For the past three months, filming her 80-year-old mother joyfully receiving online shopping orders has brought special joy to Nguyen Yen (54), who lives in Ho Chi Minh City.

These videos have repeatedly trended, garnering hundreds of thousands to millions of views and thousands of “hearts.”

Social media users left endearing comments like: “Hope I’ll be like grandma when I’m old - sharp-minded, bright-eyed, and still able to buy gifts for my grandkids”; “Watching her pull out a wad of cash to pay the shipper was wild”; and “The shipper’s smile says it all - multiple packages, never any order cancellations. Grandma’s solid!”

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Grandma Oanh received up to 19 packages in a single day. Photo: NVCC

Yen shared that her mother is Phung Thi Oanh (80), currently living in Thu Duc City (HCMC) with her husband.

The couple has six children (five daughters and one son), most of whom live nearby. In recent times, Mr. Oanh suffered a stroke and requires full-time care, prompting the children to take turns visiting and helping.

Yen often visits to care for her father and, during those times, captured charming videos of her mother receiving deliveries.

Mrs. Oanh has been using a smartphone for years. She knows how to make calls and text her children and grandchildren, but she didn’t initially know how to shop online or use TikTok.

Three months ago, her children gifted her a new smartphone. While watching livestreams on social media, she took an interest in shopping and asked her children to teach her how.

“My mom only needed one lesson to master online ordering. Since then, she’s become a pro and officially joined the online shopping club,” Yen laughed.

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Mrs. Oanh with her daughters (Yen in the white dress). Photo: NVCC

For the past three months, she has shopped online almost daily. Some days she receives over a dozen packages. “Three days ago, she received 13 orders in the morning and 6 more in the afternoon. On June 10, she got 14 orders in total. On June 11, she received 6 in the morning and another 5 by 5 p.m. This has been constant for three months,” said Yen.

Mrs. Oanh often buys food and household items - not just for herself but also for her children and grandchildren.

“One day she ordered a pack of dried shrimp. It was so delicious that she ordered six more the next day to share with her kids. She shops frequently but always plans her purchases carefully,” Yen noted.

She pays for all her orders herself. Even when her children offer to cover the costs, she politely declines.

“Our mother accepts gifts from us, but when it comes to online orders, she insists on paying. If we receive packages on her behalf while she’s out, she always reimburses us afterward,” Yen added.

Remarkably, Mrs. Oanh has never once refused a delivery in the past three months. Occasionally, she even tips the shipper as a thank-you. Once, a store mistakenly sent two of the same order, and she accepted both to avoid causing trouble for the shipper.

“At first, the delivery guy was surprised to see an elderly woman receiving nearly a dozen packages at once. He was a bit hesitant, worried she might be confused or that her children might object. But once he saw that she ordered everything herself and her kids fully supported it, he became genuinely happy to make deliveries to her,” said Yen.

Understanding that this is her mother’s joy in old age, Yen and her siblings never complain.

“Our mother is financially independent, and she doesn’t bother anyone. Plus, she has many children and grandchildren. Whatever she buys, she wants to share. It’s her way of showing love. Seeing her happy in this stage of life makes us happy too,” Yen expressed.

Thanh Minh