The volunteer scrapper collects nails along Highway 1 from Ho Chi Minh City to Long An.

For about 6 months now, Mr. Huynh Ngoc Cuong (31 years old, living in Binh Chanh district) has been pulling a cart to suck up nails, as well as collecting scrap metal along Highway 1 from Ho Chi Minh City to Long An. He shared that he is very happy with the above job, hoping to contribute a small part to help people on the road.

Anh ve chai tự nguyện hút đinh dọc quốc lộ 1 từ TP.HCM về Long An - Ảnh 1. — Mr. Huynh Ngoc Cuong scrapes off scrap iron, iron shavings, sharp objects... stuck on the magnet plate - Photo: NGOC KHAI

At noon on January 4, Mr. Huynh Ngoc Cuong drove a motorbike, pulling a magnet-equipped vehicle slowly on Nguyen Cuu Phu Street (Tan Kien Commune, Binh Chanh District).

At this time, Mrs. Phan Thi My Duyen was in the house and called Mr. Cuong to get a cardboard box containing many plastic bottles.

Sharing with Tuoi Tre Online , Ms. Duyen said that she saw Mr. Cuong many times picking up scrap and sucking up nails. She collected scrap several times to give to him.

"Seeing her volunteering to go pick up nails, I collected some scrap metal in the house for her to sell and have money to buy gas to go pick up nails" - Ms. Duyen said.

Mr. Cuong said he has been collecting scrap metal and nails for about 6 months now.

He made the nail suction truck himself, with the help of a neighbor in the neighborhood. In addition to the magnets he bought, the truck was later fitted with a magnet system given to it by someone else.

Every day, he usually leaves his house in Tan Kien commune (Binh Chanh district) to An Lac roundabout (Binh Tan district), then takes National Highway 1 to Ben Luc district (Long An province). The distance to go back and forth each day is roughly estimated at about 40km.

Every day he can suck up a few kilograms, sometimes more than ten kilograms, mainly iron scraps, small iron chips, mixed with sharp iron, screws, etc.

After collecting the scrap metal for many days, Mr. Cuong sells it, sometimes for only a few tens of thousands of dong or more than 100,000 dong. "I feel happy because I contribute a little to the people on the road" - Mr. Cuong said with a smile.

Mr. Huynh Ngoc Dung - Cuong's father - said that he and his wife have three children. He works as a construction worker, his wife sells dried fish sauce at a market more than 1km from their house.

Since childhood, Cuong was sick and had poor eyesight so he had to wear glasses. Due to his family's circumstances, he only studied until the second grade. When he grew up, due to the effects of his childhood illness, Cuong was weak and could not do heavy work. Besides the time he spent sucking nails, Cuong helped his mother carry goods and go to the market to pick up his mother.

"Seeing my son do that, my wife and I are also somewhat happy, even though we can only contribute a small part to passersby. I hope my son will be healthy enough to help society a little bit," said Mr. Dung.