguyen Thi Kim Danh, 60 years old, prepares the meal portions before distribution. Her restaurant, located near Cho Ray Hospital, has also served as the distribution point for over 30 years.

For each charity meal distribution, the group utilizes significant quantities of ingredients. They use about 100 kg of rice, 70 kg of vegetables, and 60 kg of meat to prepare 500 meals, costing over 20 million dong in total.

While the kitchen prepared the meals, people queued orderly for nearly two hours. Tran Thi Cam Nhung (gray shirt), 44 years old, from Dong Thap, has been caring for her mother, who is receiving treatment at Cho Ray Hospital for over a month. She limits her daily food and drink expenses to under 100,000 dong, so the free meals significantly help her save on living costs.

When meal distribution began, members continuously regulated traffic and guided people to move in lines, avoiding congestion in front of the hospital gate.

Cao Thi Kim Hoang bowed her head in thanks upon receiving her lunch. She has been battling breast cancer for many years and makes sure to queue for free meals every time she comes to Cho Ray Hospital for radiation therapy.

Besides rice, there were also sweet pastries, fruit, and drinks. Although crowded, everyone moved in an orderly line, receiving one full portion.

Pham Bao Xuyen, 42 years old, packed the meal portions into a bag for the entire day. Traveling from An Giang to TP HCM for brain tumor treatment, he stated that he could only go out to receive charity meals on days when his health was stable.

By 11 a.m., all 500 meal portions had been distributed, and many latecomers had to leave empty-handed. "The group always tries to maintain at least four distribution sessions each week, so people can have another full meal," Tuan Duong said.

Quynh Tran