We really need simple things...
For a place to become livable, in addition to promoting economic development and investing in modern infrastructure and amenities, it requires fostering a sense of culture and civilization within the entire community.
Nhat Lan| Design:Huu QuanAugust 25, 2026
For a place to become livable, in addition to promoting economic development and investing in modern infrastructure and amenities, it requires fostering a sense of culture and civilization within the entire community.
Amidst the August days filled with positive news, a very unpleasant image "went viral" on Facebook in the urban area of Vinh.
Specifically, on August 15th, the Facebook account TMH posted a short video clip, filmed from a high-rise building, clearly showing an individual using a motorized tricycle to transport a pile of garbage bags on Vinh Giang Street, Truong Vinh Ward. The individual then stopped the vehicle near the Lung Lo apartment complex and proceeded to dump the garbage bags directly onto the sidewalk, which is also the bank of the Vinh River.
The Vinh Giang road along the Vinh River, stretching from the Cua Nam fish pond down to Dung Quyet mountain, is only about 2 km long and has numerous signs prohibiting illegal dumping and warning of heavy penalties for violations. Despite this, the individual in question disregarded the signs, even ignoring the shouts of residents from the Lung Lo apartment complex, calmly dumping all the garbage bags before finally leaving.
Watching this clip carefully, I suddenly remembered that on May 2nd, 2026, former Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Nguyen Van Thong reiterated his "challenge" from six years prior on his personal Facebook account, stating: "To have an impressive Red City, do the people of Vinh dare to: Not litter on the streets (even just a toothpick) and bring their waste home" for one month?
Six years ago, the city of Vinh (formerly) frequently experienced indiscriminate dumping of waste into the environment, leading to numerous complaints from residents on social media. Immediately after his "challenge" was issued, his personal page received hundreds of supportive responses. This "challenge" became a guiding principle for relevant agencies to strengthen environmental monitoring and protection measures, and simultaneously, change the awareness of urban residents regarding public hygiene. Although no official summary was made, in a short time, green spaces such as parks, ponds, and lakes were cleaned up, significantly reducing environmental impacts.
After watching the video on Vinh Giang Street, and recalling the status update shared six years ago by the former Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, along with the message: "I still maintain this 'challenging' stance, everyone," I understood he was referring to the environmental issues in the Vinh urban area. Looking back at the reality through surveys of many streets, it is clear that environmental sanitation and many other aspects still have many shortcomings. The main cause stems from lax management combined with the poor awareness of a segment of the population, with the indiscriminate dumping of garbage on Vinh Giang Street being a prime example.
On many small streets, alleys, and lanes, especially in areas near local markets and food streets, the accumulation of garbage is quite frequent and varied. For example, areas related to Vinh Market, Quang Trung Market, Hung Dung Market, the night food street on Dao Tan Street, and the food street on Nguyen Tai Street are always piled high with household waste, construction waste, leaves, and weeds. On larger streets, the occupation of sidewalks for business, advertising, and parking is not uncommon. Particularly at the end of the day, many streets such as Hong Bang Street, Dao Tan Street, Cao Thang Street, Phan Boi Chau Street, Ngo Duc Ke Street, and Nguyen Duy Trinh Street, due to their proximity to local markets, see vendors spilling onto sidewalks and roads, causing traffic congestion.
When questioned, the environmental sanitation unit stated that they have long focused on major streets and collecting household waste. However, managing and ensuring environmental order and hygiene on streets, alleys, and side streets within residential areas is entirely dependent on the local authorities and the awareness of the community. Acknowledging the current situation, they shared: “Illegal waste disposal exists in many places. Even on major streets, people dispose of waste outside of designated collection points and schedules…” Due to the sensitive nature of the issue, they did not elaborate on the causes, but acknowledged the need for change. Most importantly, they believe that the Party committee and local authorities need to strengthen supervision and public awareness campaigns to improve community environmental protection.
Listening to these discussions, I thought again about the environmental protection, landscape preservation, and security and order maintenance activities in Hung Chan commune. Despite being a remote mountainous area with weak infrastructure and a lack of amenities, thanks to village regulations and movements such as "Clean Village, Good Fields"; "No Free-Raising Cattle"; "No Beer or Alcohol at Funerals"; and "Every Family Has a Green Vegetable Garden," Hung Chan commune is a truly peaceful and green area.
The city of Vinh, connected to Cua Lo, is planned to become a driving force for the province. In recent days, Vinh has continuously received good news with the launch of large-scale national projects. These projects will undoubtedly boost economic development, improve technical infrastructure, and add more amenities for the community. Thinking about Hung Chan commune is simply a hope that Vinh will soon improve in terms of traffic safety, order, and environmental sanitation, so that it becomes a truly livable urban area.
And perhaps, that's just a simple wish, one that can be achieved when the entire community shares the same awareness. Like fulfilling the "challenge" of former Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Nguyen Van Thong: "To have an impressive Red City, do the people of Vinh dare to: Not litter on the streets (even just a toothpick) and bring their waste home" for one month?
