Expat groups mobilizes money, volunteers to clean up Saigon on Earth Day

The “Love Vietnam” event was organized by the Facebook group to mark 16,000 members – both expats and locals - sharing a common love of Vietnam.

Jointly held by the Saigon SOS charity, the party also aimed to support the Earth Day Clean Up event, where volunteers will gather in communities all around Vietnam on April 22 in an effort to maintain the natural beauty of the country.

Party-goers read raffle information at the Love Vietnam event in Ho Chi Minh City on April 1, 2017.

“We raised more than VND14,000,000 for Earth Day Clean Up 2017 (donations from bar sales still to be added),” Stu Miller from the organizing board wrote on the event's page on April 3, adding that the party had also motivated people to join volunteers for the clean-up event on April 22.

A representative from Ho Chi Minh City-based NGO Vietnam Sach & Xanh (Vietnam Clean and Green), Earth Day Clean Up 2017’s organizer, told Tuoi Tre News on April 3 that around 100 people had registered to be volunteers in Ho Chi Minh City, including 20 from the Love Vietnam party.

The event expects to attract 1,000 Vietnamese and expat volunteers in over five areas including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Quoc, Hue and Hoi An to “put the trash back in its place and make Vietnam clean again.”

Vietnam is Awesome was founded over a year ago by American Philip Veinott as an expat and tourist group in Vietnam which connects both foreigners and locals with positive stories, photos and videos.

The banner of the Earth Day Clean Up 2017. Photo: Vietnam Sạch & Xanh

The group is expanding and growing in membership daily with over 100 new members per day.

This is not the first time a Love Vietnam party has donated to charity.

The group’s first event in February supported ChangeVN to help them protect the environment in Vietnam, while the next event in May will be dedicated to the UK’s Allambie Orphanage in Vietnam.

“We dedicate the group's parties to charity because it's not being done,” Veinott told Tuoi Tre News. “There are plenty of parties and events happening around the city, but monthly events solely to help charities and connect the community don’t happen regularly.”

“We really want to do 12 events a year and possibly more,” he added.

Veinott said members of the group were skeptical at first, but the number of people joining the events has increased, with an expectation of 200-250 party-goers this May.

The parties have also received big support from local enterprises with raffle prizes and giveaways at the latest event valued at more than US$6,500.