Over 1,000 people in Ho Chi Minh City took part in a flashmob on Sunday to celebrate Earth Day 2016 and raise awareness of water conservation in Vietnam.

Earth Day initially took place in the U.S. on April 22, 1970, and is now observed in 193 countries, according to Earth Day Network, the organization in charge of coordinating the event globally. Since 2009, the United Nations General Assembly has chosen April 22 as International Mother Earth Day.

Centered on ‘Clean Water, Clean Life,’ Earth Day 2016 was held in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, in the afternoon and attracted over 3,000 participants who engaged in activities related to the conservation of water.

One of the activities at the event was a flashmob of 1,000 people, of whom 30 are hearing-impaired members of the Deaf Community Organization of Ho Chi Minh City (DCOH), 122 are students at Ta Uyen Elementary School in District 7, and the rest are students going to college in the city.

“This is the third time DCOH has participated in Earth Day celebration. Our members take pride in it and have put a lot of effort into practicing for the event,” Pham Cao Phuong Thao, advisor at DCOH, said.

Huynh Thi Thuy Duong, a student from Ta Uyen Elementary School, was excited about the dance. “I feel very happy to join this event. I hope people would stop littering rivers and canals to keep them clean and beautiful,” Duong said.

The participants then engaged in the race ‘Green Run – Save the God of Water,’ where each team was named after a major river such as Mekong, Nile, or Amazon, and had to overcome obstacles and challenges in search of the ‘holy’ water to purify the contaminated water and save their river god.

Earth Day 2016 in Ho Chi Minh City also featured green booths where handmade and recycled products made by the students themselves were sold.

The event was co-organized by the Center for Skilled Education and Community Communication (SECC) and Bridgestone Vietnam.

Products made from beer cans and waste papers were sold at a ‘green booth’ run by students of Ton Duc Thang University at Earth Day 2016 in Ho Chi Minh City, April 17, 2016. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!