World record holder with record-breaking projects

Artisan Nguyen Van Phung (third from left) received the Vietnamese and World record.

It all seems so strange and bizarre. Behind those seemingly eccentric things is a passionate, creative soul, working tirelessly for the community, regardless of success or failure.

Ancient village and the dream of bringing beauty to the island

In 2000, Nguyen Van Phung built Hoang Hoa Thon - an "ancient Nha Trang village" in Phuoc Thuong village, Phuoc Dong commune, on the outskirts of Nha Trang with ancient wooden houses and peach and bean gardens blooming every spring. That space seems to take people into an old memory, where architecture, nature and people blend together in a simple yet elegant way.

Before that, in 1994 and 1995, people had heard of a “Son Tinh” named Nguyen Van Phung who dug mountains and filled the sea to create a tourist complex on the deserted beach of Phuoc Dong. At that time, this place was isolated, there was no road to get there, you had to go by boat across the river or climb mountains. Yet Nguyen Van Phung came here naked to create a tourist complex! Unfortunately, because it was done too early, the project failed, all the money was lost. That place later became the famous Hoan Cau tourist area!

Hoang Hoa Thon is so beautiful like a fairyland that the owner of Hon Tam tourist area in Nha Trang Bay came to see it and was so fascinated that he offered to buy the whole "village". After three days of thinking, the owner of Hoang Hoa Thon finally agreed, because according to him, Hoang Hoa Thon here is only for his family, but going to Hon Tam is for the whole community. He dismantled the village, picked up every piece of wood, tile, and bonsai, moved everything to the island and rebuilt it from scratch. Hoang Hoa Thon 2.0 was born, even more beautiful and ancient than the old version. To him, "beauty should go further, so that more people can see it". When people asked why he was "selling the whole village" when everything was peaceful, he just laughed out loud: "People call me Phung Crazy!" That crazyness is the recklessness of someone who does not calculate gains and losses, doing everything for passion, as long as it is useful to others.

Done... transferred, as a matter of course.

In 2010, he started the Suoi Thach Lam tourist area (Suoi Cat, Cam Lam), turning a drainage canal of Suoi Dau Lake into a "Water Park" with everything: lake, stream, grass slide. On weekends, thousands of people came to enjoy for many years. But then, he... transferred it to someone else!

It was thought that he had “washed his hands of the sword”, but he had not. In 2019, on the old land of Hoang Hoa Thon, he built Tires Park, where everything from tables, chairs, drums, cannons to dinosaurs, King Kong, and even the bell tower... were made from scrap tires. A unique “outdoor museum” was born.

This project helped him to be honored as the world record holder for art works recycled from tires. His name spread far and wide. Products from the park quickly appeared in many places: parks, hospitals, schools...

Then he sold Tyres Park. Maybe by buying individual works or the whole set. When only the Roman castle made of foam bricks remained, people saw that he was truly light, unattached, as if all those works were born just for him to "play with" and then leave to the world.

Tire Castle.

From Moringa Tea to 5,600 World Record Bonsai Works

After a while, Mr. Phung reappeared with a new product: Moringa sweet tea made from the familiar Moringa tree, which was only used to make soup. Not only is this a healthy herbal product, it is also his effort to introduce the value of Moringa to the community, as a form of sustainable farming. Now Moringa has become a widely sold product in the tea market.

Next is the journey to set a new record with... bonsai. In his home garden and at the Khanh Hoa Provincial Museum, he displayed more than 5,600 bonsai works, turning the space into a vibrant art garden. The small tree roots are elaborately shaped, beautiful as paintings. Once again, he is a world record holder!

While others keep things to themselves, he opens the door to welcome guests, and is willing to share with anyone who likes them. “I play, and I give to anyone who likes them,” is a familiar and simple saying, but it expresses a profound philosophy of life.

New project: “Vietnam’s stingless bee capital”

At the end of 2024, he surprised everyone again when he launched the project "Vietnam's stingless bee capital" on Hon Chuong mountain (Dien Khanh district, Khanh Hoa). Stingless bees - a species of bee that does not sting and makes nests in rotten tree trunks, wooden crates, and hollow bricks - are already familiar in some provinces of the Central Highlands. But no one had thought of making a large-scale project like Mr. Phung's. Because he bought more than 100 hectares on Hon Chuong mountain... to raise bees!

The writer of this article followed him to Hon Chuong to see the feat, with the ambition to make tens of thousands of beehives here. He hired brick-casting hives placed throughout the caves, rocks, and tree holes for the bees to live in, multiplying the colony to turn Hon Chuong into the capital of stingless bees in Vietnam and he will make "Dang Le Nguyen Vu stingless bees"! Because according to him: "Stingy bees are easy to raise, do not need much care, each hive can collect 1 liter of honey/year, costing millions of dong. I want many people to do it together, to have income together", he said. Beekeeping is not only about making money, but also a sustainable livelihood solution for farmers!

The "player" never gets tired

Meeting Nguyen Van Phung, I found him to be a dedicated person. He has a saying: “People do many things to earn money. I earn money to do many things”. So life is always about doing things that I find interesting. That is why he used to make airplanes, make off-road cars, make Roman castles out of foam… But all with a spirit of dedication, creativity and full responsibility to the community.

Not every project is a complete success. Sometimes it is a loss, sometimes it has to stop. But people have never seen him discouraged. He does not boast about his achievements, does not regret the past. Each project is a game, and in that game, he is passionate, dedicated, and kind.

Article and photos: LE DUC DUONG

Source: https://nhandan.vn/ky-luc-gia-the-gioi-voi-nhung-du-an-ky-luc-post878054.html