At 75, Nguyen Huu Nam still takes to the skies above Hanoi, where a video of him paragliding while recalling his wartime years has drawn hundreds of thousands of views online.
On Sept. 6, after attending a reunion marking the 55th anniversary of the day he joined the military, Sept. 6, 1971, Nguyen Huu Nam packed his paragliding gear and headed to Doi Bu, a popular flying site about 50km from central Hanoi.
Against the clear blue skies of early autumn, Nam, 75, who lives in Hanoi’s Bach Mai Ward, piloted his paraglider while filming a short video of himself. As he flew, he recalled the years when he and his comrades risked their lives on the battlefield in Quang Tri, and spoke of his hope that paragliding might one day come to the land where they had fought.
Nguyen Huu Nam has been paragliding since 2007.
Nam originally recorded the video simply as a keepsake from a special flight. Exactly 55 years earlier, he had been among more than 4,000 students from universities, colleges and vocational schools across northern Vietnam who put aside their studies and went to war, joining the effort to liberate the South and reunify the country.
At the time, Nam was a student at the National Economics University in Hanoi.
He never expected the footage of a gray-haired man flying through the sky while telling stories from his youth to spread rapidly across social media. The video attracted hundreds of thousands of views and comments, with many younger viewers surprised and impressed to learn that the man in the clip was 75.
‘Whenever the wind is right, I fly’
At 75, Nguyen Huu Nam maintains an active, disciplined lifestyle and the same enthusiasm for sports he had when he was younger. He usually plays tennis three or four times a week, and whenever the weather is favorable, he heads out to paraglide. He is currently a member of the Hanoi Paragliding Association.
“Whenever the wind is right, I go flying. By now, I have been to every place in Vietnam where paragliding can be done safely,” Nam said. “This sport requires quick, precise reactions and the ability to cope with the sun and wind, so you have to train regularly and stay healthy.”
Nam says paragliding gives him a sense of freedom.
In September, Doi Bu offers ideal conditions for paragliding. Its takeoff point is about 655 meters above sea level, with gently sloping terrain and favorable winds.
Watching Nam prepare for a flight, it can be difficult to believe he is 75. For him, however, age is no reason to give up something you love, as long as you understand your own limits.
“Younger pilots often fly farther, higher and longer, and perform more difficult maneuvers. I focus mainly on safety,” he said. “I usually take off and fly with the group.”
Nam discovered paragliding almost by accident. In 2007, he accompanied his son to a training session. At first, he simply wanted to encourage him, but the more Nam watched, the more fascinated he became.
His first tandem flight with another pilot took off from Vien Nam Mountain in Hanoi. The experience, he recalled, was unlike anything he had felt before.
“I felt like a bird, flying freely through the clouds and looking at the landscape from a completely different perspective. It felt as though I could reach out and touch my dream of conquering the sky,” Nam said. “That was why I decided I wanted to pursue paragliding seriously.”
When he began training, paragliding was still a relatively new sport in Vietnam, without the established schools or formal training courses available today. Groups of enthusiasts largely taught themselves and one another. From time to time, foreign aircraft pilots living and working in Vietnam shared their experience and technical knowledge with them.
“Equipment was scarce and difficult to buy in those days,” Nam said. “The early enthusiasts mainly looked for used paragliders and gear from overseas. Beginners couldn’t simply decide they liked the sport and immediately buy their own equipment.”
“For about my first year, I shared the group’s equipment and borrowed gear from more experienced pilots to train.”
Basic equipment at the time - including the wing, harness, reserve parachute, GPS, altimeter and radio, along with helmets, footwear and protective clothing - was relatively rudimentary compared with what is available today.
A happier life through paragliding
Many people were surprised to learn that Nam is 75.
After retiring in 2012, Nam had more time to devote to his passion.
He joined several clubs and became involved in paragliding activities, competitions and events. At various times, he has served on organizing committees, worked as a judge, driven pilots to and from flying sites, rushed to help people in trouble and assisted when pilots were forced to make emergency landings away from designated landing zones.
Fellow members of Vietnam’s paragliding community affectionately call him “Uncle Nam the Elder.”
“I’m not among the pilots who fly the best or the most, but I’m always ready to take part in activities that help develop safe recreational paragliding in Vietnam,” he said. “I understand how valuable this sport can be. It helps people train and develop many skills, while those who share the same passion can connect with one another and take part in community activities.”
After 19 years in the adventure sport, what makes Nam proud is not simply the number of flights he has made or the flying sites he has conquered.
Nam also continues to take part in long-distance walks and mountain hikes.
Photos courtesy of Nguyen Huu Nam
“For me, paragliding isn’t just a hobby. It has had a very positive meaning,” he said. “The sport has helped change and develop the economic and cultural life of many places, such as Mu Cang Chai, Hoang Su Phi and Hong Thai.”
“More than 10 years ago, when we first went to Mu Cang Chai, the roads were difficult and local people had very little. As paragliding developed and gradually became associated with the ‘Flying over the golden season’ festival, residents gained more sources of income by selling agricultural products and providing tourism and accommodation services.”
Over nearly two decades, Nam has flown at destinations across Vietnam, from the north to the south, through the Central Highlands and the mountainous northwest, and over remote islands.
One flight he remembers particularly well was on Ly Son Island in the central province of Quang Ngai, carrying the message “Flying over the homeland’s seas and islands.”
Nam’s greatest concern today is that while paragliding is increasingly being developed as a tourism product in Vietnam, opportunities for recreational pilots appear to be shrinking.
He hopes flying sites can strike a balance between tourism and preserving space for the paragliding community to train, allowing enthusiasts to continue practicing and developing their skills.
For Nam, flying is about more than the experience of being in the sky. It is also a way for paragliders to share images of Vietnam’s landscapes and people, and their pride in the places they call home.
Vietnamnet.vn
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