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One of them is 28-year-old Hoang Van Hung from northern Hung Yen Province.

On a sweltering morning in June, with temperatures approaching 40 degrees Celsius, Hung spent hours cutting back weeds that had overtaken nearly 500 meters of sidewalk. The pavement had been unusable for years, forcing pedestrians onto the roadway. Within two days, the path was walkable again.

Hung, who has worked as a delivery driver since February 2026 while helping his wife run an online business, first noticed the problem during his daily routes. Sidewalks were disappearing beneath waist-high grass, while bushes completely concealed some street signs.

After once struggling to locate an alley because its sign was hidden by vegetation, he stopped, trimmed the branches with a pair of scissors he had on hand, and restored visibility in less than 15 minutes. The small act inspired him to continue.

Since then, he has spent mornings and lunch breaks clearing weeds from sidewalks, drainage ditches, cemeteries and roadsides, often hauling away the cut vegetation himself. To protect against broken glass, discarded needles and snakes, he wears heavy boots and protective clothing.

Videos documenting his work have spread widely online. Passersby frequently stop to thank him or offer drinking water, encouragement that keeps him motivated.

Hung is not alone.

Twenty-five-year-old Vu Duy Nhat, another delivery worker, has been cleaning sidewalks, roads and public spaces around his Hanoi neighborhood and nearby suburban communes since late 2025. After completing deliveries each morning, he devotes his evenings to removing weeds and mud from public walkways, with each cleanup lasting three to five hours.

One of his most memorable projects involved clearing the road leading to a school. A video of the effort drew nearly 19 million views. When he returned the next day, students welcomed him and offered him water.

“The encouragement from viewers in Vietnam and abroad, along with seeing more people doing similar work, motivates me to continue,” Nhat says. “Once I saw others posting the same kind of videos, I knew the message was spreading.”

He now hopes to expand his volunteer work beyond vegetation removal to repairing damaged roads and supporting other community improvement projects.

Hoang Van Hung (left) and Dam Quang Linh (right) clears overgrown weed in Van Giang, Hung Yen, early June. Photo courtesy of the subject.

The movement reflects a broader rise in environmental volunteerism across Vietnam.

Since 2022, organizations such as Sai Gon Xanh and Ha Noi Xanh have attracted thousands of volunteers through campaigns to remove rubbish from rivers and canals. Around the same time, individuals also began launching grassroots efforts to restore neglected sidewalks and other public spaces.

Among the best-known initiatives are brothers Manh Hao and Manh Tam in Hai Phong, who have cleaned hundreds of abandoned gardens and public sidewalks free of charge. Other social media users have also shared videos documenting efforts to tidy streets, cemeteries and public areas.

Read identified around 30 social media channels dedicated to such work, many attracting hundreds of thousands or even millions of views.

Le Anh Tu, a lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance, says the popularity of short-form “before-and-after” videos has helped accelerate the movement.

He believes the volunteers demonstrate initiative by investing their own money in equipment and donating their time to improve public spaces and promote civic responsibility.

Tu also encourages closer coordination with local authorities and residents to ensure cleaned areas remain well maintained.

Inspired by Hung’s videos, more than 10 young people in Van Giang have joined his volunteer group. Members provide their own tools and protective gear, organize cleanup sessions together or independently tackle overgrown locations near their homes.

Among them is 26-year-old café owner Dam Quang Linh, who has already participated in seven cleanup events.

“I’d rather contribute my own time and effort to make my hometown cleaner than depend entirely on local authorities,” Linh says.

Nguyen Trai Commune resident Quoc Chung says he was surprised to see sidewalks that had long been covered with weeds restored and traffic signs visible again. After discovering online that volunteers had done the work, he decided to support the group by donating drinking water and protective equipment.

“What these young people are doing is incredibly valuable for the community,” Chung says.

Young people ‘invite each other’ to carry lawn mowers to clean the sidewalk

Looking ahead, Hung hopes to build a larger volunteer network across Hung Yen. Members would identify neglected sites, share locations through a common platform and divide the workload to improve more public spaces.

“I want this to become an organized team capable of taking on larger projects instead of working on a small scale,” he says.