Live in school, divide the cake one by one

12 hours of driving while shaking

The Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan suffered heavy damage after the 7.6 magnitude earthquake on the afternoon of January 1.

The beachfront house where Thu Phuong (25 years old, from Hai Duong) and 10 Vietnamese workers lived was also seriously affected.

For nearly a week, Phuong’s whole group had to stay temporarily in an elementary school. There are also about 700 local people staying here while waiting for the government to overcome the consequences of the earthquake.

The elementary school where Phuong and many Vietnamese workers in Noto live (Photo: Personnel provided).

Due to the subsidence and faults in the transportation system in many places, the area where Phuong lives is almost isolated.

Phuong and many people do not have water for drinking or daily activities, and electricity is used economically through the charging system. The first two days, rescue forces had difficulty reaching and assisting stranded people.

“Each person, regardless of Japanese or foreign workers, is given half a piece of bread, a ball of rice and some soup. That’s food for the whole day. We know that’s the best possible effort of the government.” The locality in difficult conditions after the earthquake should be very respectful.

We feel very touched and grateful to receive care and support from the local government in terms of accommodation, food and drink during this difficult period,” Thu Phuong said.

Thu Phuong joined a group of Vietnamese people in Ishikawa province. The young girl immediately thought of a way to call for help from her fellow countrymen.

She immediately received messages of support and encouragement. A group of volunteers then did not hesitate to reach this isolated area.

That volunteer group belongs to Nguyen Phi Truong (30 years old), Pham Thanh Luan (25 years old) and many other Vietnamese compatriots.

Truong said the area he lives in is also in Ishikawa province but far from Noto so it did not suffer much damage.

As soon as he learned that Thu Phuong’s group was having difficulty at the epicenter, lacking food and water, he and some friends gathered and made a plan to support. They buy instant noodles, cakes, and drinks.

The distance from where he lives to Noto is only about 70km, usually the travel time is more than an hour. However, on January 4, they had to travel 12 hours to reach the place where 11 Vietnamese compatriots were taking refuge.

“The main road leading to Noto collapsed, we were forced to take a detour, through forests, mountains, and narrow roads. Many parts we thought we could pass but then had to turn around. We started at 12 noon. We didn’t get there until 12 o’clock at night,” Mr. Truong said.

Thanh Luan said the road was quite dangerous. But thinking of their countrymen lacking food and water, the group found a way.

Many roads subsided after they passed (Photo: Provided by the character).

“On the way, the internet was affected, many places could not look up the map. In addition to connecting with the drivers, we also searched the route ourselves. Each of us has been in Japan for 5-6 years so we know A little bit about the terrain,” Thanh Luan said.

According to Mr. Truong, many parts of the road made their hearts skip a beat because when they passed and turned around, they saw subsidence dividing the road in half. Aftershocks occasionally appear, so the roads they pass through can collapse at any time.

At 12 o’clock at night, they reached the elementary school. The whole group “burst” because they overcame difficult and dangerous roads that at times felt like they had to turn back.