After more than 30 years of living in alley 3 Thai Ha Street, Ms. Le Thanh Hieu (a resident of alley 3 Thai Ha Street, Dong Da Ward, Hanoi) is very familiar with the image of an old alley with patchy gray walls, tight space, and lack of vitality. Adhering to the sales profession right at home, every move, no matter how small, of the alley, she clearly feels.
However, that alley has "changed its appearance" when in early November 2025, the Fatherland Front Committee of Dong Da ward and socio-political organizations attached signs and launched the project "Happy Alley".
Along both sides of the wall are colorful murals, interspersed with a row of windy red flags. The two rows of potted happy trees are placed right next to the path, the green canopy creates a fresh look. The space was already cramped and damp, but now it suddenly became bright, airy and fresh.
Ms. Hieu said that since the completion of the project, the entire alley has been " awakened". People around are curious to visit, take photos, and film. Everyone exclaimed that the street had just been "changed", looking fresh and attractive.
Not only is "Happy Alley" more beautiful in the eyes of passersby, it also changes the daily living space of the people here.
"Sitting in a shop looking around and seeing everything getting better every day, I feel much easier, more comfortable and happier" - Ms. Hieu said.
Ms. Hieu could not hide her pride: "Every time a customer comes to ask about the alley, I am very happy, the introduction is also full of honor." There are very small changes but they arouse a huge feeling, the joy of living fully every day, the simple happiness of a coffee shop on the corner of the street.
So that the project is not just a short moment, but becomes durable over time, the care is assigned to each household. Every day, people divide to water two rows of happy trees, preserving the landscape in accordance with the common spirit of the alley.
According to Mr. Nguyen Cao Luyen - Secretary of the Party Cell of Residential Area 31, Dong Da Ward, "Happy Alley" is not a temporary decoration product, but the reality of the people's long-standing wish for a green - clean - beautiful living space.
"From the idea of building a green - clean - beautiful capital, we hope to form a street that just by looking at it, people can feel happy," Mr. Luyen shared.
The project "Happy Alley" carries a profound message: every day of living in a green, clean and beautiful environment is a part of happiness, worthy of the position of a civilized and modern capital.
Ms. Tran Thi Minh Xuan - Chairwoman of the Fatherland Front Committee of Dong Da Ward said that the model of "Happy Alley" was formed from practical requirements in implementing the Resolution of the Ward Party Congress on building a civilized and model ward for the happiness of the people.
"The project makes the alley more spacious and clean; people passing by can see the green color of the trees, the flags covered in the wind, and the murals rich in aesthetics. It is these seemingly very simple things that create excitement, a sense of happiness and arouse the sense of responsibility for maintaining environmental sanitation, urban order, contributing with the efforts and resources of each person - Ms. Xuan emphasized.
The project is carried out entirely by socialization method, with the participation of socio-political organizations in the area. "Happy Alley" is therefore both a specific product of the policy and a cultural project - a gift for more than 3,000 people of the two residential areas where the alley passes through.
