Hebei Man's Costly Drive Home After Skipping Expensive Flights

A man from Hebei province, nicknamed “Crab Brother,” decided to avoid soaring flight tickets for his family’s return from Inner Mongolia by purchasing a cheap used minivan and driving home. The vehicle cost about 3,000 CNY (over 11 million VND) and was intended to be resold for profit. Shortly after departing, the van broke down heavily in the neighboring province of Sơn Tây, requiring a tow costing 8,000 CNY and repairs of another 2,000 CNY. Fuel, tolls, and road‑side expenses added further costs, while the lack of air‑conditioning caused the family’s purchased specialties—sheep, yogurt, dried beef, etc.—to spoil in the summer heat.

The man estimates total losses of roughly 24,000 CNY (around 93–117 million VND). After the story went viral on social media, a rice‑selling company contacted him and offered to buy the vehicle at a price far above its market value for promotional purposes.