[Reading level: B2 – Upper intermediate]
Struggling with allergies due to the polluted air in the capital, Tuyet Minh decided to quit her job with a salary of hundreds of millions of Vietnamese dong and sell four of her five houses to move away.
Mai Tuyet Minh, 45 years old, grew up in a poor family in the suburban district of Son Tay, Hanoi. The tireless years of her youth helped her advance, eventually becoming the head of the purchasing department at a five-star hotel.
While being employed, she also ran two of her own companies specializing in import and export. With an income of hundreds of millions of Vietnamese dong per month, she was able to purchase five real estate properties in the best locations in Hanoi.
“I once decided I would live in the capital long-term because I thought the city would provide the most opportunities to make money,” she said.
But disaster struck in 2015. Minh fell ill and had to have her entire gallbladder removed. In the two years that followed, her body was constantly itchy. “I was like a machine predicting air pollution. Whenever I started itching, the next day the AQI index would turn purple (a color indicating extremely polluted air),” she said.
Minh had to take antihistamines continuously, and whenever she stopped the medication, rashes would appear the following day. The doctors told her that if she kept taking so many drugs, her liver would soon fail. With a weakened liver, her skin would break out even more in hives and itching. “The more polluted the environment, the worse my skin allergies became,” she said.
The life of the woman in her 40s turned into a living nightmare. The allergies made it impossible for her to concentrate on work, and she lacked the motivation to wake up every day. Her son, who was in high school, also suffered from chronic allergic rhinitis and had to take antibiotics frequently. Her mother’s health deteriorated significantly, and it was later discovered that she had lung cancer. Her father suddenly had a stroke and was constantly struggling to breathe.
“I mostly went crazy, wanting to break something. I didn’t care about anything anymore, I wanted to let go. I felt like money and status no longer meant anything,” she said.
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, air pollution in Hanoi has been steadily increasing over the past 10 years, starting around October and lasting until the following April.
The 2016-2020 National Environmental Status Report showed that the average annual PM2.5 dust concentration in Hanoi exceeded nearly twice the national standard. In 2019, 30.5% of the days had air quality index (AQI) ratings of poor or very poor.
A 2021 study by Live&Learn in collaboration with Hanoi University of Public Health and University of Science and Technology found that in 2019 alone, Hanoi had 2,855 premature deaths from exposure to PM2.5 dust, accounting for 12% of the total deaths among people over 25. The total (potential) years of life lost due to exposure to PM2.5 was 79,933 years, with an average loss of 908 days in life expectancy, equivalent to a reduction of about 2.49 years.
Notably, the increase in PM2.5 concentrations in Hanoi also led to over 1,000 additional hospital admissions each year for cardiovascular diseases and nearly 3,000 for respiratory illnesses, accounting for 1.2% and 2.4% of all disease cases, respectively.
To escape the suffocating atmosphere of Hanoi, Minh and her son packed their bags and spent an entire month traveling along the coast from the North to Central Vietnam. The two of them realized that the further they traveled, the more their health significantly improved.
One time, while resting at Van Phong Bay in Khanh Hoa, Minh’s son looked up at the sky and exclaimed, “This is the first time in my life I’ve seen so many stars!” Suddenly, Minh was startled and realized that it had been a long time since she had seen a clear sky or a moonlit night as bright as day. Hanoi, where she lived, was always hazy with dust and smoke, surrounded by towering buildings.
“Suddenly, I felt so sorry for my son, realizing how deprived he had been,” the mother said.
Van Phong Bay was home to the most beautiful coral reefs of all the places she had visited in the world. The bay had a long, gentle stretch of white sand and calm waters.
That same day, Minh learned that a house with an ocean view was up for sale. She went to see it, and after just 15 minutes, she put down a deposit to buy it. The following day, she paid the full price.
At the end of the trip, the mother and her son returned to Hanoi, where the allergy continued to torment them. At this point, Minh realized it was time to leave the capital.
In 2018, she sold four of her five properties, shut down her two companies, and submitted her resignation, much to the surprise of her colleagues and the reaction of her parents. “At that time, I just thought about how to live healthily and happily,” she said.
Back by the sea, she would swim every morning and then return to her new house to fix it up on her own, read books, chat with the neighbors, and cook. “I no longer had itching, and my son’s rhinitis was gone without needing any medication,” she said.
Recently, she invited her father, Mr. Mai Trinh, to move from Hanoi to live with her. Every day, he would swim in the sea, watch the sunrise, wait for the sunset, read books, and chat with the people from the fishing village. Once bedridden and constantly telling his daughter, “Tomorrow, I will die,” he could now go for walks and even wanted to find a new partner.
“Living in Hanoi was suffocating and stifling, but here, with the fresh air, I feel healthier, and my blood pressure is stable,” Mr. Trịnh said.
Tra Giang, 33, an employee of Minh at the JW Marriott hotel, was surprised when her boss suddenly decided to quit and move to Khanh Hoa. Last year, when she had the chance to meet her former boss again, Tra Giang noticed that Minh was completely different from when she had quit her job.
“Back then, she was always tense, tired, and occasionally irritable. But now, she’s more outgoing, happy, younger, and full of energy,” Trà Giang said.
As her physical and mental health improved, and her energy returned, Minh felt the urge to work again. Seeing the beauty of Van Phong Bay, she opened a homestay, attracting tourists to the area. At the same time, she established a company in Vietnam and another in Italy.
“My income now is many times higher than when I was in Hanoi,” she said. Her son, who had been studying online since the Covid-19 pandemic, was accepted into the University of Science and Technology in Italy.
