Life inspiration sometimes does not come from great things, but from some little people such as a young bike cyclist collecting garbage along roads and a little girl’s strong determination to record high scores in the National Senior High School Graduation Examination 2021. Such small stories make us cherish present moments and get motivated to overcome in-life challenges.

Doan Vuong Phu Loc's exercise bike trips are more meaningful when he can help Do Van Thinh continue doing humanitarian works

1., Posted on the fanpage "Da Nang’s urban management: Comfort - Green - Clean – Beautiful in 2019,  a highly-inspiring  story on Do Van Thinh, 20, residing in Hoa Khanh Bac  Ward, Lien Chieu District, who daily collect garbage for charity and the sake of the environmental sanitation , received thousands of likes, comments, and shares.

Every day, the young man who suffers from minor memory problems picks up cans, paper boxes, and plastic bags left along streets to make money which is used to support his family and the disadvantaged in the community.

A female comment maker said that she knew Thinh because he often rode his bicycle around her neighbourhood to pick up bottles.  She and other women usually saved bottles, waste paper and plastic bags for supply to him. 

It’s worth praising that Thinh himself returned a pair of gold earrings which had previously  been carelessly left by the woman in a bag of trash given to him.

Currently, Thinh lives with his father and younger brother in a downgraded house nestled in a small alley on Au Co Street. Because of thin and weak status,  in addition to suffering from congenital memory loss,

Thinh left school after having completed 6th grade. With no stable job,  Thinh started to pick up the used bottles and scrap with his small and skinny hands digging through each trash so as to earn money with the companionship of his bicycle filled with plastic bags, cardboard and cans and boxes on the journey of dozens of kilometers every day.

While creeping into the nooks and crannies to collect bottles, Thinh realized that many poor people were suffering more hardships  and challenges than himself. With the spirit of ‘the tattered leaves protect more worn-out ones’, he decided to establish An Lac Love Club to connect more hearts to share difficulties with pitiful circumstances. Since then, Thinh and his Club have actively carried out charitable activities such as giving gift bags or wrapping food for people in difficulty due to COVID-19.

Every year, Thinh calls on the online community to help many  financially difficult cases.
For example, on July 9, Thinh's club called for funding for the funeral of an old man residing in Hoa Khanh Nam Ward, Lien Chieu District. The poor old man earned money by collecting bottles, but unfortunately had a stroke and passed away.

According to his Club members, Thinh chose to write down all the information because of his bad memory. The words written on Facebook Club are not polished, sometimes with spelling mistakes, but most importantly is his noble heart. Thanks to his sincerity and honesty, many people come and accompany him on in charity works.

Doan Vuong Phu Loc, 28, residing in Hoa Khanh Bac Ward, Lien Chieu District every month contributes about 500,000 VND to Thinh’s Club thanks to the money selling bottles collected during cycling every morning. For nearly 2 years, Loc has picked up 2 to 3kg of bottles every day and given them back to An Lac Love Club for sale for charity.

We believe that the value of Thinh’s work not only helps people but also helps raise awareness of environmental protection. And Loc, his cycling rides filled with sweat and the weight he carried on his shoulders also become more meaningful when he understands what he does is not just collecting garbage and beautifying the roads, but also can help Thinh continue to write his humane story.

2.  Tran Cong Minh, Secretary of Tan Trung 1, Youth Union of Xuan Ha Ward, Thanh Khe District is broadcasted in episode 12, the video series "Starting a business with Da Nang Youth" by the Da Nang Youth Union.

Minh's strong and fierce voice when talking about starting a business makes people believe that he is really serious when spending his youth and enthusiasm to build his high-quality handicrafts production facility named Phuc Van Loi on Phan Van Dinh Street, Hoa Khanh Bac Ward, Lien Chieu District, creating stable jobs for 5 local young people.

According to Minh, there is no denying that his participation in Youth Union and many startup courses have helped him nurture his dream. He has succeeded in creating a line of feng shui, incense or fragrance products on cars and in houses.

However, “fire proves gold, adversity proves men”. In a bid to achieve success, Minh had to spend a lot of time making products meeting market demands, promoting his brand, ensuring profits and creating stable jobs for employees, adjusting production machinery to suit different products. Each stage consumes a lot of time and effort, so it demands perseverance and determination.

Nguyen Manh Dung, Secretary of the Youth Union, hopes that the video series "Starting a business with Da Nang Youth" will help spread the entrepreneurial passion amongst  young people, help them have a better view of entrepreneurship, know how to exploit their strengths and realize their ideas.

Huynh Thu Dung , 18, a graduate from Tran Phu High School, is only 1.2 meters tall and 40 kilograms in weight. She made the marking in the National Senior High School Exam 2021 not only for her subnormal appearance but also for her excellent academic performance.

Before going to take the exam, she was directly admitted into the Biotechnology, University of Science and Technology under the University Da Nang,  but she still studied hard and took the exam seriously. The story of a small girl proves that determination and optimism in the face of difficulties make each individual shine.

On the Fanpage of "Tran Phu Da Nang High School Youth Union, many student generations left loving and admiring comments since Dung's energy and initial success makes the whole school proud of small, cute and witty girl, who is anxiously waiting for the results to make some choices for the future.

3. Inspirers are like flames igniting passion and offering valuable advice. That's why successful people are often encouraged to share their life stories. Richard Branson, Chairman of Virgin Group - UK, a global corporation with 400 companies owning world-famous brands such as Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin Records, shared lessons in his life and business through his autobiography "Screw it, let's do it". The book features his life from childhood to adulthood, starting a business and becoming a billionaire.

With the mindset of "Screw it, let's do it", Richard Branson has also carried out many risky media campaigns, such as crossing the Atlantic Ocean, flying around the earth in hot air balloons, crossing the English Channel with Aquada amphibious vehicle to promote Virgin Airlines brand.

In 2007, to introduce Virgin America, Richard Branson jumped off the roof of the Palms hotel in Las Vegas with only a cable tied around his body. When having any opportunities, Richard Branson always said "Let's do it" because it is better to fail with an idea than doing nothing.

On July 11, 2021, Richard Branson became the first billionaire to travel to space at an altitude of 85km by the VMS Eve spacecraft (WhiteKnightTwo) manufactured by Virgin Group. The 10-minute flight made Richard Branson's dream of making space tourism a new industry become a reality. The international press recorded Richard Branson's sharing when his plane had just touched the ground: "If I can do this now, nothing can stop you from imagining doing the same in the future."

Thanks to the spirit of Richard Branson, many young people have more passion for starting a business. Let’s have fun, be bold, challenge yourself, stand on your own two feet, respect, innovate and find joy in your work.

A young businessman shared with us about “Screw it, let's do it” that he really found the warm flames in Richard Branson's heart. Branson believes he can do anything because he knows how to move fast, think creatively, keep promises and pursue goals and dreams. That is not a mere word, but expressed through the things Richard Branson has done, faced, as an awakening lesson for this young businessman to make the right decisions.

.Reporting by TIEU YEN – Translating by T.VY