On May 2nd, functional agencies of Phu Xuan ward, Hue city caught Mr. Le Van S. (78 years old, residing in Kim Long ward) red-handed rowing a boat, stealing a large amount of water lilies on the Ngu Ha River, the section flowing in Hue capital.
Mr. S. confessed that he was hired by an unidentified person to carry out this act. However, a noteworthy point is that the functional agency of Phu Xuan ward, after making a record and temporarily seizing the vehicle according to procedures, forced Mr. S. to replant the plucked water lilies to restore the landscape.
The handling of Phu Xuan ward authorities is very good, suggesting many things about the awareness of protecting public space and dealing with common property.
The water lily system on the Ngu Ha River is not natural. This flower is planted by the locality to improve the environment and create a landscape highlight for the heritage area.
In the context of Hue striving to develop an ecological city, and at the same time bringing the Ngu Ha River into waterway tourism exploitation, each landscape detail has a certain meaning. A cleaner and more beautiful river not only serves the people but also creates a better experience for tourists.
Therefore, the act of arbitrarily removing water lilies, for whatever reason, also directly affects urban embellishment efforts and shows a gap in people's awareness. Some people still do not consider what belongs to the community, even just a few clusters of flowers, as something that needs to be respected and preserved.
The handling method of Phu Xuan ward authorities is a measure that is both serious and highly educational. Because sometimes, directly remedying the consequences caused by oneself brings a clearer awareness than paying a fine and then leaving.
This handling also sends an easy-to-understand message that common space is not ownerless property. Each flower bush, row of trees, lawn or water surface in the city is a part of the city's appearance, built from the efforts, budget and expectations of the community. Whoever infringes must be responsible for restoration.
The story of spitting water lilies in Hue also shows that building a civilized city must start from very small actions of each citizen such as not littering in the river, not breaking trees in public places, not taking away things that do not belong to them.
A beautiful city cannot only be cared for by the government. It needs people to preserve it together. And sometimes, a simple lesson like forcing a 78-year-old man to replant stolen water lilies is a more convincing reminder than many slogans.
Hue is building the image of an ecological city, a green and livable heritage city. To do so, besides embellishment projects, the equally important thing is to nurture civic consciousness. Because protecting the landscape, in the end, is protecting the face and living values of our community.
