HÀ NỘI — It doesn't matter if it's raining or late at night, Lê Anh Tuấn is always on hand to help victims of traffic accidents.

For the past two years, Tuấn, 23, from the southern province of Bình Dương, has ferried nearly 400 patients to hospital for free, and in some cases he saved their lives.

People call Tuấn Hiệp sĩ bóng đêm (Knight of the night).

“The number of accidents rises during holidays, and most victims are drunk,” Tuấn said to Tiền Phong (Vanguard) newspaper.

Tuấn gets to accident scenes as quickly as possible to offer life-saving assistance with his first aid kit before taking victims to hospital.

His contact details can be found on his Facebook page.

One case Tuấn won't forget took place in August last year. It was midnight, and someone called Tuấn to tell him about an accident in Thủ Dầu Một District. He immediately raced to the scene.

The victim had VNĐ50 million (US$2,100) and a mobile phone on him, so Tuấn decided to hold on to them for safe keeping. However, the patient discharged himself from hospital early, and Tuấn had to search for him to return the property.

Tuấn's desire to help people stems from a minor accident he had late at night while transporting fruit from a wholesale market. At that time there was no one to help him. Although he only suffered a light injury, Tuấn was concerned about people in a similar situation who had life-threatening accidents.

More and more people have come to know about Tuấn, and his phone is busy during holidays and on rainy nights.

And he does not say no to anyone.

“I cannot bear to think about someone lying in the road at night, so I still go,” he said.

Quiet life 

A day for Tuấn starts at 2am when he collects fruit from a wholesale market. He then spends the day selling the goods at Thủ Dầu Một Market with his family.

His day job ends at 7pm, and then he sets off into the night.

Sometimes Tuấn has issues while he's trying to help people.

He has been attacked by the victims’ families because they assumed he had caused the accidents, leaving him no time to explain.

Tuấn is an only child, and his parents are getting used to his late night trips now, but they still worry about his safety.

Lê Trung Tư – Tuấn’s father – is proud of Tuấn because he thinks about others.

The only thing Tuấn receives in return for his efforts is calls from the people he has helped.

Tuấn hopes that one day there won't be a need for people like him.

“On the nights when I don't receive a call, I’m very happy because it means that everyone outside is safe,” he said.

Tuấn is one of 20 people who have been shortlisted for the outstanding young people 2019 title.

The prestigious title is awarded by the Central Youth Union to honour young people who have helped build and defend the nation. — VNS