Nguyễn Đình Phùng, an 81-year-old war veteran in Xuân An Ward, Tam Kỳ City, Quảng Nam Province, has been traveling from place to place to replace run-down temporary bridges with solid ones.

Inspired by his son who spent his own money to build a bridge in Bến Tre Province in 2016, he engaged in bridge-building the same year with the help of his wife and a close friend named Hiệp.

Whenever he found a commune in need of a bridge, he proposed a construction plan to the local authorities and used his retirement pensions to pay for a new one.

His first bridge was built in Trường Xuân Ward, about 7km from Tam Kỳ City, and the latest was inaugurated on June 1, 2023, in Bình Phục Commune, Thăng Bình District, Quảng Nam Province.

With each costing between VNĐ50 million (US$2,000) to VNĐ90 million ($3,600), he has built 30 bridges across Quảng Nam over eight years.

"I'm happy that my wife and children support my bridge-building efforts," Phùng said. "Now that I'm old and frail, I want to help people as much as I can because I can't take money with me when I die."

All the bridges bear the name “Phùng Hiệp”. “Phùng” represents the veteran himself, while “Hiệp” commemorates his late friend who shared his vision.

He plans to break ground on the 31st bridge in Tam Phú Commune (Tam Kỳ City) on April 30. His life goal is to build 50 bridges, a promise made to his late friend.

Despite his age and declining health, he shows no signs of slowing down. "Everyone has their way of enjoying old age, and for me, it's building bridges," he said. "I don't know when I'll lie down, but my goal remains the 50th bridge."

Beyond bridges, he actively engages in social initiatives, sponsoring two disabled children, offering assistance to the poor and granting scholarships to students.

Nguyễn Văn Bé Hai, a 67-year-old farmer in Tân Bình Commune, Châu Thành District, Đồng Tháp Province, has dedicated more than two decades of his life to building bridges.

He began by repairing damaged bridges alongside local authorities after a devastating flood swept through Đồng Tháp in 2000 and destroyed everything on its path.

"For every VNĐ50 million ($2,000) I earned from selling rice, I set aside VNĐ10 million ($400) to buy timber for repairing the bridges," he recounts. "But timber bridges turned out to be not durable."

Knowing the limitations of timber, he assembled a team to raise funds for building concrete bridges. Initially, his team focused on small bridges with load capacity of one tonne for motorbikes only.

As traffic demand grew, he recognised the need for larger, more robust bridges. He rode to Đồng Tháp's Department of Transport to ask the director for help.

Impressed by his sincerity, the director promised to provide his team with technical guidance on large bridges.

"Since then, the bridges I've built can withstand two to five tonnes," he notes, revealing that each bridge costs from several hundred million to over one billion Vietnamese đồng ($40,000).

Ông Kiết Bridge is one of the large bridges he has constructed, spanning 40m in length and 4m in width. It costs a total of VNĐ1.1 billion ($44,000).

While local authorities contributed half of the funding, he raised the other half through community donations and his own resources.

He has raised approximately VNĐ30 billion ($1.2 million) to build 267 bridges over two decades, of which his family contributions account for several billion.

"My daughter in HCM City has contributed VNĐ1 billion since the beginning of this year,” said Hai. "I do it because I believe many people need help, not to seek recognition."

His selfless efforts have earned him numerous accolades, including commendations from the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Transport and the People's Committee of Đồng Tháp.

Yet, for this unassuming farmer, the true reward lies in the positive impact he has made on the lives of local people. — VNS