Love knows no bounds: Vietnamese man spends thousands converting van into wooden tank for son
Wooden vehicle
The wooden vehicle, based on a French EBR105 model and complete with a 2.8-metre-long replica gun, cost US$11,000 (S$15,000) to convert.
Nothing to do with weapons nor war
Truong Van Dao retained the main engine and the minibus floor, but rearranged inside to make space for the gears.
"My son and me find it more fun riding the tank, which has nothing to do with weapons nor war," Dao told AFP.
"I only considered it as a normal car, renovated it into a tank to make it more interesting," the 31-year-old carpenter added.
'No harm, just fun'
While the ornate wooden covering wasn't a problem for the carpenter, ensuring all eight wheels moved simultaneously was. The top speed is a sedate 25 km/hour - any faster and the cable connecting the wheels will disconnect and they'll be stuck.
"The most difficult part was how to make the four subordinate wheels run," he said.
Tanks have historical significance in Vietnam's history
The vehicles have been firmly associated with the historical moment when communist tanks crashed the entrance of Saigon's Independence Palace in 1975. But now tanks are more associated with children's toys, as they play with plastic versions every weekend in Hanoi.
"If all tanks in this world were the same as my tank, there would be no harm, just fun," Dao said proudly.
Hard work
It took Dao and two colleagues three months to turn the unused van into the tank.
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