The 32-year-old architect runs VHD Green Design and Build, a company in Da Nang, Vietnam focused on developing environmentally friendly construction materials.
“When I design and build, I face material prices that fluctuate. I wanted to turn things that are discarded into new materials. I want to leave something truly useful behind, and I want to create thousands of jobs. That is what I am most determined to do in life,” Dũng says.
Born in Quảng Ngãi province, Dũng lost both parents in separate accidents when he was eight years old. Together with his younger brother, he found a new home in SOS Children’s Village Da Nang.
Gratitude as a foundation
“At SOS Children’s Villages, I received a new home. It filled the emptiness I had felt. I had a mother, brothers and sisters, and everyone,” he recalled.
For him, gratitude is the most enduring lesson. “Because of that love, I was able to grow and mature. Even now, I apply that gratitude to my business. Everything revolves around gratitude. That is what I carry into my company and my work.”
His closest bond was with his SOS Children’s Villages caregiver, Mai, who became a mother to him. “The person who guided me the most, who placed trust in me, was my mother. She didn’t speak much, but I understood her, and I wanted to be a source of pride for her,” he said.
Mai, who served as a caregiver for 22 years and raised 27 children, reflected: “I feel so happy because I see that he succeeded. But I also know he worked very hard, putting years of effort into this. The road ahead is still long, but I am proud.”
From architecture to enterprise
Vietnam faces challenges with the rising cost of building materials and the environmental impact of quarrying and sand extraction. Dũng believes recycled materials are part of the solution.
After graduating in architecture and working in design and construction, Dũng founded VHD Green Design and Build, which uses waste to create innovative products.
Drawing inspiration from Roman building techniques, Dũng experimented with seawater as a bonding agent. He conducted hundreds of tests before finding a formula that worked, inspired by the durability of Roman concrete that has lasted for 2,000 years.
The firm has now been operating for six years and employs 30 people: 10 office staff and about 20 factory workers.
One of the company’s most successful innovations is Stone Talk, a cladding material made from limestone powder, clay, and recycled construction waste. The mixture incorporates oyster shells, coral, rice straw and other discarded materials, which bind naturally because of their calcium content. The product is 60% lighter than natural stone and contains no chemical substances.
Today, Stone Talk is already on sale nationwide in Vietnam, and Dũng hopes to expand into export markets.
Alongside Stone Talk, his company has also developed eco-friendly paint, which was recently exported to Korea. He is now researching ways to use sea sand, currently unsuitable for building, to reduce reliance on river sand extraction — a practice that contributes to flooding and erosion.
Advice for young people
Asked what advice he has for young people leaving alternative care, Dũng said: “First you must know what you want. Decide who you want to become. Then you need to learn every day to become that. There will be many challenges, but you must turn difficulties into motivation, not negativity.”
He also acknowledges that care leavers face extra barriers. “When we go out and start a business, there are many difficulties. We don’t have anyone backing us. You have to seek advice yourself, and each day create a better version of yourself.”
For Dũng, the message is clear: the values he gained growing up are now embedded in his business. As he put it: “I want to live meaningfully, for myself and for society.”