Hanoi boy shined shoes to earn money to go to school, now director of 'special hospital'

More than 20 years ago, a shoe shining job helped a boy named Nguyen Van Phuc earn money to go to school. Later, from shining shoes, Phuc came up with the idea of starting a business, bringing good income and the ability to help others.

The shoeshine boy dreams of going to college.

Phuc is the youngest son in a family of five children in Dan Hoa commune, Hanoi (formerly Cao Duong commune, Thanh Oai district). His father is a war invalid with poor health, so the whole family depends on his mother's farming and hat making.

When Phuc was 11 years old, his father passed away after a long treatment for diabetes, the family fell into debt and economic decline.

"At that time, my family owed nearly 100 million VND, a huge amount of money. My eldest sister was married but her finances were also difficult. My three older sisters had to drop out of school and stay home to help their mother. I almost had to drop out of school," Phuc said.

At that time, many people in the village went to the center of Hanoi to shine shoes. Not wanting to drop out of school and help his mother earn extra money, Phuc hid from his mother, took a black plastic bag containing a shoe polish box and a toothbrush, and went to the city.

Every year he studied in the afternoon, Phuc woke up at 3am, walked to the village entrance, followed the passenger and cargo trucks to the city center. At 10am, he rode home, ate a quick meal, and ran to school. Every year he studied in the morning, Phuc went to shine shoes in the afternoon and returned late at night.

"Drivers usually don't like to carry shoe shiners because we pay them little. To get a ride, I often take the opportunity to shine shoes for drivers or work as a busboy, carrying goods, and carrying loads of vegetables and pork for passengers," Phuc said.

It takes about 40 minutes for the cramped, bumpy bus to reach Phung Khoang market area - Ha Dong.

Mr. Phuc has now become the director of a business in Hanoi.

Around Van Quan urban area, there are many coffee shops, a "potential market" for shoe shiners. But because of that, competition for customers becomes more difficult.

After a few days of getting to know each other and observing, Phuc realized that whatever he did, he needed a secret. "I have the advantage of being small and skinny, but I smile a lot and greet people quickly, so customers both like and respect me. In the morning, I often cleverly ask customers to open the shop to 'cool off'.

I choose to approach groups of 3-4 people because the acceptance rate is higher, if one person has a need, another person will. If the customer is a couple, they almost never want to shine shoes," Phuc recounted his "secret".

Being hard-working and sharp, Mr. Phuc often has a higher income than his shoe-shining friends in the village.

During the period 2001-2005, the drug and theft situation was quite complicated. Shoe shiners were often bullied and robbed.

"In the city, I was afraid of being chased and beaten. When I returned to the village, I was afraid that people would discriminate against me for shining shoes and wandering around the streets. Therefore, I always carried a black plastic bag and did not dare to carry my toolbox when I returned to the village," Phuc said.

What Mr. Phuc remembers most is that when he entered high school, he moved his area of operation to Huynh Thuc Khang area, near Hanoi Television Station. In the first days there, Phuc was beaten up by the shoe shine group from before. When he returned home, he lay down for almost a week.

If he didn't work, he wouldn't have money to study, so Phuc brought his stuff. Seeing that Phuc was "tough", didn't cry, didn't leave, the other group found him "difficult" so they stopped beating him.

Mr. Phuc was once beaten up while shining shoes.

The job of shining shoes was hard, but thanks to it, Phuc earned money, helped his mother cover living expenses, and paid his tuition. Phuc took advantage of his time at night to complete his homework. During high school, he was still an excellent student, an advanced student and never gave up his dream of going to university.

After graduating from high school, circumstances did not allow him to go to the city to work part-time and save money to go to university. He worked during the day and studied at night. In 2010, Phuc passed the entrance exam to the Academy of Journalism and Communication. In addition to paying for rent and tuition, Phuc saved money from shining shoes to buy a camera and a recorder to support his dream of becoming a reporter.

"In 2010, my story from a shoeshine boy to a university student was shared by many newspapers. This became an opportunity for me to approach reporters and editors. They gave me the opportunity to practice journalism, write articles for collaboration, and even get to work as an apprentice at VTV while I was still a student," Phuc said.

Director of the "special hospital"

Having worked for the television station from an early age, Phuc did not have to struggle to find a job after graduating. However, every weekend, Phuc still carried a wooden box and went out to shine shoes.

