Going out to the street to clean up trash after work
At 5:30 PM, in front of the gate of Son Tra High School, the sound of hoes tilling the soil and the sound of brooms sweeping leaves rang out. Mr. Do Quang Tri put on gloves and together with members cleared weeds, collected garbage and dry branches.
The cleaning session took place before the opening day of the new school year. Mr. Nguyen Van Tuyen handled dry branches and collected leaves on the sidewalk. Ms. Tran Thi Thanh Thien brought bags to collect garbage. Mr. Tri worked while paying attention to locations with soil, rocks, and glass shards to remind everyone to be careful.
A few hoes, shovels, brooms, trash bags and worn gloves are the group's tools. Grass clings to the soil, garbage is covered under rotten leaves; in many places there are bricks, broken glass and rubble, which are both difficult to collect and easily cause injury... After about an hour, the area in front of the school gate became more ventilated.
Mr. Do Quang Tri, 34 years old, currently living in An Hai ward, Da Nang city, works as a technical staff at a hotel. As a married person, he often takes advantage of time after work to clean up trash, hoping to contribute to creating a cleaner and safer living space for the community and children.
The garbage collection started in April 2026, when he saw a section of road to Son Tra peninsula filled with grass and garbage despite many people and tourists passing by. After work, he came home to change clothes, bring gloves and garbage bags to clean alone. It took two sessions for the road to be clean.
From then on, he often went to sidewalks, vacant land or coastal roads covered with grass and garbage. The most difficult thing was rubble because it was heavy and needed a suitable gathering place for functional units to transport and handle.
For me, cleaning up the roads brings great joy. People and tourists passing by will feel more comfortable, and my children also have a safe, clean and beautiful road. We have four regular members and always try our best at each location," Mr. Tri shared.
Some tourists caught the working group stopping to ask about, encourage or give cakes and water. Ms. Thanh Huyen, a tourist from Hanoi, expressed admiration: "A tourist city creates a good impression not only thanks to its beautiful scenery, but also from the clean sidewalks and the way people preserve the common space like this".
Many people join forces
Initially, Mr. Tri used to work alone. Once, while he was cleaning up garbage on the coastal road, Ms. Thien passed by and asked to participate. After that, Mr. Tuyen and other young people joined forces, forming a regular group of four members.
After more than four months, the group has carried out nearly ten cleaning sessions. Many sidewalks, vacant land, sewer mouths, parks and areas near relics have been cleaned up one after another. In particular, the coastal road of Da Nang that was once covered in weeds has also become clean and beautiful again.
Videos recording the garbage collection process shared on social networks have helped the story spread. Many people affectionately call him "Tri Goes Cleaning", proactively asking for time and location to participate. In some sessions, nearly 20 people work together. People who cannot be present support brooms, gloves, garbage bags or drinking water.
That contribution helps many landfills to be treated faster. More importantly, the fact that one person bows down to pick up trash has encouraged others to act together. Mr. Tri's group has been praised by An Hai ward, Da Nang city for their positive contributions to environmental protection.
