Vietnamese Family Shelter – Episode 166: Host Thanh Trung and ca nuong Kieu Anh in tears over the plight of two children who lost their father, whose mother remarried, now relying on a grandmother with heart disease

• Vietnamese Family Shelter – Episode 168: The 13 years old boy who dreams of curing his mother’s illness brings MC Vu Manh Cuong to tears
• Vietnamese Family Shelter – Episode 167: Host Duong Hong Phuc, Ngoc Han, and athlete Do Kim Phuc moved by the plight of a boy with a hereditary kidney disease, whose mother is on end-stage dialysis
• Vietnamese Family Shelter – Episode 166: Host Thanh Trung and ca nuong Kieu Anh in tears over the plight of two children who lost their father, whose mother remarried, now relying on a grandmother with heart disease

Orphaned of their father at a young age and left behind after their mother remarried, Bao Ngoc and her younger brother now rely entirely on their elderly grandmother, who suffers from heart disease. Despite overwhelming hardship, the eighth-grade girl continues to study with resilience, deeply moving host Thanh Trung, ca nuong Kieu Anh, director Kien Ung, and many audience members to tears.

Tran Nguyen Bao Ngoc (born in 2012) is currently an eighth-grade student at Khanh Hoi Secondary School, Khanh Hoi Commune, Ninh Binh Province. Her childhood was cut short when her father passed away in a traffic accident in 2016. A few years later, her mother remarried and moved to Thai Binh, leaving Bao Ngoc and her younger brother in the care of their paternal grandmother.

Since their mother’s departure, the siblings’ lives have been marked by severe deprivation, both materially and emotionally. Their grandmother, now over 70 years old, has become the sole pillar of support for the two children. Due to her advanced age and poor health, she is no longer able to perform heavy labor. The family depends on two small rice fields, which must be cultivated with the help of others. After each harvest, the income from selling rice is largely used to pay hired labor, leaving the household in even greater financial difficulty.

Bao Ngoc’s grandmother suffers from heart disease and is frequently hospitalized, sometimes for periods lasting one to two weeks. With the hospital far from home and no relatives to accompany her, she must manage on her own, relying on fellow patients to help buy food and drinking water. During those hospital stays, Bao Ngoc and her brother take care of themselves at home, with Bao Ngoc going to the garden to pick vegetables and cook simple meals. Out of compassion, neighbors and relatives occasionally share food so the children can have a little meat or fish, though most meals still consist mainly of vegetables and plain rice.

Understanding her grandmother’s hardships, Bao Ngoc is self-disciplined and diligent in her studies, consistently achieving good results. When asked about her dream, the girl quietly burst into tears. Her only wish, she said, is to buy her grandmother a new set of clothes—something she has never seen her wear throughout her childhood. On the rare occasions when there is meat or fish at meals, the grandmother always gives the best portions to her grandchildren. Every time her grandmother is hospitalized, Bao Ngoc feels both longing and fear—fear that her condition may worsen, fear that one day she may lose the only loved one left. To Bao Ngoc, her grandmother is not only the caregiver but also the sole source of love and security for the two siblings. Having grown up without parental warmth, Bao Ngoc treasures her grandmother even more, knowing that without her, the siblings would be completely alone in a life full of uncertainty ahead.

Host Thanh Trung could not hide his emotion upon witnessing Bao Ngoc’s family circumstances. He expressed deep sorrow for the hardship the siblings have endured at such a young age—growing up without parental love, living in constant fear of losing their grandmother, while at the same time becoming an emotional support for an elderly, frail caregiver. In particular, Bao Ngoc’s words, “Mom, why did you give birth to me but leave me behind like this? Can you come back and take care of us?” left the host heartbroken and in tears, so overwhelmed that he had to hand over the floor to the guest artists.

Director Kien Ung shared his deep admiration for Bao Ngoc’s maturity and inner strength. Despite her young age and a life lacking both material and emotional support, she has never neglected her studies and has learned early on to manage household chores and take devoted care of her grandmother and younger brother. He encouraged Bao Ngoc to always be proud of herself, emphasizing that her resilience and determination are qualities not every child possesses.

Ca nuong Kieu Anh was unable to hold back tears as she witnessed the plight of Bao Ngoc and her brother—losing their father early in life and constantly yearning for maternal love. She embraced and comforted the children, expressing both admiration and sorrow for the three generations relying on one another, with no one healthy enough to work and no stable source of income.

Beyond words of encouragement, ca nuong Kieu Anh and director Kien Ung directly accompanied the children during the program’s challenges. The guests took turns supporting each child in completing the tasks, and the continuous movement gradually exhausted many participants. To move more easily, Kieu Anh even removed her shoes, rolled up her trousers, and ran continuously during the dart-throwing challenge. In the audience, her husband attentively followed the filming, holding her belongings and recording moments of her participation throughout the session.

After the challenges, the family of Nguyen Thi Hong Quyen placed third and received VND 18 million; the family of Mai Thi Minh Hang placed second with VND 24 million; and the family of Tran Nguyen Bao Ngoc won first prize, successfully completing the special challenge and taking home a total of VND 55 million. In total, Hoa Sen Group awarded VND 97 million to the three families this week.

In addition, director Kien Ung and ca nuong Kieu Anh personally contributed financial support to the families. Many benefactors from neighboring provinces, along with a large number of local audience members, also joined in donations at the studio. It is estimated that the total support from the program, together with contributions from artists and benefactors for the children this week, reached nearly VND 300 million.

Vietnamese Family Shelter airs at 7:30 p.m. every Friday on HTV7. The program is produced by Bee Media Company in cooperation with Ho Chi Minh City Television, with the companionship of Hoa Sen Home – Building Materials & Interior Supermarket System (Hoa Sen Group) and Hoa Sen Plastic Pipes – Delivering Happiness.

Hoa Sen Group