Huynh Thi Phung, a former tuberculosis patient, gives customers a cheery wave while she sells food on the sidewalk in Hoa Vang District of Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. (Joachim Pham)
Quang Nam, Vietnam Truong Van Lenh contracted tuberculosis from fellow inmates while he was serving a nine-year sentence for drug trafficking.
After he was released from prison in 2017, he learned that his wife and two children had sold their property in Quang Nam Province and left for other places, leaving him homeless.
His health deteriorated rapidly, and he could not integrate himself into the community, as his neighbors disrespected and kept clear of him because of his highly infectious illness and his status as an ex-convict.