Together for a modern, civilized and humane city

In Ho Chi Minh City - a pioneer in innovation and creativity, the spirit of competition is not only found in large movements but also spreads and is reflected in every act of sharing, every initiative, every green project. From the story of a small businessman in the midst of a storm and flood, of a young girl rushing into the street to save people, to a group of volunteers silently "picking up" the green color for the sea..., all of these create a city of love and dynamism that is moving with the whole country into a new era with the strength of the people.

Results from engagement

A short message from Mr. Tu Bo Thong, director of an English center in Ho Chi Minh City, touched us: "I just raised another 20 million VND to support people in the storm area." A few days before, through the account number of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Thong sent 20 million VND that his company contributed to support people facing difficulties caused by storm No. 10. The numbers may be small, but the heart is big. Those things are so simple and heartwarming.

Mr. Ta Van Truong (right cover), Chairman of the Blue Sea Club, and members of the Club pick up trash to protect the Vung Tau marine environment. Photo: TRUC GIANG

The story of Mr. Tu Bo Thong reminds us of the time when Ho Chi Minh City launched the emulation movement "Join hands to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses" in Ho Chi Minh City. This is an emulation movement responding to the call of the Prime Minister . Right from the launch, the movement received the support of many individuals and units. Those with a lot contributed a lot, those with a little contributed a little. In particular, the State Bank - Branch 2 of Ho Chi Minh City and banks in Ho Chi Minh City contributed more than 25 billion VND, the Fatherland Front and units supported the repair of 323 temporary and dilapidated houses for poor households, near-poor households, and households in difficult circumstances in Ho Chi Minh City.

In a spacious house that still smells of new paint, Mr. Lu Hiep (living in Ban Co ward, Ho Chi Minh City) is no longer worried about sudden heavy rains. "Before, whenever the sky was covered with dark clouds, I was worried. The house was dilapidated and the walls were leaning, making me afraid that it would collapse at any time. Now I can work with peace of mind because I have a stable home," Mr. Hiep said. Thanks to the cooperation of the whole society, Mr. Hiep's house and hundreds of dilapidated houses in Ho Chi Minh City have been rebuilt, bringing the emulation movement "Join hands to eliminate temporary houses and dilapidated houses" for poor and near-poor households in Ho Chi Minh City before April 30, 2025 to 100% completion ahead of schedule.

Or from the project "Building and repairing 500 charity houses" implemented by the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, many kind-hearted people joined hands to help the family of Ms. Vo Thi Vinh (residing in Khanh Hoi ward, Ho Chi Minh City) have a solid house so that they would no longer have to worry during stormy days. "Before, when the house had not been rebuilt, every time it rained, my son would take me to stay at a neighbor's house; because every time it rained, the house would flood, and I was blind, so it was very difficult to live in a dilapidated house. Now I can sleep well in this new house," Ms. Vinh said emotionally.

Join hands to care for "strangers"

At 3:37 pm on a mid-October afternoon, Ms. Nguyen Hoang Kim Ngan's phone rang. On the other end of the line, the voice of the person reporting the news was urgent and urgent: "There's a lot of blood, Ngan!..." Without hesitation, Ms. Ngan immediately got in the car and drove straight towards Pham Van Dong Street. Within 5 minutes, she was at the scene. A man nearly 70 years old lay motionless on the side of the road, bleeding heavily from his head. In the flashing lights of the ambulance, the 9X girl quickly bandaged the victim's wound... Over the years, this has become a familiar story in the race for life of Team 911.

Since its establishment in 2017, Team 911 has participated in first aid, assisted in transporting victims to the hospital, performed imaging procedures on behalf of victims' families as prescribed by doctors, ensured initial information about the incident and tried to contact victims' relatives. Currently, the team has 10 members, although they work in different professions, they all have something in common that is admirable, which is a compassionate heart and a spirit of volunteerism, wishing to support victims of traffic accidents and handle emergency situations that occurred in wards of Thu Duc City in the past.

For nearly 8 years, Ms. Ngan and her teammates have helped thousands of victims receive timely first aid. Since the beginning of 2025, more than 100 traffic accident cases have been provided with first aid by the team and transferred safely to the hospital. Operating 24/7, including holidays, members of Team 911 are always ready whenever there is a report. For Ms. Ngan, a small medical bag containing gloves, gauze... is an "inseparable item" so that she can respond promptly when needed. Members of Team 911 work tirelessly without salary or remuneration. Only humanity keeps them on the journey to save people. "There are peak days when we have to handle 4-5 cases of varying severity. The victims are strangers, I don't know their names or faces. But when I bend down to give first aid, I simply think that they are my relatives and try my best," Ms. Kim Ngan shared.

"Pick up" the blue for the sea

On weekend mornings, when the sun has just risen above Vung Tau beach, groups of blue shirts quietly walk along the sand, picking up bottles and pieces of plastic. They affectionately call each other the “recyclers” of the blue sea. They are members of the Blue Sea Club - a volunteer group initiated and maintained by Mr. Ta Van Truong, the club’s chairman, for over 2 years.

In August 2022, the Blue Sea Club was established with the spirit of volunteerism, aiming to make the sea greener, cleaner, more livable and more worth visiting. From an initial small group of only 20 people, the Blue Sea Club now has more than 600 regular members and more than 2,000 participants. From small actions to great effects, each month the Club organizes 4 regular garbage cleaning sessions, collecting 1-2 tons of garbage. Each bag of garbage collected, each cleaner beach is another reminder of responsibility to the environment - also a "green competition" that they have persistently pursued over the past time. Mr. Vu Hong Thuan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Vung Tau Ward, commented: "The Blue Sea Club model is a bright spot in the locality's skillful emulation movement. This activity contributes significantly to preserving the environmental landscape, raising community awareness and building the image of a civilized and friendly tourist city".

At Gemalink port (Tan Phuoc ward, Ho Chi Minh City), the working atmosphere was bustling from early in the morning in the last days of October. On the wharf, electric cranes operated continuously, thousands of containers were loaded and unloaded rhythmically according to the coordination orders. Each successive shift clearly demonstrated the scale and operating rhythm of a modern international port. Amidst the rumbling metal sounds and the continuous operation of the electric cranes, every Gemalink worker clearly understood: safety, productivity, and efficiency are not only slogans, but also honor in work. At that modern port, the competition is no longer about doing faster but about doing "greener", smarter, and more humane - as they are turning each cargo container into a rhythm of sustainable development.

Some emulation movements have been effectively implemented by Ho Chi Minh City.

- Emulation movement "The whole country joins hands for the poor - No one is left behind" for the period 2021-2025. By June 30, Ho Chi Minh City completed the goal of no more poor households according to the city's multidimensional poverty standards for the period 2021-2025, exceeding the poverty reduction target according to the Resolution of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Congress.

- Emulation movement "The whole country competes in innovation and digital transformation" and "Digital literacy for all", with the goal that by 2025: 80% of cadres, civil servants, public employees, people, and workers in enterprises will have basic digital knowledge and skills; 100% of high school students and university students will be equipped with digital skills; 80% of adults will achieve universal digital knowledge and skills on VNeID.

- Special creative emulation movement to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025): 26/61 projects in 5 fields have been completed; 35 projects and programs continue to be implemented.

- The emulation movement "Promoting disbursement of public investment capital in the city" has promoted the creativity of collectives and individuals in proposing solutions to speed up the progress and completion of key projects and works, and target programs of the city.

THAI PHUONG - TRUC GIANG - CAM TUYET

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/dong-long-vi-thanh-pho-hien-dai-van-minh-nghia-tinh-post819653.html