"To be honest, at that time, I shined shoes not only for income but also to relieve some of the pressure of work. I felt happy when meeting customers. I didn't feel ashamed or self-conscious, I just enjoyed this job," said Mr. Phuc.

Through the times of shining shoes for customers, Phuc had the opportunity to come into contact with many branded goods. Out of curiosity, he observed carefully, gradually learning information and knowledge related to leather goods and the methods and processes of maintaining them.

In 2017, the young man decided to quit his job at the television station to focus on starting a business with a leather care service. Accompanying him at that time was Chien (born in 1996, from Thanh Hoa ), also a young shoe shiner with difficult circumstances.

Mr. Chien, who founded the leather hospital with Mr. Phuc, was also a shoeshine boy.

They borrowed 100 million VND and set up a leather care facility called "Leather Hospital". The initial job was to clean and care for shoes, bags, jackets, etc.

The two boys' "headquarters" is a room of about 8 square meters. During the day, they take care of leather goods, and at night, they split up to earn extra money to run the "hospital" and take care of their families. Chien continues to shine shoes, while Phuc teaches video editing skills.

To reach customers, Phuc went to high-end laundry shops, asked to cooperate in the leather goods segment, and split the revenue 50-50 with them. For each order, the two brothers did it very carefully, packaged it politely, and wrote the factory name and phone number. With experience in photography and video production, Phuc created his own fanpage to advertise the service.

"About half a year later, we had a more stable number of customers. Chien and I went looking for and invited more shoe shiners to come learn and work together," Phuc said.

From a "hospital" with 2 members, gradually there were more than a dozen technicians here. They were all people with special circumstances, having to earn a living from a very young age. Some were orphans, some were victims of human trafficking,...

Explaining his decision to hire disadvantaged people, Mr. Phuc said: He himself had to work from a very young age, so he understands the difficulties and barriers of this group of people. He wants to give them a stable job.

Mr. Phuc and Mr. Chien directly teach vocational skills to young people in difficult circumstances.

"When we arrived, everyone was self-conscious, timid, and lacking in confidence. But perhaps because of our common situation, we quickly caught up.

Chien and I taught the students a trade. By 2020, the workshop opened a sofa care, cleaning, and upholstery service. The business grew rapidly, revenue was good, and the technicians earned 10-15 million VND, improving their lives," Phuc recalled.

Talking about the name "leather hospital", Mr. Phuc shared that here, they not only repair and take care of leather items, but also want to "heal" young people in difficult circumstances who have experienced trauma.

After completing their apprenticeship, students can stay and work, return to their hometowns to open shops, or Mr. Phuc can introduce them to reputable leather businesses so they can try their hand and develop further.

According to Mr. Phuc, the "leather hospital" not only repairs and cares for leather objects but also wants to "heal" disadvantaged young people.

Recently, the leather hospital cooperated with the Hanoi Association of the Disabled to implement the project "I am good", piloting handicraft training at the Thanh Tri Association of the Disabled and the Hoang Mai Association of the Disabled.

The first products such as phone cases, glasses cases, keychains, crossbody bags... made of red leather, printed with a yellow star, similar to the image of the national flag, are being well received by customers.

"For this project, we do not receive support or donations from any organization. We want to teach handicrafts to people with disabilities so that they have the opportunity to find suitable jobs, earn their own income and gain more confidence in themselves," Phuc shared.

Mr. Trinh Xuan Dung, Vice President of the Hanoi Association of the Disabled and Head of the Association's Employment Department, said that before implementing the project, the association directly surveyed and learned about the activities of the "leather hospital".

After more than 1 month of official implementation, the members are very excited and enthusiastic. They not only have a new, suitable job that brings income, but also confidently communicate, participate in filming product introduction videos, and sell online.

Mr. Phuc and Mr. Chien participate in vocational training for the disabled.

Products made by people with disabilities in the project "I am good"

"Honestly, I am grateful for the shoe shining job. This job not only brings income and helps me go to school, but also opens up business opportunities for me to be financially stable and help more people in special circumstances," Phuc shared.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/cau-be-ha-noi-danh-giay-de-co-tien-di-hoc-gio-la-giam-doc-benh-vien-dac-biet-2427004.html