Approaching the front gate of Lai Xa village, we were touched with the image of an old man with a smiling face and a red band on his arm, standing in the middle of the front gate to control the traffic. This man is called as a special “traffic police” by many villagers in Lai Xa village.
Regardless of the weather, Pham Duc Chinh is still committed to his job.
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Everyday, he works on three shifts, from 5.30 a.m to 7.30 a.m, from 9.30 a.m to 11.30 a.m, and from 3.30 p.m to 5.30 p.m. At first, everyone though he was a weirdo, but after seeing the efficiency in his works, they started follow his orders, resulting in a significant reduction of traffic accidents and congestion.
15 years of being a traffic police, he has not taken a day off yet, regardless of the weather condition. Concerning about Chinh’s health, his family asked him to stop doing the job but could not convince him to do so. Nguyen Thi Hoa, a store owner near the gate said: ”he could not stop working and is concerned about the traffic”.
Nguyen Quang Duy, a 11th grade student is grateful to Chinh’s commitment: “with his presence, there are no traffic accidents or congestion in the village. He always reminds us of following traffic rule, going slowly and be aware of the surroundings”.
With the difficult nature of the job, the village wants to pay him, but Chinh said:”my work is not worth getting paid. For me, my happiness in life is to receive greetings and cares from villagers, so it is my pleasures to help people around”. As the day got darker and colder, but at the age of 83, the image of Chinh in villagers’ eye is still a responsible traffic police and willing to help people any time and any where.
