Is this Saigon’s most festive garbage cart?
While other Saigoneers are busy posing for selfies with lavishly decorated Christmas setups at local department stores, Nguyen Minh Tuan is hard at work on his route to collect household trash bags from District 3’s residential enclaves and transport them to the city’s landfill.
However, what sets Tuan’s vehicle apart from others is an endearing set of stuffed animals, garland and baubles, the product of his sense of creativity and love for Vietnam’s festive season.
Tuan was born in 1988 in Tay Ninh, but he’s been working for a public sanitation company in Saigon as a garbage collector for almost ten years.
According to Tuan, all of the decorations on his cart were recycled from people’s unwanted stuff. After delivering the day’s load to the landfill, he carefully sifts through the discarded trash bags for any reusable trinkets to decorate the cart.
Not only does Tuan adorn his cart with Christmas decorations for the festive season, but he also gives it a makeover every Tet because he loves sharing his joyous spirit with everyone who comes across his vehicle. Saigoneers living in District 3 and Phu Nhuan District, look out for Tuan and his Christmas "carriage" when he's in your neighborhood.
Saigoneer recently had a chance to follow Tuan on one of his usual routes on the Christmas-themed cart. Check out the video below, and Merry Christmas!
