Tong Van Thom, 74, from District 12 said that his collection now has around 5,000 items worth around VND2 billion (USD80,645).
Thom has spent 34 years collecting scrap
Thom said that he started collecting scrap when he was small. His family was very poor, so he dropped out when he was in grade 3 to work as a scrap metal collector. He used to pick up old items and bring them home to recycle.
"Each item has its own story. Lots of them were not very old, but just discarded by their owners as they were partially damaged,” Thom said.
Many overseas Vietnamese and foreigners have bought Thom’s antiques. For instance, he sold a ceiling fan and chandelier set for VND50 million. He picked up the old ceiling fan in very bad condition and then used plexiglass for its flower-shaped impellers. The work took him a lot of time.
Thom's ceiling fan and chandelier set sold at VND50 million
He also has a wooden statue priced at VND60 million.
Thom said his children advised him to sell off some of his antiques, but he has been determined to keep them.
"Solid waste is very harmful to the environment so I don’t want to throw them away. I hope that one day I have a space to display them,” the man added.
Thom's collection now has around 5,000 items
Many clocks and watches look quite new after being refurbished by Thom.
Thom has also brought his recycled things to exhibitions and universities as reference examples.
Thom disclosed that “I’ll continue my recycling work as long as I can as it is my passion. I will also donate part of my items to universities to show we can preserve old, sometimes damaged items”.