Seeing the shipper sitting down in the shade under a tree on the other side of the street to take shelter from the sun and eat, Ms. Thuy Hang walked over and invited him into her restaurant to rest.
“I feel sorry when they have to run around in the heat all day,” said the owner of a refreshment shop on Dan Chu Street, Tan Phu District.
Her shop is located on a street where there are many shippers, people picking up scraps, and selling lottery tickets. She calculated that the restaurant is 35 square meters wide and can accommodate 25 people. The most crowded time is from 6:30 to 9:00, but there are no customers at noon, so Hang came up with the idea of using this entire space as a lunch break for workers and shippers with free iced tea.
On the evening of April 24, she posted a message to the community group of Tan Phu district announcing “The shop is spacious and cool, the delivery shippers can conveniently stop by to sit and rest, no need to order water, I will pour tea for free.”
After four hours, the post received hundreds of likes and comments on social networks. “A place to sit for lunch or a cup of water is not much, but it makes them less tired,” Ms. Hang said.
For nearly two months, the Southeast provinces have experienced a widespread heat wave. In Ho Chi Minh City, temperatures are often at 35-36 degrees Celsius, humidity is low at 30-40%. The hot weather during the day lasts from 12:00 to 16:00. However, the actual outside temperature recorded was 2 to 4 degrees higher than forecast.
Ms. Thuy Hang cleans up tables and chairs to welcome shippers to drink at the restaurant in Tan Phu district, Ho Chi Minh City, noon April 25. Image: Ngoc Ngan
10 km away, the banh canh shop on Nguyen Bieu Street, District 5 owned by Mr. Do Thanh Long, 36 years old, has dozens of shippers lining up to take orders. Before leaving, many people stopped by a plastic bin containing dozens of bottles of chilled water to take away.
Mr. Long’s water tank has been placed at the shop for more than a week amid the hot weather in Ho Chi Minh City, which peaked at 38-40 degrees Celsius at noon, the same rush hour as Mr. Long’s shop. During the hours of 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. every day, the shop has about 60 shippers coming to pick up goods.
Last week, Mr. Long bought two cases of bottled water and ice and placed them in front of the driver’s queue. “It’s hot when I stand in one place selling things but I’m still sweating, not to mention they drive continuously,” Mr. Long said.
According to the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, hot weather combined with a high ultraviolet (UV) index affects people’s health when participating in outdoor activities for long periods of time.
Shippers line up at Mr. Do Thanh Long’s restaurant, Nguyen Bieu Street, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, noon April 25. Image: Ngoc Ngan
Mr. Long said that if you order a pitcher of iced tea, many people do not have a pitcher available, and some thirsty drivers are afraid to ask for water. Therefore, he wrote the notice himself “Dear driver, take a bottle of water to relieve your tiredness and keep going!” Let them see it as a small gift from the shop. Each shipper can take one or more bottles, depending on need.
After a week, the water dispenser served hundreds of shippers. A customer took a photo and posted it on social networks, making it known to many people. Not only shippers, many street vendors also come to get water.
Among the people lining up at noon on April 25 at the Banh Canh restaurant in District 5 was Ms. Thanh Thanh, 32 years old. The woman who worked as a delivery person for a year and a half said that the hot season is the hardest time because she easily loses strength and dehydration.
“After running for four hours, I have to go home to rest, go to the bathroom and fill my water tank,” Ms. Thanh said. She feels that the above water bottle helps the shipper somewhat reduce the effort, saving 5,000, 10,000 VND on buying drinking water.
“It’s not much, but sometimes that amount is equal to one delivery order,” Thanh said.
Ngoc Ngan