The woman from Hanoi found herself living a happier and more meaningful life, knowing she was helping many people in Van Phong find jobs, rather than having to migrate to the city to make a living, as she once did. She also built a vast network of connections around the world, even though she worked online.
The woman who left the city for the sea believes that with hard work and creativity, success is possible anywhere. The idea that success can only be found in cities has caused many people to flock to urban centers, not only contributing to air pollution but also unintentionally putting pressure on all supporting services.
“I realized that you don’t have to be in Hanoi to get rich,” she said.
A reader comment on VnExpress with the nickname “Người Nhà Quê”:
I have a few thoughts about this woman’s situation.
First, she has a very strong financial foundation after many years of hard work earning money. So, when the crisis came, she had the full right to choose according to her own desires and listen to what her body was telling her.
Second, from reading the article, we can see that this woman has a good nose for business. After regaining her health, she successfully restarted her career.
However, while using her as motivation is fine, blindly trying to follow her path could lead some people into the cycle of financial struggle in areas with fewer opportunities. Personally, when I left my job working with cars in Germany to return to a small corner of Vung Tau, I spent several years thinking it over. The air quality in Potsdam wasn’t that bad, but I still wanted to return to my homeland. The first two years in Vung Tau was really not easy to stabilize. I believe Minh probably went through something similar.
To wrap it up, young people (although I’m not that old) should think carefully. It’s not necessary to be in a big city to make money, but big cities certainly offer many more opportunities than rural areas. If your finances are not really secure, then try your best before seeking a chance to transition.
Source: https://vnexpress.net/ban-bon-ngoi-nha-ha-noi-de-chay-tron-o-nhiem-khong-khi-4827926.html
WORD BANK:
struggle /ˈstrʌɡ.əl/ [B2] (v): khốn khổ, vật vã
allergy /ˈæl.ɚ.dʒi/ (n): dị ứng
advance /ədˈvæns/ (v): thăng tiến
specialize in sth /ˈspeʃ.ə.laɪz/ [B2] (v): chuyên về cái gì
real estate property /ˈriː.əl ɪˌsteɪt/ (n): bất động sản
strike /straɪk/ (v): ập đến
gallbladder /ˈɡɑːl ˌblæd.ɚ/ (n): túi mật
itchy /ˈɪtʃ·i/ (adj): mẩn ngứa
antihistamine /ˌæn.t̬iˈhɪs.tə.mɪn/ (n): thuốc chống dị ứng
medication /ˌmed.əˈkeɪ.ʃən/ [C2] (n): thuốc
rash /ræʃ/ [C2] (n): mẩn ngứa
liver /ˈlɪv.ɚ/ (n): gan
chronic /ˈkrɑː.nɪk/ [C2] (adj): mãn tính
rhinitis /raɪˈnaɪ.t̬əs/ (n): viêm mũi
antibiotic /ˌæn.t̬i.baɪˈɑː.t̬ɪk/ [C2] (n): thuốc kháng sinh
deteriorate /dɪˈtɪr.i.ə.reɪt/ [C1] (v): sa sút, suy giảm
stroke /stroʊk/ [B2] (n): đột quỵ
let go (v): buông bỏ
dust concentration /dʌst ˌkɑːn.sənˈtreɪ.ʃən/ (n): nồng độ bụi
exceed /ɪkˈsiːd/ [C1] (v): vượt quá
air quality index (AQI) (n): chỉ số chất lượng không khí
premature death /ˌpriː.məˈtʃʊr deθ/ (n): tử vong sớm
exposure to sth /ɪkˈspoʊ.ʒɚ/ (n): phơi nhiễm với cái gì
life expectancy /ˈlaɪf ɪkˌspek.tən.si/ (n): tuổi thọ
equivalent to sth /ɪˈkwɪv.əl.ənt/ [C1] (adj): tương đương với cái gì
hospital admission /ˈhɑː.spɪ.t̬əl ədˈmɪʃ.ən/ (n): nhập viện
cardiovascular /ˌkɑːr.di.oʊˈvæs.kjə.lɚ/ (adj): thuộc về tim mạch
respiratory /ˈres.pə.rə.tɔːr.i/ (adj): thuộc về hô hấp
suffocating /ˈsʌf.ə.keɪ.t̬ɪŋ/ (adj): ngột ngạt
startle /ˈstɑːr.t̬əl/ (v): giật mình
moonlit /ˈmuːn.lɪt/ (adj): trăng sáng
deprived /dɪˈpraɪvd/ [C1] (adj): thiệt thòi
coral reef /ˌkɔːr.əl ˈriːf/ (n): rặng san hô
stretch of white sand (n): bãi cát trắng
put down a deposit /dɪˈpɑː.zɪt/ (v): đặt cọc
torment /ˈtɔːr.ment/ (v): hành hạ
submit /səbˈmɪt/ [B2] (v): nộp
resignation /ˌrez.ɪɡˈneɪ.ʃən/ [C2] (n): đơn xin nghỉ việc
bedridden /ˈbed.rɪd.ən/ (adj): phải nằm một chỗ, liệt giường
stifling /ˈstaɪ.fəl.ɪŋ/ (adj): bí bách
irritable /ˈɪr.ə.t̬ə.bəl/ [C2] (adj): cáu gắt
migrate to somewhere /ˈmaɪ.ɡreɪt/ (v): di cư đến đâu
flock to somewhere /flɑːk/ (v): đổ dồn đến đâu
have a good nose for sth (idiom): rất giỏi trong việc gì
blindly /ˈblaɪnd.li/ (adv): mù quáng
to wrap it up /ræp/ (adv): chốt lại
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