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The members clean up the trash in the dark canal. Photo: Green Saigon |
A labor of love
On a trip home from work, upon seeing the Green Saigon group cleaning up trash on Hy Vong channel (Tan Binh district, Ho Chi Minh City), Nam sent a message through the group's fanpage. An hour later, he received a response and joined on February 13, just over two months after the group was founded (early December 2022).
For several months, Nam has almost never missed any cleaning-up activities every Wednesday and Sunday morning. Despite the dangers and toxicities, Quoc Nam persuaded his parents to allow his participation because it contributes to making the city greener, cleaner, and more beautiful.
For most of the volunteers, they also come to Green Saigon in such a coincidental way. Nguyen Thanh Nhi (sophomore, Saigon College) learned about the group through students on campus in May and has joined the activity every Sunday morning ever since.
Le Hong Diep (sophomore, Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry) also coincidentally came to Green Saigon through a clip of recruiting volunteers on TikTok. Currently, Diep is in charge of the nursing and logistic department.
Ho Van Vi (23 years old, from Dak Lak), co-founder of the Green Saigon group, joined hands with Nguyen Luong Ngoc because he loved Saigon and yearned to make meaningful contributions for society. Initially, Vi and Ngoc invested their own time and money, and only picked up dry trash. Even the lack of essential facilities such as protective gear could not discourage the group.
As the number of members increased to 5 and then 20 people, the group started to clean up trash-choked canals. After just over six months, there have been nearly 400 volunteers, including foreigners, with remarkable achievements - organizing more than 80 garbage collection sessions, cleaning more than 50 canals in the city with more than 1,000 tons of waste collected.
The group has also launched campaigns in many places such as Suoi Nhum bridge, Hiep Binh Chanh canal (Thu Duc city); Lang canal, Xuyen Tam, Dinh Bo Linh, Cau Son canals (Binh Thanh district); Hy Vong, Tan Tru and Do Son canals (Tan Binh district); Hang Bang canal (District 5), and Thanh Loc 31 canal (District 12).
On June 25, the group cooperated with Go Cong Xanh (Green Go Cong) group to organize garbage collection and cleanup at Rach Mun bridge (Go Cong, Tien Giang province). These beautiful actions are spread, and attract many sponsors to join hands, both in cash and in kind.
Little stories by the canals
One day in June, in the blazing sun, about 70 young people, including students from some universities, gathered at Hang Bang canal (Van Tuong street, Ward 13, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City), collecting garbage in the dirty smelly black water. On the shore, other volunteers were ready to transport garbage bags to vehicles arranged by the ward with the support of self-defense forces and garbage collectors. All were prepared and operated very smoothly.
Meanwhile, accidentally knowing the group through social networks, Mr. Phan Nhat Huong, a member of the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists, joined many group trips to capture these simple but beautiful moments of the group.
Cleaning up trash in the canals, Van Vi is most terrified of the Hang Bang canal, many of whose local households do not build septic tanks. As a result, the group usually has to suffer from simultaneous waste discharging from the local residents while cleaning up the place. On the other hand, according to Hong Diep, some volunteers have been injured by sharp objects or needles. In particular, Quoc Nam once had his leg injured by a bottle fragment that pierced through protective gear, and he was then immediately taken ashore by the members for first aid.
The spread of kindness
According to Ho Van Vi, the work is dangerous and toxic, so the members must always prioritize their safety. Volunteers who want to participate in garbage cleaning must be fully vaccinated with 3 vaccines - typhoid, tetanus, and cholera. In addition, they were given free PrEP - antiretroviral drugs (ARV) to prevent HIV infection.
Before participating, the members are also carefully equipped with 3 layers of gloves, specialized protective gear in the water, alcohol spray, and mosquito spray.
However, the work of the group does not always receive absolute appreciation. For some people, it is no use collecting the garbage as canals will sooner or later be filled with litter again. At first, the group was sad, but later, they viewed it as a norm.
"The message we want to convey is 'pick up trash to pick up another lifestyle.' Our goal is not only to clean up the canals but also to encourage more people to make contributions to the environment and the society. We are happy because our actions are appreciated, and some people even promise not to litter carelessly."
Ho Van Vi, co-founder of Green Saigon group
In fact, there are canals that are cleaned up, but just after a while, garbage is either discharged or pushed back to the canals, turning them to original status.
Despite the existing difficulties, according to Ho Van Vi, in the future, Green Saigon will develop more environmental activities such as learning how to handle polluted water and air sources, or planting more trees. The group plans to implement the campaigns step by step, collaborating with other groups, and at the same time boost promotion to increase efficiency and popularity of such meaningful activities.
Not only clearing garbage in the canals, many members of the group chose to "rescue the roads from being flooded due to blocked drains that may cause traffic obstruction" in the pouring rain and thunderstorms. They find it even more significant than staying home.
