Soldiers in everyday life

Mr. Danh Thanh's boat manufacturing facility

From soldier to composite boat owner

Discharged in 2001 after serving in the navy in Phu Quoc, Mr. Danh Thanh (46 years old) returned to his hometown with the dream of starting a business. One day on leave, sitting by the river, seeing the busy boats and canoes going back and forth, Mr. Thanh thought: "This will be my career."

Starting from scratch, in 2004, he and his wife, Khuu Thi Ngoc Hue, opened a composite boat manufacturing facility called “Tu Tai”. More than 3 years of apprenticeship in An Bien and working at a workshop of an acquaintance in Ca Mau helped Mr. Thanh master his craft. However, when he first started, he faced many difficulties, as people were used to wooden boats and did not believe in the new material.

“At first, we did it sparingly, but after a few people used it and found it durable, we spread the word, and then we had momentum. There was a peak month when we couldn’t keep up with production, and we shipped more than 200 boats,” Mr. Thanh said. Composite boats are light, durable, and don’t need to be caulked or maintained like wooden boats, and have a lifespan of up to 20 years, so they are popular. Thanks to that, he expanded his 450m² factory, invested in modern molds, and sold his products to Cambodia.

After many years of hard work, Mr. Thanh built a house, bought a car, and raised two daughters to study properly, one studying Pharmacy, the other studying at a boarding school for ethnic minorities. "I just hope that as long as I have the strength, I will work and take care of my children's education. Here, if any poor people buy fishing boats or nets, I will sell them on credit, and when I have money, I will pay them back" - he smiled simply, his hands still stained with fiberglass.

Mr. Chung Van Liep is milling rice for people in the hamlet.

Resilient in peacetime

At the age of 74, Mr. Chung Van Liep still diligently looks after his family's small rice mill. Few people know that he was once a second lieutenant, worked at the Army Officer School II and was an assistant to the Logistics Department of Rach Gia Provincial Military Command since 1971.

Discharged from the army in 1979 due to family circumstances, Mr. Liep started from scratch. He started by buying and transporting rice for the State. Thanks to his hard work and savings, he invested in rice mills, opened a rice mill and has been persistently attached to the profession until now.

Despite his old age, he still does all the work himself, without hiring any workers. After milling, he transports the rice to Phu Quoc for sale. He has accumulated more than 3 hectares of land, a spacious house, a wife who sells groceries, a son who is a bank manager, a Phuong Trang bus operator, and freelance workers, all of which are the results of his own efforts.

In addition to being good at economics , Mr. Liep is also active in social work. Since 2009, he has been the Head of the Savings and Loan Group of the Social Policy Bank. From the initial loan balance of 4 million VND to the people in the hamlet, it has now exceeded 1 billion VND, without any bad debt. Many families have escaped poverty from this source of capital, and have the conditions to send their children to school.

Mr. Liep is also the Deputy Head of the Security and Order Team of Binh Loi Hamlet, a member of the Veterans Association since 1997. “After returning from the army, I only hope to do honest business, raise my children, and contribute to the peace and happiness of the village,” said Mr. Liep. His gentle eyes and clear, simple voice are like his own life – a steadfast soldier in peacetime.

Article and photos: DANG LINH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/nhung-nguoi-linh-giua-doi-thuong-a425006.html