A touching story about Mr. Tay peddling around Hoan Kiem Lake to cure illness

Mr. Tay sits nestled on the sidewalk, next to a famous ice cream shop by Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi.

Famous foreign man on social media

Recently, on the social network TikTok posted a clip about a foreign man who fell into a difficult situation, had to sell goods around Hoan Kiem Lake (Hanoi) to make a living and treat a serious illness.

According to the person filming the clip, this man’s name is Khalaf, over 60 years old, born in Palestine and came to Vietnam for 2 years. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, his life was difficult. Without a family, his money was exhausted and he had a terrible cancer, so he had to sell goods on the banks of Hoan Kiem Lake to get money for treatment at K Hospital (Tan Trieu, Hanoi).

Candy, masks, cotton swabs… are kept neatly.

The items this foreign man sells are mainly candy, masks, cotton swabs, etc., neatly placed in a small plastic box with a sign that reads in Vietnamese: “Please buy me a candy. “.

The videographer also shared, bought him a few small items. When this person gave him 100,000 dong and said he didn’t need to return it, the foreign guest kept nodding his thanks. At the end of the conversation, the videographer bought a bread to give as a gift, the foreign man was surprised, received the bread he burst into tears and said thank you for being helped.

When people come to buy goods and support him, they all stand up and bow their hands in thanks

Mr. Khalaf was given food and water by everyone

After only a few hours of posting the clip, it has received hundreds of thousands of hearts and thousands of comments. Although we do not know the truth of this information, the image of Mr. Tay humbly sitting at a street vendor near Hoan Kiem Lake is still being actively shared by the online community, sending wishes for him to get well soon.

Before the above incident, PV went to the shore of Hoan Kiem Lake (next to an ice cream parlor) to find out what happened. According to PV’s observations, this foreign man is very gentle and polite. He crouched next to the ice cream shop so as not to affect many people walking around.

“Without Vietnamese people helping me, I would have died”

Mr. Khalaf was born in Palestine, then settled in Jordan

Sharing with PV, Mr. Khalaf said he was born in Palestine, settled in Jordan, passport in Jordan. He is unmarried and has 1 brother and 3 sisters. He used to come to Kuwait as an electrician to repair for about 40 years, then quit and moved to countries in Southeast Asia.

According to Mr. Khalaf, he arrived in Vietnam around the end of February 2020. However, there is no Jordanian embassy in Vietnam, so he contacted the Palestinian embassy for assistance. The embassy wholeheartedly helped him and sponsored an air ticket for him to return home, but he refused because he wanted to stay in Vietnam.

“When I came to Vietnam a few months ago, I discovered that I had end stage cholangiocarcinoma, so I wanted to stay for treatment because it was cheap here. As for returning to Jordan, life is expensive, treatment for the disease is also expensive, so I cannot afford it,” said Mr. Khalaf, the reason he did not want to return home.

The foreign man shared that in Vietnam, from the Vietnamese government to the Vietnamese people, everyone is very good, helping him a lot. Vietnam is the first country to support him so well.

“If it weren’t for the Vietnamese people to help me, I would probably have died a year ago. Everyone has helped me improve my health, I am very grateful for that. I consider the Vietnamese people as my family,” said Mr. Khalaf, crying.

Mr. Khalaf wishes to improve his health so that he can repay the Vietnamese people like everyone who is helping him. If possible, he would like to teach English to primary or secondary school students to repay the favor.

Mr. Khalaf burst into tears and thanked the Vietnamese for helping him in difficult times

During the conversation with PV, Mr. Khalaf was still enthusiastic about selling. When many people came to buy and support him, they all stood up, clasped their hands and bowed their heads in thanks. When he was tired, he would sit against the wall to rest.

Mr. Khalaf revealed that he is currently renting in Lo Su (Hoan Kiem, Hanoi). Every day from 5 pm, he went to a convenience store to take goods to the banks of Hoan Kiem Lake to sell. At about 23 o’clock at night, he packed the goods. The reason he only sells at night is because he rests during the day so his body doesn’t get tired. Every day, he sold goods and was helped by people, so he also had money to pay for and treat diseases.

“Every month I also earn 6 million dong, during Tet holiday, I earn more. This money I use to pay for accommodation, medical examination, “Mr. Khalaf said.

When he first came to Vietnam, Mr. Khalaf also applied to work at a restaurant, but when he learned that he was ill and his health was weak, he had to take a break to work as a street vendor. During the period of Hanoi’s social distancing due to the COVID-19 epidemic, unable to go to work, he went to collect bottles to sell for living expenses.

“I don’t watch TikTok and I didn’t know my clip was posted there, someone told me just now. Right now I am very surprised and happy,” said Mr. Khalaf happily.

After being famous for his clip on TikTok, Mr. Khalaf was sympathized with many people and came to buy and support.

When asked if he would sell out of stock soon, Mr. Khalaf said: “I won’t go pick up more, I’m tired. I sit here and play for a while and then come back to rest.”

What does the hospital say?

Ms. Nguyen Thanh Xuan, (30 years old, from Hoan Kiem, Hanoi) said that she knew Mr. Khalaf 1 year ago. When there was no COVID-19 epidemic, she often let her 2 daughters go out and buy and support him. It wasn’t until the day she watched the clip on TikTok that she knew he was sick.

“Last year he was very healthy, now I see that he is thinner and weaker than before,” Ms. Xuan said.

Ms. Nguyen Thanh Xuan, (30 years old, in Hoan Kiem, Hanoi) took her two daughters out to play and then bought and supported Mr. Khalaf.

Kieu Van Giang (in Vinh Phuc) said that when he saw Mr. Khalaf’s clip on TikTok, he was very emotional and went down to Hanoi.

“I went around looking for him, but I couldn’t find him when I turned back. My friend and I sent him a little money to hope that he would soon overcome his illness, “said Mr. Giang.

Mr. Le Xuan Nhan (manager of the hostel where Mr. Khalaf lives) said, Mr. Khalaf came to rent a room from April 2021. When he learned of his situation, his side helped reduce the price by half compared to other rooms.

According to Mr. Nhan, Mr. Khalaf still owed the room, but he always said first and begged for alms so he also agreed. Although he has no money, he sometimes cooks instant noodles for everyone in the hostel to eat at night.

“Looking at my grandfather, I also love him very much, sometimes we cook for him to eat and help him as much as we can,” Nhan said.

Mr. Khalaf burst into tears and thanked him when he mentioned the help of Vietnamese people

Doctor Tran Thang, Head of Internal Medicine 4, Tan Trieu K3 Hospital, said that Mr. Khalaf had late stage biliary tract cancer (3,4). When he first discovered the disease, he was treated at the Medical University Hospital, after that period, he moved to K3 Tan Trieu. The hospital also gave chemotherapy, then radiation, and now it’s back to chemotherapy for almost a year. Currently, his health is also deteriorating, due to the effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

“When he went to sell goods on the lakeside, there were also some sponsors who helped him get tens of millions of dollars. He received it and brought it to the hospital to pay for treatment costs. Currently, the hospital is also looking for funding to help Mr. Khalaf with treatment, “said Dr. Thang.

Dr. Thang said that the treating doctor also assisted in choosing the right chemotherapy for Mr. Khalaf. Although it was expensive, he never owed hospital fees, but always managed to make it through. The hospital also occasionally provides food and is also very interested, prioritizing because Mr. Khalaf is alone and lives in a foreign land.