Nearly 1,000 people participated in the "Huế Plogging 2025" trash collection event for World Environment Day. — VNA/VNS Photo Mai Trang

QUẢNG NINH — No country in the world can stand aside in the fight against plastic waste, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Lê Công Thành said on Sunday at an event to celebrate World Environment Day on June 5.

The event was launched by the United Nations Environment Programme with the theme 'Beat Plastic Pollution' as part of the Month of Action for the Environment, and took place in Hạ Long City in the northern province of Quảng Ninh.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister Thành emphasised that it was not only a call but also an urgent global warning, as plastic pollution is becoming one of the most serious challenges to the environment.

“The Vietnamese Government has actively participated in proposing global and regional cooperation mechanisms to reduce plastic waste at international conferences and forums,” he said.

Deputy Chairman of the Quảng Ninh Province's People's Committee Nghiêm Xuân Cường said that Quảng Ninh was well aware of the importance of environmental protection, preventing plastic pollution and improving the quality of the living environment.

The province has issued several fundamental and strategic directives, creating a unified legal framework based on the idea that environmental protection is a foundation for sustainable development.

Like Quảng Ninh, many other localities, including Hải Phòng, Đà Nẵng, Bình Dương and HCM City, have effectively implemented models for waste classification at source, green markets and urban areas without plastic waste.

Enterprises have also started using biological materials, recycled packaging and applying waste circulation models in industrial parks.

Thành also frankly admitted that in addition to these positive results, Việt Nam faces many challenges in managing and reducing plastic waste.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment expressed the hope that through its Action Month for the Environment, knowledge about and experiences on good models in managing and recycling plastic waste will continue to spread.

The country will turn challenges into opportunities and motivation to implement a circular economy, along with a knowledge-based economy with the technology to reduce plastic emissions.

Clean the beach

A rally for World Environment Day as well as Việt Nam Sea and Islands Week (June 1-8) and the Summer Youth Volunteer Campaign 2025, themed 'Youth with the sea and islands of the homeland', was held on Sunday morning at Vinh Thanh Beach in central Huế City's Phú Vang District.

The event was organised by the municipal People's Committee in coordination with the Political Department of Military Region 4 and the Army Youth Union.

Deputy Chairman of Huế City People's Committee Phan Quý Phương said that with its titles of 'National Green City' and 'ASEAN Environmentally Sustainable City', Huế continues to focus on protecting the natural environment, greening the urban area, developing green tourism and effectively treating water and waste.

The city has made its mark not only as a cultural heritage landmark but also as an ecosystem with environmentally friendly landscapes, green, clean and bright urban spaces, and sustainable development. It is also known for helping people live in harmony with nature and for its green heritage.

He called on departments, agencies, organisations and individuals to take practical actions to solve plastic waste pollution, improve environmental quality, protect people's health, balance the ecosystem, preserve biodiversity, develop a sustainable economy and preserve the ocean.

At the same time, the people should raise awareness, change unsustainable behaviour and promote actions towards a green lifestyle, including sustainable consumption, implementing climate commitments and sustainable development goals.

At the event, nearly 1,000 people participated in the 'Huế Plogging 2025' trash collection event. Plogging is an activity that combines jogging or walking with picking up litter.

With a message of 'Green footprints, sea without plastic waste', the event was held along the Vinh Thanh and An Hải beaches in Thuận An Ward, Thuận Hòa District, as well as in Đầm Chuồng Ward in Phú An Commune, Phú Vang District, the Ngư Mỹ Thạnh fishing village and at the Cồn Tộc ferry terminal in Quảng Lợi Commune, Quảng Điền District.

Through the 'Huế Plogging 2025' event, more than 3.2 tonnes of mostly plastic waste and 10 tonnes of duckweed were collected from the beaches.

In Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province's Vũng Tàu City, the Women's Union, the Veterans Association, the Youth Union and armed forces units cleaned up the beaches on Saturday and Sunday.

Nguyễn Thị Thu Hương, deputy chairwoman of the Vũng Tàu City People's Committee, said that Vũng Tàu's beach had been facing pollution due to ocean waste being washed up by the tides.

Hundreds of tonnes of ocean waste including water hyacinth, plastic bottles, nylon bags, foam and other non-biodegradable substances are continuously washed ashore by the waves, polluting the landscape.

The local authorities asked coastal wards to encourage organisations and people to voluntarily participate in picking up and collecting waste to clean the marine environment.

Nguyễn Xuân Hùng, a resident of Ward 3, said that Vũng Tàu City was a green, clean and beautiful city, citing a popular motto. Preserving the marine environment not only creates a green, clean and beautiful landscape, but also creates a clean beach for residents and tourists to comfortably enjoy the summer. — VNS