Three Hundred People Participated in a Walking Program to Respond to the International Day Without Smoke in Hanoi

VACNE ACTIVITIES

07 November 2011 | 02:01:00 PM

On September 25, 2011, at Hanoi Children Cultural Palace, Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment (VACNE) in cooperation with Hanoi Union of Scientific and Technological Associations (HUSTA) organized walking event to respond to the International Day Without Smoke.

The event drew participation of about 300 people, of which 50% are working young people and 60 are volunteers supporting the Organizing Committee to implement this program. The youngest member is an overseas Vietnamese (9 years old) participating with his family. He sang a song as a present to the program.

Participants were divided into 15 groups lead by volunteers and took different walking lines through streets of the old town to discover culture and life style of Hanoi citizens. Through such direct and useful experiences the Organizing Committee aimed to give environmental messages for the Day Without Smoke like limitation of using individual means of transport, using public transportation, and using other "green" means as well.

Oanh, the girl coming from Hanoi Open College, said: "I like this activity very much because I had a meaningful morning to explore and to know more about Hanoi. I had been many times in the old town but when you ride through the town on motorbike you could nor feel anything." Ms. Diep from TSG (Tourist Responsible Group) said: "This initiative should be organized annually to popularize Hanoi not only for its unique cultural character but also its "green" characteristic to foreign tourists. Such activities would raise a social responsibility of participating tourist agencies and help to develop a sustainable tourism in Vietnam."

In the framework of the program the groups had shared together their discovers and idea for "Hanoi without smoke" like establishing public corners where smoking is prohibited, encouraging administration staff to use more frequently "green" transportation means (like to share individual means, to ride by public buses, by bikes, etc.)

Below are some images from the activity: