Bùi Hiền, a 62-year-old engineer from Bình Dương Province, has suffered the slings and arrows of public opinion for daring to dream to build a helicopter.

Some have praised him, but others have mocked his efforts.

Hiền has built a second light chopper named Dream. A video of the aircraft hovering two metres above a field appeared on many online websites last week.

The 390-kg chopper has a 171HP engine and consumes 15 litres of fuel per hour. Around 2.4m high, it can fly 200km an hour and carry 600 kilos of cargo.

Hiền’s first helicopter, built in 2012 called Bùi Hiền 1, could fly about one metre above ground.

At that time, the brief flight caught the attention of local agencies and residents. Many people praised his talent, but others said the effort was unrealistic at a time when advanced technology was used by aircraft manufacturers.

But Hiền disagrees. “The helicopter can operate smoothly now, so there’s no need for adjustments. My biggest concern is whether I’ll be licensed to fly it. I want to install an insecticide spray system on it to use on farms.” VNS