Environmentally conscious travelers can now add river cleanups to their tourist to-do list in Hoi An.
Local tour operator Hoi An Kayak Tours is offering their customers a rather unique travel experience collecting garbage along the Thu Bon River, reports VnExpress. Organized three times a week, the tour equips tourists with bags and prongs so that they can pick up litter while paddling down the waterway. Foreigners are charged a fee of US$10 per trip, while locals can hop aboard for free.
Director of Hoi An Kayak Tours Nguyen Van Long told Da Nang Today in Vietnamese that the original idea for the tour came from past customers, who found the plastic bags floating atop the Thu Bon unsightly.
According to VietnamNews, some local residents have applauded the initiative while others have voiced reservations.
Nguyen Thanh Phuong, for instance, argued that responsibility for keeping the city clean should rest with the authorities. “I mean, that’s their job, and the way I see it, they have not done their job properly. And they should look at this grassroots initiative to reflect upon the lackluster performance of their responsibilities,” she told the news outlet.
[Photo via VnExpress]
