The path of volunteer footprints

Summer 2024 volunteer soldiers concretize Xuong Ca 1 road in Hamlet 3, Long Thoi Commune, Nha Be District (HCMC) - Photo: K.ANH

Although they didn't study construction, before joining the Green Summer campaign, they were all thoroughly trained in the proportions of concrete mix materials, so they only needed a skilled worker to guide them and they could coordinate smoothly.

Volunteer soldier Dinh Hoang Khuong (University of Technology, Ho Chi Minh City National University) proudly showed off and continued: "Only by doing it right can we ensure the quality of the project for people to use as durably as possible!".

Working together, we forge team spirit, learn how to coordinate teamwork, and understand construction techniques better. All of these are valuable assets for us in the future.

Student DINH HOANG KHUONG (Green Summer 2024 soldier)

From the sweat of volunteers

The sound of the concrete mixer was deafening. The machine stopped, and the Green Summer soldiers poured the newly mixed concrete onto the road area that was being concreted in sections according to the instructions of Mr. Hung, a skilled local worker. Then the machine continued the same process with a new batch of concrete while the main worker flattened the road surface.

Fishbone Road 1 is more than 90% complete. The team of more than a dozen students calculated that the campaign would be completed by the end of the campaign. The past few days have been erratic with the rain and sunshine. The sun was shining brightly, but suddenly the weather cooled down, dark clouds rolled in and the rain poured down. The soldiers had to race against the rain to pull tarps to cover the concrete slabs that had just been poured and had not yet dried, along with the piles of cement.

After about 20 minutes, the rain gradually eased and then stopped. They started the engine again for a new batch of concrete. The task of concreting the 220m long, 4m wide section of Xuong Ca 1 Street in Hamlet 3, Long Thoi Commune, Nha Be District (HCMC) included Green Summer soldiers from the University of Technology (Ho Chi Minh City National University) and Green March soldiers, who were the commune militia and district police. In addition, there were soldiers from the Southeast Mobile Police Regiment and local people supporting.

Young lecturer Nguyen Tri Dung and 12 students were stationed at a local house near the road for convenience in getting to the construction site. For the past ten days, they were like real construction workers because they had been fully trained and were not at all surprised. Not to mention that some of the team members had participated in Green Summer for the second time, so they were more familiar with the work.

In his second year at Green Summer, Dinh Hoang Khuong said he was used to building bridges and roads, which has been a trademark of "Bach Khoa teachers and students" for many years. "At first, we were hesitant to live with local people, but then we gradually got used to family life so we integrated well, learned more communication and behavioral skills, and understood more about the lives of people in the suburbs," Khuong said.

Uncle Tu - a resident living near the construction site - said the children were no different from his own children, so he asked his children to cook sweet soup and bread for them to eat as a snack to ease their hunger because the work was hard.

"The kids are not as strong as the workers, but they are enthusiastic. Once it's done, it will be much cleaner and more convenient for people to travel. Before, if they wanted to go deeper into the village, they had to take a different route because during the rainy season, this part was flooded and muddy, making it difficult to travel," Uncle Tu laughed.

International volunteers contribute

Alley 121 in Got Chang Hamlet, An Nhon Tay Commune, Cu Chi District (HCMC) is nearly 100m long and has just been completed, inaugurated and handed over to the locals when there is still more than a week left to close this year's volunteer summer days. The alley was concreted by international volunteers from Malaysia, Green Summer soldiers from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Ho Chi Minh City National University) and young people in the commune.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Thao - Secretary of An Nhon Tay Commune Youth Union - said that after completion, the alley will not only help people travel more conveniently but it will also be a meaningful project to strengthen the friendship between the youth of Vietnam and Malaysia. In addition to contributing their labor, Malaysian students also supported part of the cost of buying materials to concrete this alley.

On the inauguration day, Liyana Sofia Binti Izham Reza - a member of the Malaysian volunteer team - excitedly said: "The days of road construction were sometimes sunny and sometimes rainy, but we all tried our best to create a more beautiful road for everyone to travel on. It was also easier for the children to travel on compared to when we first arrived, when this was a bumpy dirt road."

On behalf of the local people, Nguyen Van Dan, the Standing Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of An Nhon Tay Commune, expressed his gratitude to the volunteer soldiers and international volunteers who contributed their efforts and money to give the local people this gift. They are also working with the locality to take care of the people's lives.

Bring joy to people

In Pham Van Hai Commune, Binh Chanh District (HCMC), the rural traffic route in Hamlet 14, built by summer volunteers, has just been completed and put into use. The road section of more than 100m was completed by Green Summer volunteers from Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and young people in the commune who played the role of assistant concrete mixers to assist the main workers.

Ms. Nguyen Huynh Thuy Duong - Secretary of the Pham Van Hai Commune Youth Union - said that thanks to the young people in the commune and the school working together, the construction progress was quite fast, taking only about five days to build a road of youth. Ms. Duong said that in the commune, many major roads have been paved, but there are still many small roads leading to hamlets or residential areas that are still dirt roads, making travel quite difficult.

"When we heard the news that the road in Hamlet 14 would be concreted, everyone was very happy. I hope that every summer, we and the volunteers will mobilize resources to support the people in concrete the rural roads leading to the hamlets so that people can travel more conveniently, that's enough to make us happy," Ms. Duong said.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/con-duong-ghi-dau-chan-tinh-nguyen-2024080408214396.htm