A businessman had an ingenious idea to help hungry people in Vietnam. Hoang Tuan Anh designed an ATM that dispenses rice. He got the ATMs installed on streets in cities across Vietnam. Mr Anh was troubled by the number of people going hungry after losing their jobs. Around five million people lost their livelihoods because of coronavirus. The popularity of the "free-rice ATMs" means Mr Anh is manufacturing and installing more of them. He told reporters that other businesses, sponsors and donors offered to help fund his project. This will allow him to extend the reach of the ATMs.
Mr Anh explained what was behind his idea. He wanted to invent, "a 24/7 automatic dispensing machine" to provide free rice for people out of work during his country's lockdown. Mr Anh estimated that his machines have dispensed around 3,000 tons of free rice. People are allowed to "withdraw" 1.5kg of rice twice a day. Many people appreciate Mr Anh's efforts. A mother who recently lost her job is one of them. She said: "I read about this rice ATM on the Internet. I came to check it out, and couldn't believe it came out of the ATM. I really hope the sponsors keep doing this."