On January 14, 2023, USAID Supported the Women's Union of Bac Tu Liem district, Ha Noi and local NGO Keep Vietnam Clean, through its project implemented by the Vietnamese organization GREENHUB, to organize a campaign to prevent the dumping of plastic bags into the city's lakes and rivers.
This coincided with this year's Kitchen Gods worship ritual. This is one of the most important traditions in the lead up to the Lunar New Years celebration, Tet, during which golden carp are released into waterways as a way for Kitchen Gods to reach Heaven. The Women's Union used this event to bring attention to the pollution from the use of plastic bags, which many people use to transport the fish they release. Union members encouraged participants to bring fish in reusable containers and cleaned 660 pounds of plastic waste from local waterways.
This is a creative, local initiative for the Vietnamese to maintain their traditions in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner while cleaning their waterways of plastic pollutants.
Keep Vietnam Clean