This baby was written by my mother duck. She was the ring leader of this epic beach clean 😀 … Here she is, my number one model!
HUE, VIETNAM
Visiting Vietnam was an amazing journey, filled with culture, beautiful people, amazing food and some amazing long sandy beaches.
Arriving into Hue, for the second time, we discovered the beach was only a short drive away, so we locked in our group to do a Chasin Clean Coasts beach clean.
Decked out in our Chasin shirts with some sacks to collect beach rubbish, we negotiated a taxi ride to the beach (which in itself is always a task and a half!). Hidden down one of those alleys, where you’re now thinking your lost in Asia(!), we suddenly arrived to the local public beach. Surrounded by boats, nets and fishing vessels were a few small restaurants and bars facing a beautiful beach. What a perfect spot for a beach-side beer, meal and a dunk in the sea.
As we descended onto the sand, past a quaint little eatery, ready for action, we were faced with the sadness of an array of single use plastics strewn along the high tide mark.
To work we went. All ten of us ready to make a change. Nets were buried deep in the sand (a real challenge to dig out) bottles, small plastic bags and plastic bottles were among the rubbish. There were even a few scary items plucked from the sea -diapers and undies!
It was so rewarding to see the piles of rubbish piling ready to be removed. Locals gathered and were very interested in our cause and even offered to help us dispose of the trash.
One thing that was super refreshing, was to come to the private beach sector and see the staff were already working hard to keep the beach clean from rubbish and proud to do so. 10/10!
On returning to the local restaurant ready for a well-earned cold beer (it was a stinking hot 40 degrees!) we were confronted by the local manager whom wanted to know more about our project and was keen to make a change and cut out some of his plastics!! Yewww!
Awareness and education is the key!
Us as tourist, can make a huge impact on our plastic use while visiting other countries. Take your own water bottle, reusable straw and a material bag for all your shopping. And always strive to be PLASTIC FREE.
Small steps make big differences!
