King of Wheelchair provides for need in Vietnam

From Vietnam News:

With over 700,000 people in the country in need of wheelchairs, one man is trying to fill the gap.

Nguyen Tien Toan, who is often referred to as the King of Wheelchair in Viet Nam, can pinpoint the exact day he decided to make wheelchairs.

It was in HCM City 22 years ago. War veterans wanted to go see a movie playing at a great distance and needed wheelchairs. However they had only two wheelchairs amongst the large group. They decided that each veteran would use the wheelchair for a limited time and return, enabling the others to watch at least some part of the movie. As good as it sounded on paper, it didn’t work out as people did not return on time and a fight eventually broke out amongst them, each person clambering for the wheelchair.

Toan knew then that he had to find a way to make wheelchairs for veterans.

According to scripture on a Chinese stone coffin, the first wheelchair was made in the sixth century in China. It has since changed form and served millions of disabled people around the world, without which they would be unable to function.

In Viet Nam, the wheelchair was particularly needed after hundreds of thousands were disabled in the American War. Unfortunately there were never enough to service those in need of them.

Without prior knowledge on what he wanted to create, Toan first extensively
studied the design of the imported wheelchair for nearly half a year before creating his own product.

His dream of using metal waste to create a wheelchair was finally realised in 1986 when Toan used 200 pieces from the Military Medicine Bureau.

His first batch was so successful that the orders began pouring in.

Now, with two wheelchair factories in HCM City, he said that he still needs to work hard over the next 10 to 15 years to meet the demand of the local market.

Toan has a clear vision of his company’s domestic market for the next decade or so, but he’s preparing for further growth – thinking about exports and working on a wheelchair model that he says will sell for around US$150, considerably higher than his local cost of $60.

With nearly 100 kinds of wheelchairs, Toan’s enterprise supplies about 500 products to hospitals, rehabilitation centres and people with disabilities in the country. He receives international orders of between 300-500 pieces.