Kayak tours to clean up Hoi An waterways

A kayak service operator has launched tours that will give both locals and foreigners the chance to clean up waterways in the vicinity of Hoi An City.
Vo Tan Tan, operator of Hoi An Kayak Tours, told Viet Nam News that the clean-up tours will take place every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings. They will cover the Thu Bon River, the nipa palm forest in Cam Thanh Commune and the Hoai River, a tributary of Thu Bon.
Tan said the clean-up tours will remove all kinds of rubbish including plastic bags and bottles dropped in the waters by irresponsible residents or tourists.
He said the tour will raise awareness among local people and tourists about keeping Hoi An and its rivers clean and green.
Tourists will pay US$10 each to join the kayak clean-up tour. Kayakers will depart from the Thuan Tinh sandbank near Cua Dai Bridge and go down to the Thu Bon River and small canals of the nipa palm forest in Cam Thanh Commune before reaching Hoi An City.
Kayakers will collect garbage even as they enjoy the beauty of Hoi An and the nipa palm forest.
Three years ago, Cam Thanh Commune had begun offering the opportunity to join afforestation efforts alongside tours of its nipa palm forest.
Villagers have been planting nipa palms for the last 100 years to protect the commune from the Thu Bon River in spate. The forest is part of the internationally recognised Cham Island-Hoi An bio-reserve. It is also a favoured eco-tour destination.
Tan said tourists can also join two-hour classes and learn how to make bamboo souvenirs.
Local craftsmen also produce bicycles made from 50 per cent bamboo, including the frame, handle-bars, mud-guard and chain-guard.
The tours can be booked by email at hoiankayaktours@gmail.com or at the www.hoiankayaktours.com website. Hotlines for further information are: 0979437338 and 0916645858.