'Hero' Nguyen Ngoc Manh: 'Many people still remember me'

In the first days of November, everything starts to become bustling with the rhythm of life, when everyone tries to complete the work of the old year to prepare to welcome the new year. Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Manh (33 years old, residing in Dong Anh district, Hanoi) is the same. The "hero" or "superman", known to people nationwide for his bravery, courage, and self-sacrifice to save the life of a 3-year-old girl who fell from the 13th floor of building 60B Nguyen Huy Tuong (Thanh Xuan Trung ward, Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi) is still working hard. "It's the end of the year, people's demand for goods delivery is high, so I have little time to rest. Many times when customers call in the middle of the day or at night, I still have to accept because they are all regular customers, I can't refuse", Mr. Manh said, adding that this is a rare noon when he can rest for 30 minutes.

Mr. Manh just bought himself a new truck for work.

Dinh Huy

In a conversation with Thanh Nien , Mr. Manh said that for many years, he has been working as a truck driver for hire. Every day, he and a group of drivers park their trucks in the Nam Trung Yen Ward area (Cau Giay District, Hanoi) waiting for customers, "carrying whatever they want", as long as the load is sufficient. On average, he runs 3-4 trips/day. His work starts at around 7am. If there are customers who book in advance, he will leave earlier. After finishing work, he returns home around 10-11pm, or later, early the next morning. At that time, his wife and children are already asleep. The time of the week he can spend with his family is Saturday and Sunday. At that time, he will take his wife and 2 children to his parents' house in Chuong My District (Hanoi) or go to famous areas in Hanoi to have fun.

Thinking back to the afternoon of February 28, 2021, Mr. Manh still clearly remembers it. That was the moment he will never forget when a life was saved. “My greatest happiness is having another family, a brother, a sister and a daughter. Huyen (the rescued girl - PV) is the same age as my eldest daughter, whenever they meet, the two of them cling to each other as if they were close friends. Since adopting Huyen, I have always thought of my three children in everything I do,” said Mr. Manh. With his brave actions, Mr. Manh was awarded many certificates of merit and valuable gifts. However, he thanked them all and politely refused, only keeping some money to open a restaurant for his wife. From working hard, Mr. Manh's income is enough to support himself, his wife and children, monthly expenses and also save some money. Recently, he bought himself a new truck to serve his work. “Many people say I should try harder to make life less difficult, but I feel satisfied with the freight job I have chosen,” Manh shared.

Since becoming famous, wherever Manh went and whatever he did, people recognized him, causing him to be "surrounded" by an invisible pressure called "when others know who he is". He was bound by a framework, afraid of people's eyes, not as natural as before. Even many times, being famous caused him "trouble" in the business process. "At first, I had a mental crisis because everyone cared too much. Even when I went to work, my colleagues called me "crazy" Manh because I was too busy with work, my mind could not concentrate. From then on, customers gradually disappeared", Manh said.

For nearly 3 years, Mr. Manh still has to learn to relax, because he is just a normal person. Balancing his life, no longer afraid of his surroundings, Nguyen Ngoc Manh has returned to being a hired truck driver, going to work during the day, and happily spending the evening with his wife and children. Still the same job, the same family, every time he remembers the incident, he feels that he has changed and matured a lot. Mr. Manh said that about 4 years ago (before the incident of saving the little girl), he was a playful and careless person, indifferent to the events around him. However, after an incident, he realized that he needed to change.

The incident happened at around 5am, when he was transporting goods to Ung Hoa district (Hanoi), and unfortunately collided with an old man while he was driving and falling asleep. As a result, the old man broke his right leg, left arm and 5 ribs. “At that time, I was very panicked, but the victim’s family was the one who encouraged and comforted me. After apologizing to the family, I took the old man to the hospital. About 15 days later, he was discharged from the hospital and until now, he is still healthy,” said Mr. Manh, adding that after the incident, he accepted the old man as his father because everyone forgave him for his mistake. From then on, Mr. Manh realized that he had to try to help everyone. When he heard a cry for help at the apartment building 60B Nguyen Huy Tuong, he did not hesitate to risk his life to save the little girl. Mr. Manh was praised by the media as a “hero”, “superman”… even though he himself thought that it was something that “had to be done” when seeing others in difficulty and in danger of their lives.

“I still remember the afternoon of the incident, I went home, told my family the story and then went drinking with friends. I came home late at night, and unexpectedly, when I got home, a number of reporters were still there waiting for me to interview me, including reporters from Thanh Nien Newspaper,” Manh recalled. “Hero” Nguyen Ngoc Manh believes that thanks to the dedication and hard work of the reporters, his story was spread and his actions were known to people across the country. “Recently, while transporting goods to the stadium in Phu Xuyen District (Hanoi), a group of students recognized me and asked to take a photo with me. I am very happy that the incident happened a long time ago but is still remembered by many people. I hope that my story will be spread to some extent to contribute to building a better society,” Manh continued.

Thanhnien.vn