With a great affection for Phu Quoc Island off Kien Giang Province in southern Vietnam, a group of young volunteers from Phu Quoc City have been running beach cleanup drives to keep trash out of the ocean.
On scheduled days, be it sunshine or rain, each member of the group is in charge of a specific task.
Those who can swim are responsible for diving into the ocean to pick up trash, while others collect garbage on the shore.
Apart from the beach cleanup, these volunteers also climb to the top of Tien Son Mountain, which is a popular destination for tourists to take photos on the pearl island, to keep it clean.
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| Garbage lies scattered on a beach on Phu Quoc Island off Kien Giang Province in southern Vietnam. |
The beach and mountain cleanup drives are aimed at spreading the message of environmental protection to locals and visitors.
The group members, equipped with scuba gear, tongs and bags, collect waste on beaches and underwater three times a month.
Due to the dangerous, rough, and slippery path to the Tien Son mountain peak, nearly 500 meters above sea level, these young people only lead cleanup groups there on sunny days.
Nguyen Minh Duc, a native of Phu Quoc City, said, “The group collects all types of trash such as used plastic bags, plastic bottles, fishing nets, and household waste.”
During the initial period, the group picked up garbage along Dinh Cau and Rach Vem Beaches. The cleanup was then expanded to Bai Truong Beach in Duong To Commune, Phu Quoc City.
“The meaningful act has attracted crowds of locals to join in the cleanup program. The group collects 50-100 tons of waste each year,” he recounted.
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| Young people from Hanoi come to Phu Quoc to join the cleanup. |
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| Young volunteers collect trash discarded by tourists at the peak of Tien Son Mountain, which is a popular destination to take photos. |
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| Young people must climb hills and follow dangerous cliff paths to approach Tien Son Mountain to pick up trash. |
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| Many types of trash are seen on Phu Quoc beaches. |
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| Some members of the cleanup group pose for a photo at the Tien Son mountain peak. |
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