Clean Up Vietnam is an organization whose mission is to engage and inspire youth, families, businesses and communities to take action in changing the way we dispose of our waste and the way we look at our local community spaces.

The Clean Up Vietnam Day concept is based on a similar event that takes place in Australia which has proven a great success with over half a million participants annually.

On April the 17th 2016, Vietnam had its first nationwide Clean Up Day. From Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, Phu Quoc to Ha Long Bay and places in between people have been encouraged to join together to clean up their local communities and make Vietnam a better place to live.

Event: 2nd Danang Clean Up - Saturday, September 17 at 3 PM - 6 PM - Man Thai beach area

We speak: Vietnamese, English

This page is also available in French and Vietnamese

Get involved in Clean Up Vietnam http://cleanupvietnam.org/

How to participate https://www.facebook.com/events/1752143868391346/

Megavina wanted to know more about the concept "Clean Up Vietnam" so we asked its director Scott Alderson to answer a few questions.

1 - How do we become Clean up helper?

Anyone can become a helper to Clean Up Vietnam by organizing a clean up event. We will supply gloves and bags and help promote. You can create an event anytime on our website or contact us via email or on facebook.

How do you organize a Clean Up event?

To organize an event it is easy. Find a place to clean up. It could be a street, a park, a beach. Big or small, it doesn’t matter. It isn’t hard to find rubbish in Vietnam. It was amazing on our first Clean Up Vietnam Day people in places like D1 and Phu My Hung were thinking it would be hard to find much rubbish but in one hour most people had more than a bag full.

The most important thing is to make sure you have permission with the local government and that the rubbish will be removed if it is a big event on public land. If it is on private property then you need to contact the owners. But for people just going around the street it is ok but be a safe and responsible with traffic and supervise children.

You can also join other events via our website or get in contact with us and we can get you in touch with others around the country that are already doing events. In Vung Tau for example we had 300 people cleaning up on our Clean Up Day. But in the end, we want to be more proactive and educate people so they won’t litter. There will always be litter but let's reduce it as much as possible!

If Vietnam is very dirty, the reason is probably because people don't care. Are you able to organize meeting or do you plan to inform people directly at school? flyers? on tv?

I think littering is a bad habit and there has always been an attitude that someone else will clean it up for you. I think it's changing and it's coming through young people. We are already working at schools and have a lot of them doing events over the year but we want to raise more funds and employ more educators to get out there and into the school.

We are community partners with Saigon Heat and Vietnam University Games so we have stalls and a presence at their events and hand out information. We are putting together some Videos and in the future, we want to have some tips on reducing waste and litter at work, school and at your home.

Who is behind that organization? You seem to be foreigner, where do you come from?

I'm from Australia. I was involved in Clean Up Australia which this is based on and thought it could be done here. And it is needed!! The first Clean Up Vietnam Day event and everything else we have worked on has been self funded, but now we are starting to get sponsors as once people see what we have done and what we are doing they understand the need.

Why do you want to help Vietnam?

I have my first child on the way, I am married to a Vietnamese woman and I love it here. Whereever you live you should make it a better place for now and for the future.

What are your plans for the future?

There are so many. Helping schools and other groups with ongoing events all over Vietnam. We are also looking at Clean Up the World on the 16th to 18th of September as major events. Our flagship is the next Clean Up Vietnam Day will be March 5th 2017. We are going to have it over the week with events including Clean Up Schools Day and Clean UP Business Day in the week leading up. Our first one this year attracted over 3000 people in over 30 locations and next year we are targeting 10 000 people.

Thanks so much Scott for your time and for your work making Vietnam a cleaner, safer and greener place.