Thu Bui/Thanh Nien News
Cuong Nguyen is only 18, but he sure knows the value of helping his fellow brethren. As a cobbler on the streets of Saigon, Nguyen repairs shoes and slippers for free to those who can’t afford his services. In front of his desk, he has a sign that says he will give “free fixes to lottery tickets vendors, cyclo drivers and blind people.”
Cuong Nguyen repairs shoes for poor people in his neighborhood who otherwise could not afford his services. (Photo: Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Nguyen makes the equivalent of $130 USD a month and quit school after the sixth grade. He said he wasn’t a good student and wanted to save the money so his younger brother could stay in school. That’s when he met his mentor Tuan, who has been repairing shoes for over 20 years.
