On July 24, 2026, Keep Vietnam Clean (KVC), in collaboration with Projects Abroad For Vietnam (PAFVN), organized a Phuc Tan cleanup at Phuc Tan Forest Park in Hong Ha Ward, Hanoi. The event was part of the “Clean-up, Green-up Our Cities” initiative, aiming to improve public spaces while inspiring greater environmental responsibility through meaningful, hands-on action.
The result: 99.5 kg of waste collected and 11 trees planted, with 28 volunteers taking part.
What this article covers
- Why the office visit came two days before the Phuc Tan cleanup
- What happened on July 24, 2026
- What the figure of 99.5 kg actually tells us
- How organizations and businesses can take part
Understanding the environment before taking action
An effective Phuc Tan cleanup does not begin with a rubbish bag. It begins with the people holding it understanding what they are doing and why.
Prior to the clean-up, on July 22, 2026, a group of students from Projects Abroad For Vietnam visited the Keep Vietnam Clean office and Green Gem Shop. During the visit, they learned about KVC’s environmental initiatives, the principles of the circular economy, and community projects designed to reduce waste and promote sustainable living.
The visit provided participants with valuable insights into today’s environmental challenges and the important role individuals can play in creating positive change. It also served as a meaningful introduction before they took part in the clean-up activity, contributing directly to environmental conservation through practical action.
The two-day gap between the office visit and the Phuc Tan cleanup was deliberate. This is the “understand first, act second” model KVC applies with most volunteer groups: participants know why waste is sorted the way it is, where the weighed figure ends up, and how a fragment of brittle plastic differs from an intact bottle in the recycling chain. Once that is understood, a clean-up stops being manual labour and becomes a practical lesson with a purpose.
Working together for a cleaner and greener space
The Phuc Tan cleanup brought together representatives from Keep Vietnam Clean, Projects Abroad For Vietnam, and 28 volunteers.
Following an opening session and activity briefing, volunteers worked together to collect litter and plant trees throughout the park. Beyond improving the park’s appearance, the activity offered participants an opportunity to strengthen their environmental awareness and foster a greater sense of responsibility for protecting shared public spaces.
Splitting the group into two streams — collection and planting — is what separates the Phuc Tan cleanup from an ordinary litter pick. Collection deals with what is already there; planting deals with what comes next. A space with shade, visible care and regular use attracts far less dumping than an empty patch of ground. That is precisely why the initiative is called “Clean-up, Green-up Our Cities” rather than simply “Clean-up Our Cities”.
Results of the Phuc Tan cleanup
Thanks to the collective efforts of everyone involved, the event achieved the following results:
- 99.5 kg of waste collected.
- 11 trees planted throughout Phuc Tan Forest Park.
- 28 volunteers taking part directly.
What 99.5 kg from a Phuc Tan cleanup actually tells us
Divided evenly, each volunteer collected roughly 3.6 kg of waste over a single morning. That is a modest figure next to a riverbank or coastal cleanup, where one person can gather tens of kilograms. But the modesty is the point: Phuc Tan Forest Park is not a waste hotspot. It is a public space in active use that needs maintaining.
Waste in places like this is typically generated on site — drink bottles, food containers, plastic bags, cigarette butts. Light in weight, widely scattered, and slow to collect. It is also the kind of waste that cannot be dealt with once and forgotten. It accumulates again within weeks, and the only way to hold the result is to repeat the activity on a regular cycle while shifting the habits of the people who use the park every day.
Put differently, a single Phuc Tan cleanup does not “finish” the park. Its value lies in stopping the area from sliding back, and in the fact that 28 people have now seen for themselves what maintaining a shared public space actually involves.
Spreading positive impact with small actions
Keep Vietnam Clean extends its sincere appreciation to Projects Abroad For Vietnam and all the volunteers who contributed to the success of this Phuc Tan cleanup.
Their participation once again demonstrated that even small individual actions, when driven by a shared sense of responsibility and collective effort, can create meaningful and lasting positive impacts on the environment.
Keep Vietnam Clean looks forward to continuing to work with individuals, organizations, and businesses in future initiatives to build a cleaner Vietnam with more green spaces and a more sustainable future for all. You can read our story or follow our recent activities to see where we work next.
Partner with Keep Vietnam Clean to build an effective CSR program
At Keep Vietnam Clean, we work with businesses to design and implement environmental CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) programs, including clean-up activities, tree planting, public space improvement, and initiatives that connect employees with local communities — from a small Phuc Tan cleanup like this one to multi-site campaigns.
Each program is developed based on the actual needs of the local area, with a focus on measurable outcomes and creating long-term value for both communities and businesses. Every activity closes with a short report — waste by category, participants, volunteer hours, trees planted and photographs — that a company can put straight into its own sustainability reporting. This is increasingly what international frameworks such as the UN Global Compact expect.
If your business is looking for a CSR program that creates positive environmental impact, strengthens employee engagement, and supports your sustainable development goals, Keep Vietnam Clean is ready to work with you to develop a solution that fits your organization.
- Register for a consultation: keepvietnamclean.org/our-services
- Email: info@keepvietnamclean.org
- Contact: +84 97 450 63 50
