Recently, the news that artists living at the Artists' Nursing Home in District 8, including: Dieu Hien, Ngoc Dang, Hoa Tranh, Ngoc Be, Lam Son, and stage worker Dang Thi Xuan will be relocated to a new residence, Thi Nghe Nursing Center, has attracted public attention and support.

Previously, the nursing home also had veteran Cai Luong artist Le Tham. However, she passed away on January 17, before she could celebrate Lunar New Year and move to a new residence.

The golden generation of artists at the nursing home do not want to move to a new place.

Sharing with VTC News about the lives of artists in the District 8 Nursing Home over the past years, actress Trinh Kim Chi, who is also the head of the Artists' Association (under the Ho Chi Minh City Theater Association), shared: "Before, the artists in the Nursing Home were taken care of by the Theater Association in their daily lives, without having to pay any expenses. However, this place does not have on-site medical staff, and every time there is a health problem, they have to call a car to go to the hospital.

Now that the uncles and aunts are getting older, their health is getting worse, so it can be said that the new living conditions - Thi Nghe Nursing Center - will be much better. The center has an on-site medical room, with doctors and nurses always on duty, which will be more convenient in providing comprehensive care for the artists.

Talking about this decision of the city, Ms. Thanh Thuy - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City (VH&TT) informed that recently, the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has paid great attention to the issue of health care for artists who have contributed to the country's artistic activities.

Therefore, the Department of Culture and Sports coordinates with the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs, the Department of Home Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City, and the Ho Chi Minh City Theater Association to soon transfer the elderly artists from the Artists' Nursing Home to the Thi Nghe Nursing Center for better care conditions.

According to the initial decision, the Committee planned to move the artists to a new residence in December 2023. However, the artists wished to stay at the District 8 Nursing Home to celebrate the Lunar New Year 2024. Therefore, the Committee also shared and agreed to wait until after Tet, and it is expected that on February 27, the veteran artists will be moved to a new residence.

Agreeing with the leader of the Department of Culture and Sports, actress Trinh Kim Chi explained that the artists have lived at the institute for nearly 30 years, so when they have to move, they will certainly be reluctant. The association sympathizes with the artists' feelings when they want to celebrate their last Tet in the place they consider home and attend the gift-giving ceremony with 100 poor artists on December 20 every year.

Having been attached to the District 8 Nursing Home since its establishment, artist Le Tham confided while still alive: “I have lived in the home since I was 60 years old, this year I am over 87 years old, the time I have lived here has become a habit, now talking about moving to a new place is really hard to bear to leave. I am almost 90, I have no worries anymore, I just want to live optimistically and happily.”

It is known that the procedures for the artists to move to a new residence have been completed, just waiting for the right schedule to move.

In addition, the leaders of Ho Chi Minh City also mentioned the cases of artists Mac Can and Huynh Thanh Tra. In terms of the criteria for being admitted to a nursing home, although Mr. Mac Can has children, his life is difficult, he has to rent a house, and earn a living, not being able to take care of him.

As for Mr. Huynh Thanh Tra, he no longer has a wife and children by his side and has to stay in his sister's cramped house in District 4 under very difficult conditions, so the leaders of Ho Chi Minh City tried to support the two artists to move to Thi Nghe Nursing Home at the same time as the above artists.

According to information shared by Ms. Thanh Thuy, the agencies are working on a project to build a nursing home for artists in Thi Nghe Nursing Center with the function of taking care of artists in many fields who have contributed to the arts and are now old, sick, lonely and in difficulty.

Thus, not only stage artists but also artists in other fields such as cinema, literature, fine arts, etc. will receive care and attention when they are old.

Sad life of an artist

The Artists’ Nursing Home is a place to care for artists who have entered their twilight years. According to regulations, artists who are admitted here must have participated in artistic activities for over 20 years and have made many contributions to the art field.

The men must be 65 years old or older and the women must be 60 years old or older. In particular, these artists must be in difficult circumstances, have no relatives, no place to rely on...

In addition, the number of rooms is limited, so the Artists' Nursing Home only accepts the number of people corresponding to the number of rooms. The Artists' Nursing Home was built in 1996 with 20 rooms and according to the principle of each person having a separate room, so the home only accepts care for a maximum of 20 people, only when an artist asks to leave or passes away, will it accept another case.

After 20 years, the facilities gradually deteriorated and by 2021, some benefactors and the Ho Chi Minh City Theater Association had coordinated to renovate the institute to be more spacious, clean and airy, but it still lacked necessary amenities such as a medical room and living area.

District 8 Artist Nursing Home was built according to the wishes of People's Artist Phung Ha with the desire to help artists who have made great contributions to the country's art scene have a place to rely on in their old age, especially for those in difficult circumstances.

Previously, in addition to the criteria for entering a nursing home, artists were single, had difficult family circumstances, and had to be members of the Theater Association - now this regulation has been removed from the criteria so that many artists with difficult circumstances have the opportunity to enter a nursing home.

However, to be in this place, the criteria of “being alone, having no place to rely on” of the artists also makes anyone who hears it feel sorry because in the eyes of the audience, the golden generation of artists are famous names, admired by the audience and sought after by theater owners who are willing to pay them sky-high salaries, but their old age life is not very peaceful and fulfilling.

Most artists spend their whole lives working in the arts, they are passionate about the stage, and are often not close to their families or children. When they are old and weak, and can no longer perform to earn money, they do not dare to ask their children, grandchildren, or relatives for help.

Or artists who pursue art because of passion, but have limited income, when they are old and no longer work, life will be more difficult.

Currently, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs is adding some standards, proposing that people working in the arts (such as backstage, musicians, instrumentalists, etc.) will be allowed to live in nursing homes, not just artists.

Trinh Trang