He said he heard desperate screams from neighbours alerting people below that the child had climbed over a balcony railing and was clinging on for her life.
The 31-year-old driver climbed onto the corrugated roof of a small structure on the ground floor moments before the three-year-old girl lost her grip.
As she plummeted to the ground, Manh managed to grab her and pluck the baby to safety.
“I don’t think I’m a hero. Anybody would have done the same,” he said.
On March 1, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc sent a letter praising Manh for his bravery. In his letter, he wrote “I praise Nguyen Ngoc Manh for his courageous action and high sense of responsibility.”
He asked the Hanoi People's Committee and the Central Committee of Emulation and Commendation to honour Manh's noble gesture, kindness and compassion so that there will be more people like him in society.
The chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee praised the driver for his bravery.
The capital city also launched a movement called “Good People, Good Deeds” following Manh’s action, which has also received bags of compliments from netizens.
Although the child suffered a dislocated hip from the fall, she is recovering well in hospital and is expected to be allowed to leave soon./.
VNA/VNP
