Hardship in the middle of the night
At 9 pm, when the city (TP) began to fall asleep, Ms. Le Thi Chi (environmental sanitation worker in Can Tho City) started her shift again. For many hours, she quietly swept every street and corner. That job has been associated with Ms. Chi for more than 40 years.
Recalling her predestined relationship with the profession, Ms. Chi recounted that many times her husband advised her to switch to a lighter job such as cleaning at school or helping at a restaurant, but her love for the profession kept her.
I feel I am suitable for this job. Although it is hard, every time I see clean streets, people praise me, I feel happy and have more motivation" - Ms. Chi shared.
Ms. Chi's shift usually lasts until about 4 am the next morning and to ensure that she does not encounter unfortunate traffic accidents, she always complies with wearing reflective clothes and complies with regulations to ensure professional safety.
“There was a time around 1 am, I was sweeping the road when a student returning from part-time work did not pay attention and crashed straight into me. Knowing that the incident was unwanted, I also had to stay in the hospital for a week, both affecting my work and damaging my health later. At that time, I thought I would not survive,” Ms. Chi recalled.
Not only facing the risk of accidents, working overnight also disrupts the biological clock of many environmental workers in Can Tho. To stay awake, many workers have to drink coffee or strong tea throughout their shifts.
“Before starting my shift, I have to prepare carefully, bring ready-made coffee, a little cake to relieve hunger. Not to mention on rainy days, work is even harder. Even when I get home in the morning, I can't sleep right away, I have to clean the house. In general, I can sleep for about 4 hours a day” - Ms. Pham Ngoc Phuong (environment worker in Can Tho) expressed.
Expectations for health check-ups
The work of sweeping, collecting and transporting garbage requires workers to be healthy. Despite being equipped with protective gear, they are still frequently exposed to garbage, dust and working outdoors, posing many health risks. Many people after many years of attachment to the profession suffer from bone and joint diseases, respiratory diseases, vision... but because of low income and livelihood pressure, they choose to endure instead of going for examination.
Female worker Vo Thi Giau (Can Tho City) said that whenever she is sick, she only buys medicine to take for fun, but does not have the conditions for long-term treatment. Regarding periodic health check-ups, about 90% of Ms. Giau's colleagues cannot perform them.
The salary of sanitation workers is not high, and medical examination costs are expensive, so I rarely think about it. Only when the disease is too severe do I go to the hospital, and when I am healthy, I go to work immediately" - Ms. Giau said.
Sharing the same feelings, Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Pha (Can Tho City) hopes that workers in the field of environmental sanitation will receive more attention to their health, especially for women.
I hope there will be a policy of periodic health checks for environmental sanitation workers, and continued full support for health insurance and accident insurance so that they can feel secure in their work and stick with the profession for a long time" - Ms. Pha shared.
On June 28, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour organized the "Workers' Health Exchange Day - for a Healthy Vietnam 2026" in Can Tho City, attracting more than 1,000 workers, including many environmental sanitation workers. The festival aims to concretize the goal of shifting the focus from treatment to prevention, comprehensive health care, and at the same time spread the spirit of proactive disease prevention among workers, laborers and businesses.
