Hiên Cuôn is called leader of the team of builders in the Việt Nam - Laos border area in Quảng Nam Province. Photo tienphong.vn

QUẢNG NAM – A Ve ethnic man in Quảng Nam Province is known as the leader of the volunteer construction team in the Việt Nam - Laos border area.

For more than two years, he has dedicated his efforts through the sun and rain to change the lives of the local people.

Hiên Cuôn, 30, is the secretary of the Youth Union of Village 49a, Đắc Pring Commune of Nam Giang District.

Growing up as one of four siblings, Hiên Cuôn lost his mother at the age of eight. In 2013, he volunteered for military service. After completing his service, he travelled nearly 200km to Tam Kỳ City of Quảng Nam Province to complete high school and study construction.

After three years, he returned to his hometown of Đắc Pring Commune, where he noticed that many people in the border area wanted to build houses, but skilled labourers rarely came from the lowlands, and hiring them was expensive.

Using his basic skills, Cuôn persuaded other young people in the village to form a construction team for the border area.

"I believe that those who have the strength and the heart should join in to help,” Cuôn told tienphong.vn.

“At first, the villagers would cook our team meals, which was heartwarming. Later, they offered small amounts for materials, fuel, and other necessities, and we appreciated their gesture," Hiên Cuôn said.

He recalls most vividly the time he built a home in Pê Ta Boót, a remote area of Đắc Pring Commune, where even his wife asked to help with the work.

“The path to the village was a narrow trail, growing more isolated the further we went, with no mobile signal,” he said.

“To finish the house quickly, the volunteers ate wild bamboo shoots, young pumpkin vines, cassava leaves and chilli salt along with the food supplies we brought.

“I have fond memories of often sleeping in a hammock and getting bitten by leeches and mosquitoes,” Hiên Cuôn recalled.

The volunteer construction team of young people completed the first solid concrete house in a local cluster of Việt Nam-Laos border residents.

Hiên Cuôn and his team in Việt Nam-Laos border area. Photo tienphong.vn

After over two years of active efforts, wherever Hiên Cuôn’s team has been, they have been welcomed warmly by the local people.

Above all, Cuôn finds great fulfilment in gathering young people to participate in voluntary activities.

“Some young people in the village who used to be unemployed and got involved in drinking, causing trouble, incurring debts, or even being involved in theft, have now changed their mindset and become more responsible. They now help others without expecting anything in return,” Hiên Cuôn said.

Nowadays, Hiên Cuôn also regularly holds training classes for Youth Union members in the village, helping them join construction teams and take on projects large and small in the border region.

“For poor or vulnerable households, we offer free construction services, whether it’s repairing or building new homes. For regular households, we charge only half of what the construction teams from the lowlands would charge,” Cuôn explained.

For his contribution to the community, Hiên Cuôn was recognised as one of the recipients of the Youth with Beautiful Lives Award in 2024.

When he received the news that he was being honoured the title, Cuôn was very surprised.

The humble young Ve man said: “I never thought of doing volunteer work to receive an award. I believe that volunteering means giving without expecting anything in return. I want to act from my heart.”

Bùi Thế Anh, secretary of the Nam Giang District Youth Union, said Hiên Cuôn is not only an example of resilience and overcoming adversity, but also a role model of a young party member who has built new models and innovative methods, contributing to changing the mindset of young people in remote areas.

The young ethnic man has created excitement and a new spirit of enthusiastic work and volunteerism among the youth in the border region.

Hiên Cuôn is tirelessly building dreams, offering hope to struggling people in need of a safe and sturdy home.

He said that his idea of a meaningful life is simply helping others in the place where he was born. VNS