Residents of Cham Island off central Quang Nam Province are welcoming tourists with a “Say no to plastic bags” campaign as they await UNESCO’s recognition as “world biosphere reserve.”

Volunteers collect discarded plastic bags at Bai Lang Beach on Cham Island.

According to UNESCO, the island and the southernmost Ca Mau Cape are very likely to gain the recognition after experts discuss the issue at a five-day seminar starting Monday in South Korea’s Jeju Island.

Nguyen Su, party head of Hoi An Town, which administers the island cluster, said hundreds of islanders have volunteered to make the island cleaner by getting rid of plastic bags.

The A Dong Silk tailoring ship in the ancient town has given each family on the island two traditional plastic baskets that can be used for a long time.

It has also given 20 vendors on Cham Island, which consists of eight smaller islands, 3,000 biodegradable bags to hold sweet soups, fermented seacooking and similar items.

Visitors from France, England and Hanoi on Friday were also given similar bags.

A French tourist told A Dong Silk director Tran Thai Do that the earth is highly vulnerable now and he wished every human being does what the islanders are doing.

Hundreds of soldiers, officials, sailors and students had cleared the island of plastic bags and other rubbish that morning.

Asako, a Japanese volunteer who has been working on an environment education project on the island for two years, joined the locals.

She hoped that the work and her entire project will convey a message about the value of the “wonderful” island.

Vo Phung, director of Hoi An Culture and Information Center, said the islands have been cleaned regularly.

“But the work this time is a big program and has been planned carefully.”

Phung said once locals succeed in turning Cham Island into a world biosphere reserve area, they can carry over the effect to Hoi An Town.

Venkat Reddy, an Indian visitor, said turning the island into a world biosphere reserve marked an important decision to protect and nurture the island’s environment.

Reddy gave a thumbs up to the island, saying he was willing to vote for the place where the “sea is pure and beautiful like crystal” unlike many beaches in India, and that all the islanders were kind and friendly.

Reddy said the environment on Cham Island is diverse with blue seas and lush green forests and deserves to be protected.

“Happy and happy!” exclaimed Sumalini, an Indian college professor, as she left the island after spending a night on it.

VietNamNet/TN