Nguyen Thi Hau, born in 2002, has two years of experience with excavators and several months with trucks. She stumbled into the work by chance.

In February 2023, Hau told her father she wanted to get a Class C driving license, but she wasn’t old enough to take the test. Since her family runs a wood processing business with an excavator fitted with a log grabber, her father asked if she’d like to learn to operate it. He offered to teach her.

Seeing that the family hadn’t found an excavator driver and her father was struggling to pick logs alone, Hau agreed. She started learning to drive a Doosan 140 excavator with a 4.3m grab arm.

At first, she struggled to control the grab arm. With persistence, Hau got the hang of it, smoothly coordinating movements. She could now take over for her father at the workshop, handling logs with the family’s giant excavator.

Besides operating the excavator, Hau learned to drive large trucks to transport wood. In July 2024, she earned her truck driving license, becoming a professional peeled-veneer driver for the family.

“When I said I wanted to learn to drive trucks and excavators, my parents were thrilled. They supported me enthusiastically since we’d no longer need to hire or rely on outside drivers,” she said.

Hau’s workday typically starts at 5.30 am or 6.00 am. She drives the truck to pick up peeled veneer. At noon, she takes a break to cook at home. If her father is busy with logs, Hau covers his shift at the workshop so he can rest.

In the afternoon, she resumes truck driving for veneer pickups and at night, if her father can’t handle logs, Hau operates the excavator alone.

Following a career seemingly meant for men, the young woman faces plenty of challenges. Late at night or early dawn, whenever wood delivery arrives, Hau must head to the workshop to unload logs.

After grabbing the logs, she drives the truck through narrow, potholed roads to the warehouse. Sometimes, she drives alone in the dark at night. During those times, Hau locks the cabin door to ease her nerves and calmly heads home.

“To me, the work isn’t grueling. I’m not worried about it affecting my appearance. After long days at the site, I care for my skin and beauty at home,” she said.

Ha Nguyen