Heroes clearing rubbish in Đà Nẵng

By Minh Đức

Holding one long dustpan in one hand, a sack in another, Dimitrii Gribok, a Russian living in Đà Nẵng clears rubbish near a beach in the city’s downtown.

This has been his routine on Saturday mornings for the past few months.

Dozens of other foreigners and Vietnamese have joined him in the task.

Volunteers are of all ages and various nationalities. Photos from Trash Hero FB

They are all volunteer members of Trash Hero Đà Nẵng, who have cleared rubbish in many places in the city for the past two years.

“I’m living in Việt Nam and I want to do something for Việt Nam because I love the country very much,” he said.

“Many times when I was clearing rubbish, passers-by stopped and asked me if they can join in. Then many and many more people have joined hands with us to clear the trash.”

The task even inspires children like eight-year-old Đoàn Hồ Kim Phương.

“My dad was carrying me on his bike passing this place,” she said. “I saw many people clearing up and I wanted to join them. I want to save the environment by myself.”

The task is not only great for the environment but volunteers seem to have fun too.

Rain or sun, Trash Hero members still take to the street, grab their bags and head out to clear up. To date they have hosted over a hundred litter picks in the city.

Volunteer Lê Văn Huy, said: “Though the task is not very hard, it helps keep the city green, clean and beautiful as Đà Nẵng should be, a worth living in city.”

According to Mai Thị Kim Ánh, in charge of the group, Trash Hero Đà Nẵng is a part of the international Trash Hero organisation.

“When I pass a place and think this should be cleared of trash, we will gather there to clean it at the weekend,” she said. “Sometimes we have to return to that place three to four times in a month to clear rubbish, we still do that. We want to spread our spirit to many more people so more and more people will join us.”

The task has become a hobby for many in the sizeable expat community in the city.

An enthusiastic rubbish clearer.

“Sometimes I ask my children what they want to do, they say they want to clear trash,” David Vercauteren, a Belgian based in the city, said. “The task is so much fun for them.”

Huy said he can go out with friends anytime, but he found clearing rubbish with the group was more meaningful.

The members were strangers to one another before being linked by the Facebook page of the group.

A teacher of English in Đà Nẵng, Darya Sunshine, from Belarus, loves the city and people.

She learned about the litter pickers on Facebook and registered immediately. She then asked also her boyfriend to come along.

“I think that not only do I make the city I love more beautiful, I also have the chance to experience more and enrich my living skills as well as make friends with more young people in Đà Nẵng,” she said.

They want to do something for the city they love.

A normal gathering may include ten members, while sometimes more than 20 will be out picking up rubbish.

Their activities first started along the Hội An beaches before spreading to Đà Nẵng.

Nguyễn Vũ Hà Phương, a retiree in Sơn Trà District, really appreciated the help.

“They have done so much good for the environment,” she said. “Even foreigners think they are responsible for the local environment, let alone Vietnamese. They are really thoughtful people, who have made many contributions to the community.” VNS

The volunteers may not know one another before joining the group.