In Can Gio, the green color comes not only from the sprawling mangrove forests but also from the hands of the local people who daily nurture and preserve their homeland. With the support of the local Fatherland Front, seemingly small tasks like cleaning up trash on the beach, planting more trees, and keeping the roads clean have become a beautiful way of life, spreading a green and compassionate spirit to this coastal area.
Protecting the environment must begin right from our own homes.
On the green bus from Binh Khanh ferry to Can Thanh town, the road seemed to open up into an endless green landscape. On both sides, mangrove forests intertwined, with glimpses of riverside houses hidden behind the foliage. The breath from the Long Tau River carried the salty scent of the sea breeze and the lingering echoes of a land once steeped in sweat and victory, now rising in peaceful green.
Stepping out of the Can Thanh bus station, you're immediately greeted by banners proclaiming: "Putting trash in the bin demonstrates civilized urban living," and "Maintaining clean, green, and beautiful streets is the responsibility of every citizen." These slogans are not simply reminders, but rather an integral part of the mindset and lifestyle of the people here. In Can Gio, the environment is not just a living space, but a source of pride, because they understand they are preserving the "green lungs" of Ho Chi Minh City.
We met Ms. Huynh Thi Thu Van (born in 1969), Head of the Women's Association of Can Gio Commune. Her skin was tanned, her hair lightly streaked with gray, but her smile was always bright and kind. In her hands was a thick stack of work files, the culmination of more than twenty years of dedication to the local movement.
“We women in the coastal area don’t go out to sea to cast nets like the men, but we all understand that preserving the environment must start from our own homes.” With that awareness, about five years ago, she and other women in the commune joined the Women on Climate Change Club under the support of the local Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee.
The club currently has about twenty core members, divided among five hamlets, who both mobilize and set an example for the local people. Every quarter, the members meet to listen to guidance from Can Gio Forest Protection officials on climate change and adaptation skills, and then discuss what their hamlet should do and what additional measures are needed. In this way, the core members both mobilize and set an example for other families. From sorting waste at source and reducing plastic bags to sustainable consumption and teaching children to love nature, all activities begin with small but persistent steps.
“The challenge is how to make environmental protection a habit, not just a fleeting trend. But women are very persistent; a little bit each day will eventually become a habit,” she said, then smiled as she bent down to pick up a few empty beer cans and plastic bottles from the donation bin for the “Green Donation” model. These recyclable materials are collected by the club through community contributions and additional donations during park and canal cleanup sessions. The club then sells them to raise funds to support disadvantaged households in the commune. A small gesture, but one that further illuminates the compassion of the women of Can Gio.
From the movement to modernize lifestyles
These persistent efforts are vivid evidence of the results of implementing the Resolution of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Congress of Can Gio Commune for the 2024-2029 term, in which the emulation movements and campaigns "All people unite to build new rural areas and civilized urban areas" have truly become part of daily life. The commune's Fatherland Front has coordinated with mass organizations to mobilize the people to promote self-governance in residential areas, contributing to maintaining security and order, preventing crime, protecting the environment, and responding to climate change.
These results also lay the foundation for the commune to enter a new term with more specific and clear goals. The Resolution of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Congress of Can Gio Commune for the 2025-2030 term sets out an action program with the content "Mobilizing all strata of the people to compete, work creatively, participate in socio-economic development, and build and protect the Fatherland." In particular, Can Gio identifies the continued promotion of the campaign "All people unite to build new rural areas and civilized urban areas," and the construction of "Bright - Green - Clean - Beautiful" residential areas.
Nguyen Ngoc Vu, Secretary of the Party Committee of Can Gio Commune, shared that keeping this land green is not just a slogan or a resolution, but the responsibility of every citizen, every organization, and every association. He said that the commune's Fatherland Front must be the connecting core, so that every patriotic emulation movement or socio-economic development program of the locality, and every cultural residential area, is linked to the goal of "green - civilized - modern - compassionate".
Sowing the seeds of "green" in every residential area.
Entering the 2025-2030 term, the Can Gio Commune Front has clearly defined its direction: transforming the "All People Unite to Build New Rural Areas and Civilized Urban Areas" campaign into concrete actions in each residential area. Accordingly, the commune aims to have at least three exemplary flower-lined projects by the end of 2025; twelve by 2028; and at least one flower-lined project with its own local character by 2030. Along this journey, various organizations are contributing their colors: youth with "Flowering Roads," women with "Self-Managed Flower-Lined Alleys," farmers with "Gardens Around Houses," veterans with "Exemplary Veteran Flower-Lined Roads," and balconies overflowing with color from the "Clean Houses, Beautiful Alleys, Flower-Lined Neighborhoods" movement.
At the same time, the commune also calls on every citizen, every household, whether officials, civil servants, farmers, small traders, or students, to start with small actions such as planting a potted flower, taking care of a green space, or cleaning an alleyway to together create a Can Gio commune full of colorful flowers, contributing to building and spreading the brand "City of Colorful Flowers," symbolizing a green, friendly, and modern urban area.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/giu-mau-xanh-tu-nhung-ban-tay-dan-bien-post819590.html
Comment (0)