For 22 years, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Chí Thành has been fighting many fires nationwide. — Photo nhandan.vn

HCM CITY — For 22 years, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Chí Thành, has been on the front line of many rescue and emergency operations, not just in Hồ Chí Minh City, but all over the country, and he's even been fighting fires abroad.

Thành is the Deputy Leader of the Firefighting and Rescue Squad, HCMC Firefighting and Rescue Force. He's saved lives, protected valuable assets and forest land as well investigating arson cases.

Thành (third from left) on his return from the rescue mission in Turkey in 2022. — Photo nhandan.vn

Breathtaking rescue and relief efforts

10 years ago, during the U Minh Thượng forest fire in Kiên Giang province, Lieutenant Colonel Thành, together with 30 officers and soldiers, dozens of water pumps, and three fire trucks, battled against the raging inferno under the direct command of Major General Lê Tấn Bửu, former Director of the City Firefighting and Rescue Police Department.

The U Minh forest terrain was dangerous with thousands of hectares of trees, deep mud and numerous caves, making the firefighting equipment impossible to be deployed. After nearly 20 days of facing the fire with all their might, their strength and willpower to develop effective strategies, the blaze was gradually brought under control.

In this battle, the lives of Lieutenant Colonel Thành and his comrades were at times at risk. However, they overcame all dangers and difficulties to fulfill the mission of protecting 700 hectares of primeval forest and preventing the fire from spreading to 10,000 hectares of planted forest.

Recalling the rescue of victims in the collapse of the CR4 scaffolding at Phú Mỹ Hưng Residences in 2008, Lieutenant Colonel Thành felt emotional. At that time, the families of the victims requested the retrieval of a female victim trapped on the scaffolding. Underneath, another victim was trapped in a pile of concrete, with their life hanging by a thread.

The decision to carry out the mission within 20 minutes, with limited space and urgent time requirements, Lieutenant Colonel Thành used his hands to lift each stone to rescue the victim, using his own body to support the direction on the scaffolding, which was pinning down the victim.

"At the 17th minute, when I tried to embrace the victim, I felt the scaffolding showing signs of movement, and only then did I breathe a sigh of relief, forgetting that I was at that moment bearing a large amount of concrete and the scaffolding could collapse at any time. When the victim was safely brought out, I could only embrace my comrades, my commanding officer, while tears flowed," Thành recounted.

An unforgettable rescue in his career was that of Hoàng Văn Thái, in Hà Quảng, Cao Bằng, who went missing in October 2019. The rescue point was a vertically deep cave, with the mouth of the cave getting smaller as it descended, winding and twisting. When Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Chí Thành reached a depth of 220 meters, the water pouring down became stronger, the radio lost signal, and the electric winch stopped working.

At that moment, Thành was suspended, but he did not panic. He had only one thing on his mind: to bring the remains of the victim back to their family. When approaching the bottom of the cave without any tools, Lieutenant Colonel Thành had to use his hands to dig and hook the soil and rocks that were burying the victim's body, picking up each piece of bone and putting them into a fabric bag. After two days of searching, he and his comrades successfully retrieved the highly decomposed body parts that were inside the cave.

In February 2020, Thành was mobilised to participate in a rescue mission in a cave with a depth of about 280 metres in Hà Giang. The prolonged rain throughout the night made the cave increasingly damp, and the cold seeped into his bones. The cave was pitch-black, with the only source of light being a makeshift flashlight attached to his helmet. As he descended deeper, the rescuer felt had difficulty breathing. There were moments when the thought of giving up, especially as sharp rocks protruded from all directions, ready to cut through his flesh.

"Never before, while carrying out my duty, have I longed and hoped for the moment to return to my family with my loving wife and two adorable daughters," he said.

"After nearly an hour I felt an overwhelming joy when the communication equipment was restored. In my nearly 22 years of rescue work, this was the first time I had to participate in such an extremely dangerous and difficult mission."

When he set foot on the bottom of the cave and brought up the victim's body, the stench permeated his entire being as the water from the corpse had soaked through him. Yet, he was embraced tightly by his comrades. The victim's family burst into tears, continuously clasping their hands in gratitude to the rescue team.

The bravery displayed by Thành is truly remarkable. His unwavering dedication to saving lives, even in the face of immense danger and challenging circumstances, is a testament to his exceptional character and commitment to serving others.

Thành and his wife at ceremony in March 2023, where he was presented with a house. — Photo nhandan.vn

Ready to enter "hotspots"

Most recently, he had the honour and pride of being part of a special delegation from the Ministry of Public Security to participate in search and rescue operations after the 2022 earthquakes in Turkey. At the end of the mission, the rescue team, along with the Ministry of Public Security, successfully saved one person and recovered 14 bodies. Their efforts were highly recognised and appreciated by the Turkish people and international rescue forces for their capabilities and work ethic.

As the person who directly brought the surviving victim out from under the seven-meter-deep rubble in Turkey, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Chí Thành shared his experience: "I was assigned the task of approaching the victim. Machinery couldn't be used in this situation as it would endanger the victim. The only way was to dig through the collapsed tunnel, even though it was extremely dangerous, but we had to accept it.

"During the process of descending beneath the massive collapsed concrete, I used my hands to dig through the soil, rocks, and concrete while constantly communicating with the victim. When the victim was brought up, their family couldn't believe that their loved one could be saved. They all expressed their gratitude, bowed their heads, and thanked the Vietnamese search and rescue team."

Nguyễn Chí Thành has been awarded the title of "Exemplary Soldier at the Grassroots Level" in 2020, 2021, and 2022 by the Director of Hồ Chí Minh City Police Department. He has also received numerous commendations and the title of "Exemplary Soldier of the Force" in 2023.

Thành was chosen as one of the five exemplary and advanced individuals to participate in an exchange program at the conference honoring exemplary and advanced individuals in the Ho Chi Minh City Police Force during the period of 2015-2020. In 2021, he was honoured with the "HCMC Silent and Noble Role Model" award.

Despite being hailed as a firefighting "hero", few know about the difficulties in Thành's personal life. For a long time, he and his family, consisting of four members, had to live in rented accommodation. When the media highlighted his achievements, individuals and businesses expressed their willingness to contribute and support his family.

In response to the community's affection for him, the Command of the Firefighting, Rescue, and Search and Rescue Police Department reported and requested the approval of the Director of HCMC Police Department to provide him with a house, which was granted in March of this year.

"Although the future will surely bring more hardship, I have never been satisfied with myself or the experience gained from these 'battles'," said Thành.

"I am not afraid to be present at any 'hot spot,' regardless of the difficulties, hardships, even if it means sacrificing my own life."  — VNS