National Geographic photographer Michael Yamashita has Instagrammed a dirty habit of some Nha Trang residents, trashing its beautiful beaches.
An award-winning veteran of the National Geographic magazine, Michael Yamashita has photographed a vast range of topics and locations, most notably in Asia.
On Tuesday, Yamashita shared a picture of Nha Trang beach, in the central province of Khanh Hoa, on Instagram, which gathered more than 31,000 likes and 196 comments in two days.
He acknowledged the enjoyment felt in early mornings on Nha Trang beach, but also captured the ‘beauty’ caused by littering.
"Locals enjoy early mornings on Nha Trang beach, Vietnam, but leave behind refuse & plastic that can be seen glistening in the sun. What is left on the beach will eventually end up in the sea," Yamashita wrote.
He urged people to pick up after themselves before they leave, to help keep oceans clean.
Most of the comments appreciated the picture, while some remarked on its saddening, destructive aspect.
One Instagram account called frontroadgal found the littering "self-centered" and called for a law where nothing can be left behind on a beach.
Yamashita also used this post to ask photographers around the world to capture their takes on the environment and participate in the Shoot for Sustainability competition, which runs till April 30, using the hashtag #OurCleanEarth.
Last month, Vietnamese citizens started taking up the #trashtag challenge by posting ‘before and after’ photos of cleaned up public spaces on social media. Many young Vietnamese believe the movement can help prevent a lot of garbage from entering the environment.
Viet Nam is ranked the fourth biggest polluter of oceans in the world, according to the U.S. based Ocean Conservancy. It dumps 280,000 – 780,000 tons of plastic waste into them every year.
