VietNamNet Bridge – Le Cong Phuc became widely known in the central coastal Da Nang City after some of his ideas for improving the city were implemented.

Creative solutions: Le Cong Phuc has thought of using this funny character to encourage local people to pick up garbage from the streets to save the environment. Photo on Facebook Le Cong Phuc

The 34-year-old was one of four people who recently offered himself as a candidate for election to the People’s Council of An Khe Ward in Thanh Khe District (where Phuc lives) and the city’s People’s Council for the 2016-2021 term.

Phuc graduated in marketing from HCM City’s Economics University.

In early 2014, when the city’s Facebook page entitled “Urban management” was launched, Phuc sent several proposals to the administrator of this page, which aims to improve the infrastructure of the city and develop it.

At the beginning, he only sent his opinions and photos showing some negative images of the city such as power outages, manholes without covers or broken trees.

His opinions and photos were warmly welcomed by the administrator of the Facebook page, who forwarded them to the local authorities.

Some months later, after Chairman of Da Nang City’s People’s Committee Huynh Duc Tho published his email address, Phuc sent him his ideas about how to improve the image of the city.

His ideas, which were original and very creative, were welcomed by the chairman. These included, making the roofs of houses of the city green, performing traditional music and arts in public, renovating old apartment buildings, and installing solar power systems for administrative buildings, in addition to a 3D digitisation plan for museum specimens and artefacts.

“My first idea was that artistes should perform traditional arts in front of the park on Bach Dang Road, by the Han River, because the performance in the Nguyen Hien Dinh theatre did not attract much of an audience,” he said.

Not long after, the tuong (classical opera) was performed for the first time by the Han River.

“I do not know if this decision was inspired from my idea, but I am happy that it happened. And since then I was much more motivated to think about new ideas and to send them to the local authorities,” he said.    

Phuc said that he was pleasantly surprised to learn that Chairman Tho himself spent time thinking about those ideas, and then sent a mail to Phuc to thank him and encouraged him to send more such initiatives. Since then, Phuc regularly sends him twenty ideas per month.

Seeing progress

Following one of Phuc’s ideas, the city recently installed a series of fish-shaped manhole covers on Bach Dang Street that can prevent awful smells from coming out and trash from going in.

Last year, Phuc sent to the chairman his idea that the city should install more CCTV cameras to enhance the city’s supervision to ensure security, order and safety in the city.

In March this year, the city decided to install an additional 850 public cameras along major routes in the city as well as some residential areas, local hotels, and public places.

Phuc and his newly-established group “Phat Trien Da Nang” (Develop Da Nang) have helped the city install a part of those cameras on major road sections. All images that are captured by those cameras will be broadcast on the website 0511.vn that was created by Phuc and his group.

Tran Chi Cuong, deputy director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Da Nang City said that hundreds of ideas of local inhabitants and tourists aiming to develop the city have been sent to the authorities. Many of those ideas including the ideas from Phuc were put into operation.

He said that the city’s authorities would be willing to buy ideas applicable to public management from local residents, or they would create mechanisms and conditions to help the thinkers find potential investors to realise their suggestions.

Those ideas and suggestions, mostly sent to Da Nang officials via email or Facebook, would be forwarded to relevant departments and units to examine their feasibility and efficiency, Tho, chairman of the local People’s Committee, said.

On finding that those ideas and propositions were feasible and efficient enough, the departments and units would discuss and co-operate with one another to implement them.

Facebook citizen

In the beginning, Phuc elected himself as a candidate in the elections of the An Khe Ward’s People’s Council as he wanted to help the city deal with livelihood problems such as lack of schools, and water pollution. But then his friends encouraged him to elect himself as a candidate in the elections to the Da Nang City’s People’s Council, as well. He then created a page “Le Cong Phuc” to express his ideas to improve the city and to encourage people to vote for him. He received huge support from the community.  

By expressing his ideas on Facebook, he has made many new friends who contributed money to help him implement some small projects to help develop the city.

However, some people said that he was too hungry for success and thought no end of himself. But it did not discourage the young man.  

"I did not lose my motivation. By nominating myself for the elections, I want to encourage young people to have more practical thinking. We should not be indifferent to the problems of life. We should join hands to contribute our ideas to help the city develop further,” he said.   

“If I am elected, I will make more efforts to the development of the city. Over the last few years, I have achieved success through Facebook. If I am elected, I will use Facebook to connect with local inhabitants, receive and share their ideas and make them a reality,” he said.

Bach Lien

VNS