VietNamNet Bridge - Without training in mechanical engineering, Nguyen Dinh Chinh took a risky decision to invest VND2 billion to make an armored car.

Two years ago, when watching TV news, Nguyen Dinh Chinh, 57, of Hoang Mai district, saw armored vehicles manufactured by Russia. He believed that it was not an ‘impossible mission’ to make the vehicle, and if Vietnam could do it, the country would not have to import the car at high prices.

Neglecting the doubts and strong opposition raised by relatives and friends, Chinh decided to continue. VND2 billion, 20-years of experience in mechanical engineering, including 4-year working in Germany were what all Chinh had when he started the work.

After three months of reading documents and designing the drawing, in September 2015, Chinh decided to go to Son Tay Town in Hanoi to lease a 300 square meter workshop amid friends’ and relatives’ surprise.

Three mechanics worked with Chinh when he began designing the armored vehicle, but later, Chinh had only one co-worker.

After six months of working hard and spending VND2 billion, Chinh’s demo design of the armored vehicle was completed.

The armored vehicle can move 20-30 kilometers, and comprises 8 wheels. It is13 tons in weight, 6.8 meters in length, 2.6 meters in height and 3 meters in width.

Commenting on self-made vehicle, Chinh said it is not perfect and a lot of problems still exist due to the lack of capital and limited knowledge. However, he said that the vehicle can meet 80 percent of the requirements.

The armored vehicle can move 20-30 kilometers, and comprises 8 wheels. It is13 tons in weight, 6.8 meters in length, 2.6 meters in height and 3 meters in width. According to Chinh, the weight should be 20-25 tons if it can be made in accordance with standards. 

Chinh intended to make the vehicle shell with thick metal with high resistance, but it could notbecause of the lack of capital. 

The armored vehicle’s shell is made with the steel plates 50-60 mm thick which still cannot be resistant to conventional ammunition. Meanwhile, the control system is sketchy.

Under the technical design, the vehicle driver can use a camera and 13-inch screen to observe from all sides with infrared light. However, the units still have not been completed.

According to Chinh, one of the advantages of his vehicle is that it has 8 wheels; therefore, if one or two wheels are damaged, the other wheels would still allow the vehicle to run without obstacles. The feature is quite different from the armored vehicles now being used in the world.

Chinh estimates that it would take about VND20 billion to create a vehicle with all designed features. This will be the cheapest armored vehicle in the world compared with ones now that priced at $1.2 million, or VND25 billion.

Dat Viet