01/12/2022
“A day overflowed with joy and meaning! I have exchanged a lot of unused items for money to donate to charity and to purchase stuff I enjoy.” – A child living in Ciputra Hanoi International City shared after the Garage Sale secondhand fair – one of the community activities held in Ciputra Hanoi on November 26.
The concept of Garage sale, yard sale, flea market…is no longer unfamiliar to Vietnamese youths. It can be simply understood that these are markets where people sell unused items to those who need them.
Garage sale originated in the US. Here, they sell unused items at a price “as cheap as giving away”. Gradually, the Garage sale movement expanded. Many families in a residential area open Garage sales together on weekends or special holiday occasions. This event’s attendees are either locals or residents of neighboring communities.
The nature of Garage sale is not really a profit-making business, but rather an opportunity for homeowners to liquidate all unused furniture and meet new people. Therefore, Garage sale is really a unique culture.
Over many years, the garage sale model has also gained popularity in Vietnam. In contrast to the United States, Vietnam’s model focuses mostly on fashion products such as clothing, jewelry, and accessories,… rather than furniture and home equipment.
The meaning of good education is spread to young children
Children engage in business
Le Minh Tan, Kien Minh’s father stated, “Minh is an ordinary person with no sense of thrift and is extremely wasteful. He frequently requests new toys and devices but never shares his own. As a result of his participation in this event, he was much more generous, as evidenced by his ability to exchange toys and school supplies with his friends. Some of the items he eagerly agreed to sell in order to raise funds for a charity fund benefiting friends in difficult circumstances.
Mr. David Arnsdorff – Director of Ciputra Hanoi, added: “Garage Sale is really a meaningful and highly educational community activity: environmental protection awareness, exchange and meeting, to exchange – shopping and charity activities. We have organized this activity numerous times and have always had excellent feedback and enthusiastic participation from residents and family members. This will be the motivation for us to organize more similar events in the near future.”
Agreeing with this opinion, Mr.Hugues Hervier – General Manager of Ciputra Hanoi Estate Management Board said: “Unlike other community activities, in which the management board arranges and citizens engage passively, Garage Sale allows residents to plan their own activities. The following activities are open to everyone: preparation, sales, and amusement, as well as collective activities, and the most important of which is charity. All of that comes from each individual’s enthusiasm and compassion, so everyone is eager to contribute. Thereby, the connection between residents of all ages becomes open and friendly.”
The diversity of home appliances, books, and fashion items.
The greatest beneficial meaning of Garage Sale is to inspire children’s souls with empathy and generosity. “It is difficult for children to comprehend if you simply state that you have to love others as much as you love yourself, and that you have to share with those who are in more challenging situations. They are simply aware that donating money to charity involves asking their parents for funds. Or when children want to buy a new item, the first thing that comes to mind is asking their parents or asking for money to buy it”, said Lan Anh – a resident, “However, when participating in such activities, children realize they can help other children or purchase new items without asking adults for money. From there, educate children how to save money, take care of their belongings, and be willing to share what they have with those who are less fortunate.”
