Man collects Hoi An trash daily for nearly eight years

Nguyen Thuong from Cua Dai Ward gets up at 4 a.m. every day. Before the sun rises, the 64-year-old dons green protective gear and pushes his homemade cart along Cua Dai Beach and nearby streets, and picks up trash for several hours.

He wears a mask, and gloves, and uses tongs to gather trash until 8 a.m.

“Compared to before, residents and tourists have become more conscious and litter less,” said Thuong.

Nguyen Thuong pushes a cart along Cua Dai sea embankment to collect trash, August 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Dac Thanh

Growing up in the coastal area of Cua Dai, Thuong volunteered to join the army at 18, stationed on Cham Island off Quang Nam Province, home to Hoi An.

After four years of service, he returned home, started a family with three children, and worked as a kitchen assistant in a hotel. In 2015, due to a stroke that paralyzed his limbs and impaired his hearing, he had to quit his job and practice daily to regain mobility.

After nearly a year of diligent exercise, Thuong began to move again. Every morning, he went to the beach to exercise and witnessed litter damaging the scenic beauty of Hoi An.

“If we reduce waste, the beach and streets will look better,” he thought and came up with the idea to combine exercise with trash collection.

Every morning, he brings along bags to collect plastic, metal, and paper for sale; the rest he disposes of in trash bins for sanitary workers to collect.

Seeing his work, many people called him “crazy” or “mad.” Cleaning up is the government’s responsibility, he recounted of what people said of him.

Ignoring such remarks, he remained undeterred. His wife and children also tried to talk him out of it but Thuong replied that he was doing good work for society.

When they saw that he was picking up trash and exercising for health at once, his family no longer opposed him.

Except for stormy days, he collects at least two sacks of trash daily, and sometimes up to ten.

To move conveniently, he saved VND1.8 million (US$72) from selling scrap to buy a pushcart.

On his cart, he displays messages like “small action, big meaning” and “protect the environment, don’t litter.”

He also prints banners and hangs them in litter-prone areas with messages urging everyone to protect the environment.

During the day, he helps his daughter sell coffee. Currently, his monthly medication costs around VND1.8 million per month and is supported by his children.

Thuong picks up a plastic bag on the side of a road in Hoi An City. Photo by VnExpress/Dac Thanh

Although he is not well-off, when the Cua Dai Ward government proposed supporting him with VND2 million monthly, he declined, explaining that while money is tempting, what he does isn’t significant.

“A day without picking up trash feels dull. I will continue until I can no longer do it,” he said.

In 2020, Thuong was awarded a certificate of merit by the prime minister for his achievements in social welfare and active participation in community activities.