Mr. Tong Van Dung joined the army in 1978 in the southwestern border battlefield; he was shot in the nerve in his right leg, and after being hospitalized, he continued to fight with a gun. In November 1983, he was discharged from the army.

Creativity for community service

Although he only finished 7th grade, he has the ability to observe and learn very quickly, and likes to tinker and create products to serve life. One time, when he saw well diggers shaking the pipe with their hands for a while until the water came up, he came up with the idea of ​​using this method to make a water pumping system.

For three years, his rooftop was turned into a workshop filled with all kinds of scrap metal, screws, and wires.

With perseverance and determination, he finally created an energy-saving water-raising system using materials from discarded parts such as chains, bearings, and bicycle rims. Although this system is quite suitable for rural areas because the cost is many times cheaper than pumps sold on the market, Mr. Dung also admitted that the disadvantage of the system is that it is cumbersome.

In October 2005, the product followed him to Ho Chi Minh City to participate in a technology and equipment fair, attracting attention as well as many technology transfer offers.

“I make it to serve people, to help people save money, not to sell. That’s why I don’t think about having to register copyright. Helping people spend less money but still be effective makes me happy,” Mr. Dung expressed.

In the flower garden in front of the University of Water Resources, there is still a multi-purpose bar that he made himself, with many different functions. Regularly practicing here in the early morning, Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim (Thuong Dinh ward) shared: "This bar is very convenient for both men and women, young and old can use."

Run to light the Olympic flame for seniors

Due to the after-effects of his injury, he walks with a slight limp, so Mr. Dung is determined to jog 5km every day.

In 2019, someone invited him to run around West Lake. He thought that running around West Lake was 17km, which was difficult to do. Thinking so, he still wanted to test himself. Unexpectedly, he conquered 17km. From then on, he started setting a long-distance running goal.

“To maintain waking up at 4am to prepare for a run, it requires real self-discipline and being serious about your goals. When running long distances, you always have to smile and think of something positive. That helps you forget the pain,” Mr. Dung said about his “secret” to maintaining his endurance.

His passion for running led him to his first race in Quy Nhon - conquering 21km in 2019. After that, he appeared in many other Marathons in Hanoi and Hue.

His highest achievement was conquering 42km with a time of 3 hours and 46 minutes at the Long Bien Marathon in 2023.

Ms. Do Thi Huong Giang (46 years old) - a jogging enthusiast, who has the same training route as Mr. Dung - shared: "Mr. Dung once said that he persistently woke up early every day to jog to save 10,000 VND, and did not have to go to the hospital. Looking at his peers who have diabetes, heart disease or high blood pressure... I see that he has saved much more than that 10,000 VND."

The former scout is aiming to run 365 days in a row, regardless of the weather. “Every day, people go to work, children go to school, I have to run, running 42km before I can rest. Consider me a working person,” Mr. Dung likened.

He also hopes that he will be a spark to ignite the flame of participation in the Olympics for the elderly in the future. Because according to Mr. Dung, if there are elderly people participating in the Olympics, society will create more playgrounds for them, paying attention to creating an environment for the elderly to live happily and healthily.