Hanoi man spends billions of dong to turn car into mobile home

At 7am, Mr. Nguyen Son opened the door of the television car he bought nearly a year ago to do a general cleaning after a memorable trip with his wife and children at Da Trang Pass (Tan Lac, Hoa Binh ) last weekend.

"I'm cleaning the car to prepare for the trip to Hai Phong on April 30," said Mr. Son, carefully cleaning every wall, kitchen area, shelves and small corners in the car.

This special car is fully equipped with amenities like a miniature apartment. Inside there is a bed, kitchen, refrigerator, toilet, table and chairs, TV, even a washing machine and dryer - all neatly arranged, scientifically , serving the whole family's long trips.

"It took me nearly 6 months to turn the car into the mobile home it is today," said Mr. Son.

Hanoi man spends over a billion dong to turn his car into a mobile home (Video: Nguyen Ngoan).

The dream started with YouTube videos

Mr. Son said that the idea of ​​a "mobile home" was conceived by him more than 10 years ago, when he was an IT guy who often worked on computers. Clips about vanlife - life in a camper - by foreign YouTubers captivated him from the first time he saw them.

"They live, work, travel and enjoy themselves in their own cars. I loved it, but at that time conditions did not allow it, so I had to temporarily be satisfied with a pickup truck for picnics.

"Tents had to be set up, portable air conditioners were bulky, and sometimes in the middle of the hot afternoon sun, even if you wanted to take a nap, you couldn't," he said with a laugh. The experience was still inconvenient, especially for families with small children. His wife and children had difficulty following him at that time, because living conditions were too poor.

Mr. Son cleaned his car before going to Hai Phong with his family for the holiday.

He calls himself a "real camper" - he goes to deserted islands, goes boating, and sleeps in tents in the wild. It is this survival experience that has inspired him to pursue his dream of building his own camper.

From 2018 to 2019, when his finances were more stable, he started repairing his first cars, initially old cargo vans. He spent several hundred million VND, repaired them 3-4 times, then disassembled them and rebuilt them but was still not satisfied.

After the van, he modified a rickshaw for traveling, but because this model was not popular in Vietnam and it was difficult to get a license, he had to sell it. From then on, he decided to make an independent vehicle, with full amenities like a mini apartment, but it had to be able to operate on the road.

Mr. Son's car is like a miniature apartment, sometimes he welcomes friends to visit in this car.

Modify TV car into "dream house"

In June 2024, Mr. Son successfully auctioned a liquidated TV car that had run 5,000km and was still quite new, for 470 million VND. That was the first "frame" that he transformed into a mobile home.

Right from the moment he brought it home - when the car was still bare, with only air conditioning and a steel frame - he discussed it thoroughly with his wife and children. Fortunately, the whole family not only agreed but also enthusiastically participated.

"My wife used to object, saying I was crazy. Since the car was completed, she made a decision: Only sleep in the car, no more homestays!", he laughed out loud.

He involved his wife and children in giving their opinions on every detail of the design. The whole family went on many space testing trips, sitting in the car imagining what the future "home" would look like. That was also part of the journey together to create the dream living space.

This third vehicle is the largest version and the one that he is most satisfied with. Unlike many camper players who usually start small and gradually upgrade, he is confident that this is the "ideal version" that is spacious, easy to operate, not bulky, and more fuel-efficient than the larger models.

The car has full electrical system, air conditioning, deodorizer, refrigerator, bed.

All switches, windows, electrical systems, refrigerators, etc. were imported and installed by Mr. Son himself. Only the interior furniture was completed by a unit in Hung Yen. Based on the experience accumulated from previous car models, it only took him a few hours to sketch out the entire design drawing. However, the construction process lasted 6 months because he did almost everything by hand.

"With a professional workshop and a few more workers, it will probably only take a little over a month. But I like to do it slowly and meticulously, because this is where the whole family will be attached to for a long time," he shared.

In terms of technical systems, he divided the car into two parts: Electrical and interior.

The electrical part includes a lithium battery (20-30kWh), a solar charger, solar panels on the roof, a 48V-12V power converter... enough to operate two air conditioners, two refrigerators, a lighting system, and separate washers and dryers.

"Even imported cars worth tens of billions of dong would hardly have an electrical system suitable for Vietnam's climate like the car I made myself," he said proudly.

The interior is meticulously designed like a miniature apartment: induction cooker, gas stove, toilet imported from the US, lavabo, sink, 3-compartment water system (clean water - gray water - black water). His family has 5 people so the car is designed with two separate beds, with a sofa - all are fixed beds, not the type of table - bed conversion because "it is both time-consuming and inconvenient when traveling for a long time".

"The area inside the car is 10 square meters wide and 3.3 meters high," said Mr. Son.

Mr. Son designed a toilet on the car with full equipment to serve the family trip.

The most special feature is that both the washing machine and dryer are integrated in the car. After taking a shower, anyone can put their clothes in to wash and dry seamlessly, as convenient as at home. "To do that, the electrical system must be extremely strong and stable," he emphasized.

Most of the equipment in the car is specialized, although at first glance it looks like household furniture. From the sink, toilet to the air conditioner, refrigerator, all are imported, light, anti-vibration, and heat-resistant. The interior wood is made by him in Vietnam, and specialized accessories are mainly imported from China - even American goods often go through this country because the cost is more reasonable.

The cost of repairing the car - from materials, interior, electrical system to labor - is about 600 million VND. He thinks this is a "worthy" number because in return, he gets a real mobile home.

Since completing the car in December 2024, his family has made dozens of trips, almost every week. His passion was so great that he bought a plot of land of more than 1,000 square meters in Deo Da Trang area to park the car, rest on weekends, and organize activities for friends.

"Before, my wife liked to stay home, cook, clean, and didn't like to travel. Now she just wants to get in the car. The kids are excited, and I just need to start the engine and I'm ready to go," he excitedly said.

For Mr. Son, the car is not simply a means of travel, but has become a part of his lifestyle. This small house helps his family get closer, connecting through moments of wandering in nature.

On free weekends, Mr. Son's family travels and experiences together.

One thing he really likes about the mobile home is that he doesn't have to prepare too much every time he goes somewhere. Before, when using a pickup truck, each trip was a long day of preparation - from tents, blankets, pillows, toothbrushes, drinking water, air conditioners, to flashlights... But now, all he wants to do is go right away.

As for food, Mr. Son never brings ready-made food from Hanoi. Whether he goes to his hometown, to the mountains or to the sea, he always finds much fresher food. He only brings spices, because everything else is available in the car.

From a person who was once considered "crazy", Mr. Son has now become the "captain" of endless journeys of discovery. For him, the car is not just a means of transport, but a real home - a place to live, love and be free. Such trips not only bring new experiences to the children, but also help the whole family bond.

At home, the family sometimes quarrels, but every trip is filled with joy. Not only for traveling, sometimes his family also changes the atmosphere by getting out of the car to sleep, instead of staying in the apartment like usual.

Photo: Nguyen Ngoan - Thanh Ha

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/nguoi-dan-ong-ha-noi-chi-ca-ty-dong-bien-o-to-thanh-nha-di-dong-20250416081815365.htm