Every weekend, Mr. Noru Ninomiya, 74 years old, and his fellow countrymen and volunteers put on gloves and hold tongs to pick up trash around Hoan Kiem Lake.
On the morning of June 4, Mr. Ninomiya and about 20 foreigners and Vietnamese volunteers gathered at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square at Hoan Kiem Lake. After a few minutes of greeting, everyone rolled up their sleeves, put on gloves, and walked around the lake to pick up cigarette butts, paper cups, and plastic bottles.
Coming to Vietnam from Japan to work 14 years ago, Mr. Ninomiya was surprised by the peacefulness of the capital Hanoi and especially admired the unique beauty of Hoan Kiem Lake, but was unhappy to witness many littering acts in this place, while there were very few trash cans around.
“If the lakeside garbage is reduced, this area will be even more beautiful,” the 74-year-old man recalled thinking at the time.
Mr. Noru Ninomiya stands by Hoan Kiem Lake after a volunteer trash collection session on April 6. Photo: Duc Trung
With the desire to "do something to thank Vietnam", he used his own money to buy paper bags, clips and gloves, calling on 5 fellow countrymen to start picking up trash around Hoan Kiem Lake since 2011. On the first day, the weather was as hot as fire, making all 6 people sweat profusely when finishing the job, but everyone felt comfortable.
"Gradually, the activity of picking up trash every Sunday morning at Hoan Kiem Lake became a habit to start the weekend and we have maintained it for more than 11 years," said Mr. Ninomiya, who used to be the general director of a 100% Japanese-owned company in Long Bien. told VnExpress .
Learning about Mr. Ninomiya's actions through the media, Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong, a former meteorologist and environmental expert, joined the group, thinking "foreigners love the capital and are so aware, we need to do more".
In August 2012, Ms. Phuong supported Mr. Ninomiya in establishing the volunteer group Clean up Hoan Kiem Lake with Ninomiya on Facebook, with trash collection activities scheduled at 8am every Sunday.
There was a period when the group attracted 60 members, including both Japanese and Vietnamese. For over 11 years, regardless of rain or shine, many group members have been present every Sunday morning to contribute to cleaning up Hoan Kiem Lake, only interrupting activities during the complicated Covid-19 pandemic.
A Japanese volunteer picks up trash at Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi, June 4. Photo: Facebook/Phuong Nguyen
Although the group's membership has decreased during the pandemic and other factors, the inspiration that Mr. Ninomiya brings continues to spread.
"Many people who passed by saw us picking up trash and were excited to join in without any persuasion. Volunteering must come from a sincere desire," said Ninomiya, adding that anyone who wanted to join in picking up trash could come without prior registration and would be given the necessary tools.
"I have been participating in this activity for two months. Vietnam is changing very quickly, but some people's awareness of environmental hygiene has not kept up with the pace of development. Vietnam and Japan are like two brothers, we want to contribute a small part to life here," said Sahashi Takuya, 65, a senior manager of Mitsubishi in Hanoi, during the trash collection session on April 6.
After 30 minutes of collecting trash by the lake, the volunteers returned to the collection point with bags full of trash to sort. Ms. Phuong collected the sorted trash and brought it home, rinsed it with laundry detergent or vegetable washing water, and then let it dry.
She will bring them to the Green Life environmental project headquarters on Book Street every last Friday of the month. Green Life will collect and transfer this amount of garbage to treatment plants in Thai Nguyen .
"Although the scale of garbage collection is not large and the time is not long, we hope that our activities will help reduce some garbage, make the environment cleaner, create more jobs for recyclers, and help bring garbage into the circular economy ," said Ms. Phuong.
Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong, former meteorologist and environmental expert, next to a bicycle carrying garbage collected at Hoan Kiem Lake, April 6. Photo: Duc Trung
Ms. Phuong and Mr. Ninomiya said that sanitation awareness around Hoan Kiem Lake has improved significantly after more than a decade, and more trash bins have been placed around the area.
"But unfortunately, the amount of trash we collect has not decreased at all. The important thing is not to pick up trash, but to not throw it on the street. Only when you pick it up yourself will you understand that you should not litter," said Mr. Ninomiya.
He has transferred most of the group's activities to Vietnamese volunteers, especially young people, because he believes that environmental awareness is a generational issue that cannot be changed overnight.
"Japan is clean because children are educated from an early age, at school and at home. They are taught to maintain hygiene from personal to public areas. I hope my work will have an impact on young Vietnamese people," he said.
Vnexpress.net
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