Flower roads in Hanoi’s Dan Phuong district

A mural road in Dan Phuong (Photo:infonet.vn)

Aiming to build a new-style rural area with its own characteristics, Dan Phuong authorities have launched a plan to name its roads, number houses, erect traffic signs and build “flower roads” throughout the district.

The plan was carried out by the district’s Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCM CYU). After more than one year, the union has built 41 “flower roads”, planted 1,300 trees and painted murals on houses along 1.84km of roads.

The Hung road in Dong Khe village, Dan Phuong commune has taken on a completely new face thanks to the local youth’s work. The walls of houses have been painted with lively pictures, while the names of alleys and roads and houses’ numbers are shown clearly on plates, making it easier for visitors to find their way around.

Secretary of the commune’s HCM CYU Nguyen Huu Sinh said the union’s members have joined local officials in conducting surveys, making lists of houses, collecting opinions on names of roads and persuading local residents to support the work.

Bui Van Tu, a resident in Dai village, said he passes through Road May 19 every day. He shared that in the past, his relatives or friends often struggled to find his house when wanting to make a visit, because there was no specific address, just his name and the name of the village. Things have become much easier since each road in the village is designated a name.

Youth union members have also led the campaign of planting flowers and ornamental trees in public space, especially in places prone to litter. Local roads are decorated with flowers blooming in small boxes in rows or plastic bottles hung on walls, creating an eye-catching sight.

“The local roads are much cleaner and beautiful,” said Nguyen Thi Hanh Nam, a resident in Dan Phuong commune. She added that seeing young people planting flowers and attaching number plates on house, local residents are motivated to join them. They eagerly help with watering the plants and removing grass to keep the flowers grow well.

As of now, all 15 communes in Dan Phuong district have basically completed the numbering of local houses. A total of 378 roads and 2,729 lanes and alleys have been given names, while 74 roads with a total length of nearly 14.3 km have been decorated with flowers and murals. All the work has been done with the contribution of different sectors, to which the local HCM CYU organisation and members have played an important part.

Secretary of the district’s Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Vu Dinh Tuan said in the time ahead, the union will keep up efforts to maintain the roads. Youth union members will also hold regular activities to clean up the roads, remove illegal advertisements on walls and stop littering, towards making Dan Phuong a model rural district.

Among the criteria for model new-style rural areas in 2018-2020 approved in June this year, one of which requires that at least 60 percent of roads in the locality should have water drainage ditches, with trees and flowers planted along.

The locality must have some forms of environmental protection organisations such as cooperatives, groups or clubs operating regularly in collecting waste, cleaning up the environment and carrying out communication activities on the environment.

Model rural areas are the new goal in the National Target Programme on New-style Rural Area Building in the 2018-2020 period in order to improve quality and efficiency of the programme.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said this year it will concentrate on improving production and environmental conditions of rural communes.