"Igniting" the green living movement

Mr. Bui not only keeps his living space clean but also inspires a green awareness in the community. His actions have contributed to spreading the movement throughout the village, creating a new look for his hometown.

A view of Trung Nam Loc village (Phuc Tho commune).

Despite their advanced age, they never rest.

In his small, simple house, Mr. Kieu Huu Bui, with his small stature, gray hair, and gentle voice, reminisces about his youth serving in the military. Upon returning to his hometown, he continued to participate in local work before retiring to everyday life, but the flame of responsibility to the community and the spirit of dedication to his homeland have never diminished...

For many years, the path from Mr. Bui's house to the village cultural center, then to the Quan Ba historical site and finally to the Dong Gate hamlet, has been marked by his footsteps every morning and evening. The image of the thin old man, with his white hair, brown clothes, and simple plastic sandals, diligently sweeping, weeding, and tending to the flowerbeds along the roadside... has become familiar to the local people.

Talking to Mr. Bui, despite his advanced age, somewhat slow steps, and slightly hunched back, he still has robust health and a sharp mind. He happily shared that every day, he wakes up at 4:30, sweeps his yard, and then goes out to sweep the village road. Some days, Mr. Bui sweeps twice, in the morning and in the afternoon. After sweeping, he carefully weeds and waters each flower bush and shrub that he himself has planted over the years.

“Although I am old, I am still in good health. I do light work to maintain my health. I want to contribute to keeping the environment clean and beautiful, first and foremost to ensure the health of myself, my family members, and then the entire community. When the village roads are tidy and the garbage is collected, there will be fewer germs...", Mr. Bui said happily.

Mr. Bui said that his work always receives attention from many villagers. “Sometimes, seeing me working for so long, my children, grandchildren, and neighbors worry about my health and remind me: ‘It’s clean now, Grandpa, let’s sweep tomorrow,’ or ‘It’s sunny today, Grandpa, you should rest early…’ The care and encouragement from everyone makes me feel very warm. And on many days, the villagers also join in, grabbing brooms to help. I feel happy when the village roads are clean and the countryside becomes more beautiful every day,” Mr. Bui shared.

Mr. Nguyen Truong Sinh, a resident of Trung Nam Loc village, emotionally shared: "Initially, the villagers thought Mr. Bui was just doing it for fun in his old age. But as the years went by, that simple habit has been maintained regularly for decades without interruption, making us truly respect him and see him as a role model to follow. Looking at him, we see no reason to be lazy. So, from the village's environmental sanitation campaigns, everyone enthusiastically participated. Now, environmental sanitation is no longer just one person's responsibility, but has become a shared community effort."

Mr. Kieu Huu Bui, along with the residents of Trung Nam Loc village (Phuc Tho commune), cleaned the village roads and alleys.

Multiply the love for one's homeland

Nguyen Dinh Huong, Secretary of the Trung Nam Loc Village Party Branch, commented that Mr. Kieu Huu Bui's work is unassuming, requiring no reminders, and is as regular as a familiar daily routine, like the enduring flow of love for his homeland. Thanks to him, the village of Trung Nam Loc is always clean and beautiful. With his advanced age and exemplary conduct, Mr. Bui has "ignited" the movement for a bright, green, clean, and beautiful village in Trung Nam Loc, making it vibrant and attracting the participation of the entire community. During holidays and festivals, such as the recent 80th anniversary of National Day on September 2nd, Trung Nam Loc village launched environmental sanitation campaigns, with almost every household having someone to participate in sweeping, planting and caring for flowers along the roadsides, tidying up streetlights, and hanging the national flag... The village roads and alleys are not only clean but also beautifully adorned with flowers.

Village head Bui Thanh Tung of Trung Nam Loc added: "In the movement to build advanced and model new rural areas in Phuc Tho commune, the government has launched many programs to beautify village roads, build self-managed roads, plant flowers, and light up rural roads… Without the people's participation, all plans would be very difficult to succeed. Mr. Kieu Huu Bui has become a 'symbol' for the community to act together. The villagers often jokingly say that when they see him sweeping the streets, they can't sit still. It is this quiet perseverance that has transformed individual actions into a shared way of life, strengthening the bonds of community and neighborly love."

According to Mr. Bui Thanh Tung, Trung Nam Loc village currently has 380 households, whose livelihoods mainly depend on agriculture . Some households engage in carpentry, tofu making, and trading at Gach Market. In recent years, in response to the new rural development movement, the village has seen many positive changes. The people collectively contributed to painting nearly 200 square meters of vibrant murals. The community center, although funded by the State, lacked operational equipment, so the people continued to contribute to purchasing 100 sets of tables and chairs, speakers, and installing a public address system to serve local events. In particular, the cleanliness and tidiness of the village create favorable conditions for the village to organize cultural exchange activities.

Mr. Tung added that the village is home to the T78 Friendship School, under the Ministry of Education and Training . This school trains many foreign students, mainly from Laos. For many years, thousands of Lao students have been welcomed by local households to live and study in a "three-together" homestay model: eating together, living together, and participating in community cultural activities together. This model creates a warm and close-knit atmosphere, helping students from Laos better understand Vietnamese culture while strengthening solidarity and friendship. In this shared achievement, we cannot fail to mention Mr. Kieu Huu Bui, who has instilled in the community the habit of living green, clean, and responsibly towards the environment.

More than just cleaning the alleyways, Mr. Bui's work has deeply ingrained the traditional Vietnamese cultural value of "elderly people setting a good example." The tree-lined streets, vibrant flowerbeds, and bright lights each night bear the mark of the people's hard work. In each of these transformations, Mr. Bui's image is not just that of an "alley sweeper," but also a symbol of a beautiful and green lifestyle.

"Mr. Bui's contributions have been recognized by the people. Every year, at the National Unity Day celebration, Trung Nam Loc village honors and presents gifts to Mr. Bui as a role model for future generations to follow," Mr. Tung said.

Respecting Mr. Bui's contributions, Ms. Le Thi Kim Phuong, Chairwoman of the Fatherland Front Committee of Phuc Tho Commune, commented that, through his simple habits, Mr. Kieu Huu Bui has inspired the community, fostered neighborly love, and contributed to building a civilized homeland. Mr. Bui is spreading the message: In the journey of building a green lifestyle, everyone can be a key figure in spreading this message!

The Trung Nam Loc hamlet of Phuc Tho commune is bright and clean today, with the quiet efforts of Mr. Kieu Huu Bui evident in every street, every tree, every flower bush, every corner of the cultural center's courtyard. Despite his advanced age, he continues to shine in the community with his awareness of environmental preservation and village development, inspiring the younger generation to work harder and contribute to their families, hometowns, and country.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/thap-lua-phong-trao-song-xanh-715930.html