TUOITRENEWS
- An
elderly Danish man and his Vietnamese wife have built houses and bridges for
needy locals in Binh Thuan Province in central Vietnam.
“Sunlight
is bouncing everywhere, it’s gorgeous,” Kurt Lender Jensen, a 78-year-old Dane,
told his Vietnamese wife, 67-year-old Tieu Thi Ngoc Sang in rudimentary
Vietnamese while admiring the sunshine from his shed.
Despite
his slow movements, he pulled a hose and watered his trees and flowerbeds while
his wife fed the chickens.
“Living
in Vietnam is very, very interesting. I have chosen this place to spend the
rest of my life,” Jensen shared.
Their
cluster of four houses is nestled amidst lush vegetation near a cemetery on
National Highway 1 in Tuy Phong District.
The
houses, which are not very large, and the chicken coop are all built in a
similar style by Jensen himself.
In
front of the houses and along the paths are richly colored flowers, which are
in sharp contrast to the surrounding sandy hills.
Love
at first sight
Jensen
shared that he used to work as a sailor on cruise ships around the world and as
a fisherman before switching to construction work.
In
1992, on his first trip to Vietnam, he met and instantly fell in love with
Sang, a fruit vendor, in Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s economic hub.
Despite
the language barrier, their love bloomed. Jensen returned the same year to take
her to Denmark.
Four years later, the couple decided to return to the Southeast Asia country, where they will spend the rest of their lives. They purchased a coffee field in Bao Loc District in Lam Dong Province in the Central Highlands.
Four years later, the couple decided to return to the Southeast Asia country, where they will spend the rest of their lives. They purchased a coffee field in Bao Loc District in Lam Dong Province in the Central Highlands.
The
elderly, skilled builder
Seeing
that there were no bridges over the raging streams where they lived, the couple
decided to build one.
In
1996, Jensen returned to Denmark to raise funds. He also got 500m of used
suspension bridge cables from a disassembled bridge in Denmark and had them
taken to Vietnam for free.
He and
his wife jointly worked with the local government and residents on building a
bridge in Bao Loc District’s Loc Thanh Commune.
Jensen
designed and constructed the bridge himself. One month later, his first
suspension bridge, which was 1.2m wide and 65m long, was finished to everyone’s
delight.
Jensen,
who then served as a counselor for Denmark’s Embassy in Vietnam, was honored by
Da Lat City’s government for his deed.
The first
success spurred the couple to build more bridges.
With
sponsorship from non-governmental organizations and the Denmark Embassy, he and
his wife were instrumental in building 23 “Danish-style” suspension bridges in
Lam Dong and nearby Dak Lak Province and five nursing homes for physically
challenged kids in Lam Dong and Ninh Thuan Province, located in the central
region, from 1996 to 2001.
“If I
had more money and better health, I would build more houses and bridges on this
land, so that physically challenged kids could go to the houses and enjoy
themselves for some time each year. I also dream of turning this desert-like
area into a place where tourists on coaches can stop by, refresh themselves and
unwind,” Jensen shared.
Jensen’s
wife said that he receives a US$1,000 pension from the Danish government each
month, and the elderly couple now earns their living from selling grocery to
locals.
Despite
the couple’s good deeds, they lament that they sometimes do not receive
kindness in return from local residents or government.
A
number of tourists also behave inappropriately, as whenever a coach stops in
front of his house, passengers hurriedly get off and urinate all over his
well-cared bushes.
He then
built a 4-toilet restroom next to the highway so that passengers can
comfortably go to the bathroom.
“Sadly,
shortly after the restroom was built, thieves stole all of the bulbs and water
tanks. They also stole our entire flock of chickens and construction materials.
There are bad guys, but I believe that good people are still out there,” the
elderly man said.
His
wife recounted that the couple have been cheated four times since they bought
land to build their house.
Once
they had to stay in a makeshift shed erected within the premises of a tourism
complex in neighboring Ninh Thuan Province.
Also,
the local government told the couple that the 1.5ha plot they had purchased and
currently live on was illegal land, forcing them to file a 49-year rental
contract that has yet to be finalized.
Another
of the couple’s grievances is that every six months, Jensen’s wife has to
travel some 100km to the province’s Phan Thiet City to renew his visa.
Business & Investment Opportunities
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