A Vietnamese expat’s journey toward compatriots at home

It is worth recalling that, through the Public Security Newspaper’s Charity Fund, Mr. Pham Van Thuy and his family covered the medical cost for a poor student who suffered from cancer, 10 years ago. Over the recent years, Thuy has also donated dozens of fire trucks worth hundreds of billions of VND to the Vietnamese police. This is truly a commendable act of a Vietnamese expat who lives overseas, but the love for his homeland is always in his heart.

Overcoming hardships to start business abroad

Thuy was born into a poor family in Ninh Binh Province. In 1977, at the age of 17, he emigrated to the U.S. with his relatives. At first, he had a little money and his English was poor. Life in a foreign country is definitely hard for anyone, so he had to do various jobs to make a living while trying to finish high school education and then continue his studies at college in the U.S.

"During those days when I first came to the US, I accepted any job offers, from landscaping and gardening to working in a small plastic materials manufacturer. I worked regardless of day or night to earn enough to survive. I attended school from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and after classes, I worked from 4 p.m. to midnight," Thuy recalled. Despite the hardship and difficulty, Thuy gained valuable life and work experience that would shape his future success.

In 1988, realizing the potential growth of the plastic industry, Thuy invested $14,000 to establish his first business, named Sunrise Company, specializing in manufacturing plastic material. Initially, he rented a small room to set up a transaction office of the company. However, his honesty and dedication won the trust of many partners who signed contracts with him.

Later, his business expanded. Thuy could afford to hire workers. Today, his company has branches in three states.

In 1998, Thuy and his family founded Hung Dong Plastic Co., Ltd., partnered with Sunrise Company and headquartered in the Song Than Industrial Zone, in Binh Duong province (Vietnam). During its first five years, Hung Dong Plastic Co., Ltd. created jobs for about 700 local laborers. Today, the company has opened an additional branch in Hai Duong province.

Donating 58 fire trucks to the Vietnamese Police

Over the past years, Thuy has donated 58 fire trucks to the Vietnamese People's Police Force. Thuy said he first sought to buy fire trucks in support of the plastic material manufacturing.

"Normally, waste from plastic material production was being gathered and removed periodically. However, I realized that regular clean-ups would simplify the work, improve efficiency, and ensure environmental safety," Thuy said.

Thus, he started to purchase old fire trucks to repurpose them for waste collection machines. When getting the purchased fire vehicles, he realized that they were still in a good condition for firefighting purposes.

Regularly hearing news from Vietnam, Thuy comprehended that his homeland had limited firefighting machinery and equipment. This inspired him to donate the old but well-functioning fire trucks to the country’s firefighting force.

In 2006, he contacted Nguyen Van Binh, head of the Binh Duong Industrial Zone Management Board, to propose his idea. "I sent photos and technical information about the first two fire trucks to Binh. He was very supportive of the idea, as the local firefighting force was in high need for fire equipment at the time," Thuy recalled.

However, transporting the fire trucks from the U.S. to Vietnam was not an easy task due to legal regulations of both countries.

With the assistance of Senior Colonel Le Anh Viet, the then Deputy Director of the Binh Duong Provincial Fire Police Department, and after getting permits from the Central and local authorities, all the paperwork was finally completed. The first two fire trucks then safely transported to Vietnam. Thuy also personally hired American experts to travel to Vietnam to train and share their knowledge and skills to operate the vehicles with local firefighting teams.

To date, Thuy has donated a total of 58 fire trucks to the Vietnamese fire police force, with a total value of hundreds of billions of VND. These trucks are now used by firefighting police units across localities in Vietnam.

Supporting those in need

For years, Thuy has been a dedicated philanthropist, partnering with the Public Security Newspaper to support those in dire circumstances.

In 2011, after reading an article by the Public Security Newspaper about a ninth grader, Le Ngoc Nam, with throat cancer, he donated 100 million VND to support the boy’s family to treat his illness. Thanks to his assistance, the boy recovered, then got married, and now has a healthy son. The then ill boy and his wife now work at Thuy’s factory in Vietnam.

In 2013, after reading about a soldier struggling with life-threatening health issues, Thuy and Hung Dong Plastic Co., Ltd. donated 20 million VND to help the soldier’s family overcome their difficulty.

Recently, as the Public Security Newspaper called for support for the people hit by Typhoon Yagi, Thuy and his wife donated one billion VND to the Charity Fund of the newspaper.

Recalling his first return trip to Vietnam in 1991, Thuy said, "The night before my flight, I couldn’t sleep. My mind got flooded with memories of my elderly parents, my relatives, and my difficult childhood. As the plane flew over Vietnam and I saw dear small houses, rice fields, and smoke from kitchen below, and tears suddenly welled up in my eyes. The feelings of returning to my homeland after many years was overwhelming," he confidened.

Having grown up in poverty, Thuy is always willing to share his blessings with those in need and contribute his part to Vietnam's development.

As the lunar year of the Dragon comes to an end, all Vietnamese people at home are warmed by the noble deeds of Mr. Pham Van Thuy, a Vietnamese American who, despite living far from the homeland, always remembers his roots and readily helps those in need.