Dang Duc Dung has spent nearly 25 years collecting Vietnamese ancient coins. He now owns an invaluable collection of coins which prompts him to write books to tell the country’s history.

Taking out one coin, Dung says after Dinh Bo Linh was on the throne in 968 under the name of Dinh Tien Hoang and renamed the country Dai Co Viet, the king built mints to make coins. Coins used in this period were the first currency of an independent country (Vietnam had been dominated by China for a long time and had to use Chinese coins). Using these coins meant asserting national sovereignty.

“Vietnamese history is showed through ancient coins because each attaches to a dynasty, a king and a historical period,” Dung says. To him, the Le Dynasty was the longest-standing reign that issued various kinds of coins. Among them, Hong Duc coins under the reign of King Le Thanh Ton are highly appreciated by local and foreign collectors.

Dung wants to write books that tell historical stories through coins. He is now drafting two picture books about Vietnam’s first coins. He says Vietnamese currencies in different periods are numerous and nice, but regretfully, the country has not had a monetary museum. His desire is to open a private ancient coin museum, according to Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper.

Overcoming disability

It was difficult for Nguyen Chien Thang in Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi, to move and talk since he was a baby and an Agent Orange victim. Although he liked to go to school, he could only manage to complete the third grade. He learnt by himself at home under his father’s instructions. With his great efforts, Thang finally mastered advanced mathematics.

Thang began using computer in 1999. He learnt information technology (IT) from books, most of them were in English as Vietnamese IT books were rare at that time. It was hard for him to pronounce, so he studied English by reading and remembering vocabulary. He asked his elder sister about new words. Later, he could learn IT in English online. He attended an IT course and got good marks in his exams.

Once Thang accepted a challenge from a hacker. The man said that he could make Thang’s computer collapse within 10 minutes; however, the hacker failed after three hours while his two laptops were collapsed by Thang. Admiring Thang, this hacker invited him to take an entrance exam into an international center of programmers in France. More than 200 best software engineers in the world attended this exam and only 10 were qualified for learning at the center. Successfully passing this exam, he was given scholarship worth US$9,000 a month. During three years, Thang was always on the top. He has also received excellent postgraduate certificates of web security.

Thang told Tien Phong newspaper that IT not only satisfies his passion but also brings him happiness. His wife, Nguyen Thi Hong, decided to shift to IT to be able to meet him when she was a university student because she admired his talent. She fell in love with him regardless of his disability. They have a son.

“Robinson Crusoe” on islet

Le Van Nhanh, a.k.a. Tam Nhanh, 56, was a soldier. He lost a leg because of mine when he was on duty in 1980. After returning to his homeland in An Thanh Commune, Thanh Phu District, Ben Tre Province, he became a local forest ranger.

In 1997, the coastal forests in Thanh Phu were seriously destroyed by a typhoon. Tam Nhanh was responsible for replanting and preserving trees on Ong Le Islet. The trees he planted are now forming a 4.8-hectare protective forest.

Tam Nhanh says that he is the head of Area 13, which covers some 65 hectares of forest. The forest is protected by a three-member team. When he went to the islet in 1997, it was almost deserted. After the reforestation, more people have come here to settle down. He told locals about how important forests are. Many have become forest rangers like him, reported by Phap Luat Vietnam newspaper.

Source: SGT