In the days leading up to Lunar New Year 2026, Keep Vietnam Clean ran two training sessions on sustainable Tet practices, helping local communities build festive traditions that are both culturally meaningful and kinder to the environment.
Titled “Practicing a Sustainable Tết”, the sessions formed part of the “Kitchen God Day 2026 – Action for the Kitchen Gods Tradition” campaign. They took place on 24 January 2026 in Bồ Đề Ward and 25 January 2026 in Thụy Lôi Village, Thư Lâm Commune, Hanoi, drawing 209 participants from the Women’s Union, Veterans’ Association and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of Bồ Đề Ward.
What this report covers
- How the sustainable Tet sessions reframed familiar customs
- The two topics covered and who led them
- What residents asked, and why it matters
- Sponsors, partners and eco-friendly gifts
A dialogue about Tet habits through an environmental lens
Both sessions were designed as open sharing spaces rather than lectures. Familiar customs — burning votive paper, releasing carp, managing household waste — were revisited through the lens of public health and environmental protection.
The sustainable Tet programme focused on two topics:
- The impact of burning votive paper on the environment and human health, presented by Ms. Bùi Ngọc Diệp, Director of Keep Vietnam Clean
- The effects of plastic waste on ecosystems, shared by Ms. Nguyễn Thị Trà My, KVC Project Officer
Using visual materials, interactive questions and relatable examples, participants discussed the current picture of votive paper burning and plastic waste in Vietnam; how smoke and ash affect air quality, water sources and family health; and practical steps that work during Tet itself.
Those steps were deliberately small and immediate: reducing the volume of votive offerings, handling ash properly instead of tipping it into the river, choosing traditional paper offerings over plastic-coated ones, separating waste at source, and cutting single-use plastics from the offering tray.
A sustainable Tet starts from community awareness
Beyond delivering information, the sustainable Tet sessions invited residents to bring their own experience into the room. Participants asked how to treat ash after burning rituals, what can replace plastic items on a Tet offering tray, and how to persuade younger family members to change long-standing habits.
That is the shift worth noting. The questions were not about whether to act, but how — which means residents are becoming agents of solutions rather than passive recipients of a message. A sustainable Tet only holds if the people observing the festival design it themselves, and that is the goal KVC works toward on its zero-waste journey.
It also explains why training sits alongside collection in this campaign. Ash and ceremonial offerings made up roughly 70% of everything gathered during the accompanying riverbank cleanup in Bồ Đề Ward and Thụy Lôi Village. That is waste generated by the ritual itself — a stream no amount of tidying up afterwards can reduce, and one that only conversations like these can address at source.
Thank you to our partners
Keep Vietnam Clean sincerely thanks:
- Silver Sponsor: Asian Trails
- Bronze Sponsors: Pacific Environment Vietnam (PEVN), Hanoi Toronto School (HTS), Enzyco, Wide Eyed Tours & Travel, Kapiti College
- Accompanying Sponsors: EXO Travel, British International School Hanoi (BIS), Acacia International Pre-school
We are grateful for the close cooperation of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of Bồ Đề Ward and the Management Board of Thụy Lôi Village (Zones 5, 6, 7) in organising the events locally.
The Thụy Lôi session was supported by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) – Zero Waste Asia, as part of International Zero Waste Month 2026.
Thanks also to ENZYCO for sponsoring eco-friendly cleaning gifts — bio multi-purpose cleaners and bio laundry detergents — which gave residents a practical way to start a sustainable Tet inside their own homes rather than only in theory.
Together for a greener, more sustainable Tet
What KVC values most after each programme is not only the knowledge shared, but the spirit of listening and the appetite for change we meet in the community. A sustainable Tet does not come from grand gestures. It comes from small everyday choices: one less bundle of votive paper, one more act of sorting, one fewer plastic bag.
With local residents and partners working together, the message of a zero-waste Tet will keep spreading — protecting the environment and the health of every Vietnamese family.
Three ways to be part of the next sustainable Tet programme:
- Become a member and join our community events across Vietnam
- Support our work so we can run more training sessions
- Explore our programmes and bring your organisation on board as a partner
#KeepVietnamClean #SustainableTet #ZeroWaste #CleanUpGreenUpOurCities
