Some 2,000 students and residents of many communes across southern Kien Giang province's Phu Quoc Island joined the Clean-up Day campaign yesterday (December 12).
Wearing "I Love Phu Quoc" T-shirts, they picked up unsightly rubbish from public places as part of efforts to clean up the island's environment.
"Litter and rubbish pollutes the environment. We want to keep Phu Quoc clean to preserve its natural beauty and encourage tourists to visit the island,"said Luong Thanh Hai, director of the Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve.
Phu Quoc is the focus of a number of international events this week, including a conference that celebrates and promotes the values of the Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve.
The Conservation and Development of Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve Project, jointly funded by AusAID and German Co-operation Organisation (GIZ), focuses on waste management and litter prevention as an important part of environmental protection.
The Clean-up Day builds on other awareness programmes delivered by the project, including the development of schools resource materials, which aim to make environmentally-friendly behaviors part of daily life.