Mechanic Vũ Hữu Lê working with his staff. — Photo laodong.vn

HÀ NỘI — At the age of 87, mechanic Vũ Hữu Lê is still working tirelessly to design machines and tools for farmers.

Vũ Hữu Lê was born and raised in a farming family in Hạ Hòa District, Phú Thọ Province, which allows him to understand and sympathise with the farmers and the hardships they endure. 

Retiring after 19 years of working in mechanics, he still held the dream of opening his own workshop, even with just an old Simson motorbike and VNĐ1 million in his pocket.

He then started trading scrap metal in the hope of earning some money, going from place to place with his old motorbike. With this 'capital', he bought various tools to realise his dream of designing and inventing machines. 

“I didn’t have enough money back then, so I could only buy one machine at a time, and then I have to save up for another,” Lê told Lao Động (Labour) Newspaper.

“Three years later, I managed to acquire all the tools needed to start designing my own equipment.”

After three years of tirelessly working on blueprints and several failed attempts, he successfully created his first mini tea processor. 

Offering excellent capacity and quality at a lower price tag than imported machines, the processor is well-suited for household production. 

He then continued introducing new machines one after another: washing tools, arrowroot grinders and powder filtering systems, fresh tea leaves sorting machine, a cinnamon bark cutter and essential oil distillation system, among many more.

Having made machinery of various sizes and capacities, he never stops learning and innovating despite his age. 

At his workshop in Nam Cường Ward, Yên Bái City, Vũ Hữu Lê is always on the move. He can usually be seen working with the blueprints and documents, instructing his mechanics, or helping his customers operate the machine through the phone. 

Learning can take place anywhere, he said. At the age of 87, he is still determined to catch up with the digital era.

“It’s the 4.0 era already, I cannot let myself lag behind. I always read the news, learn, and exchange experiences online to come up with design ideas that fit people’s needs as well as the requirements of the information technology era,” said Lê.

He still regularly goes on trips to other provinces and remote areas across the country. He wants to see if the tools he created are working well for people, and if there is anything that should be improved. 

“Observing people on the job gives me ideas to support them in their daily work, with the hope that I can ease the burden for them,” he said.

Lê puts dedication into every machine he created. From the idea stage, he studies the needs and opinions of the people and related stakeholders.

When the initial blueprint is finished, he asks for opinions from the mechanics in the workshop, those who make the device themselves, to develop the best products.

“In machine-making, I am the teacher of many, but many are also my teachers. When each person contributes an idea, even small, it helps me a lot in my work,” said Lê. — VNS