Volunteer uniforms on Phu Quy Island

The trash-for-gifts exchange booth at Ngu Phung Primary School is quite attractive to children on the island - Photo: VU THUY

Although it is summer, the yard of Ngu Phung Primary School is always bustling with laughter. Children flock to the school, playing one game after another arranged by the volunteer soldiers of Ho Chi Minh City under the cool shade of the banyan and royal poinciana trees.

During our stay, the team organized fun activities, summer activities, and shared historical knowledge with the children. The first thing before each activity or activity, we instructed the children to pick up trash and clean up the campus and playground.

Student NGUYEN VI KHANG (Ho Chi Minh City University of Physical Education and Sports )

Keep the island green

In every corner of Ngu Phung Primary School, under the shade of each tree, there is a game booth. In this corner, children are engrossed in drawing, in another corner, children are playing hopscotch and hitting balloons, nearby is a game of pumping and shooting water cannons… Needless to say, the children are fascinated when the sounds of playing, running, jumping, talking and laughing echo throughout the school yard.

Through each playground, the student volunteers did not forget to share with the children small lessons about environmental protection awareness. The paintings at the booth were all about the sea, islands, shrimps and fish, and did not forget to remind the children to add the message "join hands to protect the environment".

A trash-for-gifts booth was visited by excited children who brought in used and recyclable plastic bottles and cans. In return, they received lovely gifts carefully wrapped by the adults.

The first time he set foot on Phu Quy Island, Nguyen Vi Khang (3rd year student of Ho Chi Minh City University of Physical Education and Sports) shared that the scenery on the island was very beautiful, the sea was beautiful and blue with many relics. Therefore, preserving the environment on the island and preserving the beauty of Phu Quy is very important.

Most of the schools on Phu Quy Island are spacious and shady. Not only providing playgrounds and summer activities, this year, volunteers from Ho Chi Minh City have completed a library called Dream Library at Ngu Phung Primary School as a gift for the children.

The library was painted with murals and decorated in an eye-catching manner, creating a reading and playing area for children on the island. There was also a speaker system and four internet-connected desktop computers for students to look up information. A similar library was also completed by volunteers and given to students of Ngo Quyen High School on the island.

The "National Flag Street" project with 200 flags stands out on the road of a residential area on the island - Photo: VU THUY

Memorable summer days

For nearly two weeks, the island’s sun and wind had time to tan the skin of many volunteers from the city named after Uncle Ho, who were students and young civil servants accustomed to office air conditioning. Although the trip did not last long, the 48 volunteers joined forces to complete a series of projects.

A long stretch of the Trieu Duong coastal embankment has been given a new look with a brilliant mural. There are two libraries at two schools, and a charity house for a poor household that has been renovated. You have also installed 10 solar-powered street lights and a "National Flag Street" project in a residential area.

With his face blackened by the sun and wind, his clothes stained with paint that could not be washed off, Tuan Anh (a second-year student at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts) and another student from the same school were the two main artists of the project to paint two libraries and 120m of coastal embankment. In less than two weeks, the paintings carried the idea of ​​​​environmental protection so that when people and tourists come to Phu Quy and take pictures with this painting, they will pay more attention to protecting the environment and preserving the island.

"To make the most of our time, we work two shifts every day, from 6am to 11am, take a lunch break, and then start painting again around 1pm until late afternoon to finish the project. The two of us just take care of the painting, the other teammates will help us cook and take care of logistics" - Tuan Anh laughed.

Another project, repairing a charity house for a poor family on the island, was also completed by the team in just three days. There were all sorts of items from roofing, tiling, painting the entire house to rewiring the electricity and water lines. Mr. Nguyen Tuan (University of Technology, Ho Chi Minh City National University) - the "main contractor" of this project - said that when presenting the three-day repair plan, everyone was surprised because there were not a few repair items.

"But we were well prepared, and with the support of the officers and soldiers at the Phu Quy Island District Military Command, we were able to transport construction materials and clean up the house quickly and enthusiastically, so the work went smoothly," Mr. Tuan laughed.

Eight works of volunteer soldiers

Mr. Nguyen Duc Trung - Deputy Head of the School Youth Committee (Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union), commander of the summer volunteer activities in Phu Quy island district 2024 - said that Phu Quy island district has been the traditional sea and island front of Ho Chi Minh City's summer volunteer programs and campaigns for many years.

The 48 volunteer soldiers who came to the island are a combined force of the Green Summer and Pink Holiday campaigns, participating in the campaign from June 15 to 28 with a series of projects and activities aimed at supporting the people and youth on the island. "The soldiers carried out eight projects that were established before going to the island and were completed in the days near the end of the campaign. We also supported training on sustainable tourism development in Phu Quy" - Mr. Trung shared.

Leaving beautiful images of volunteer soldiers

Ms. Nguyen Thi Bach Mai - Deputy Head of the Standing Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee's Mass Mobilization Commission - led the working delegation with Deputy Secretary of the City Youth Union Truong Minh Tuoc Nguyen to visit and encourage soldiers in Phu Quy island district. Ms. Mai directly visited the works done by the soldiers and talked with them.

Reporting to the working group, Mr. Nguyen Duc Trung said that the soldiers were used to the erratic weather on the island this season. They also cooked for themselves, supported each other wholeheartedly, and shared the goal of completing the campaign, so as to leave a good image of Ho Chi Minh City volunteer soldiers to the islanders.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/mau-ao-tinh-nguyen-tren-dao-phu-quy-20240629000202952.htm