After a 15-day trip to the Antarctic, six Vietnamese people are returning home, with an environmental protection message.

Hoang Thi Minh Hong, Nguyen Lan Anh, Nguyen Phuong Anh, Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, Nguyen Thi Phuong Ngan and Le Tua are among 47 members of the international exploration group from 18 countries in the world. They boarded the Clipper Adventure ship on November 18 to sail to the South Pole.

The group sent a message to world leaders before the UN Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark this month, calling for global cooperation in seeking solutions to cope with the environmental crisis that faces the earth.

Robert Swan, the world’s leading adventure and environmental activist, head of the exploration group, said that world leaders have to see the South Pole convention as an example of a success story - countries working together for the common gold of preserving the earth.

Vietnamese members promised to bring the above message to Vietnam and work with the Vietnamese government, businesses and people in seeking solutions and taking action to protect the environment.

“The world is facing an environmental crisis and Asia, the world’s fastest developing region, can be the solution for that crisis if countries have sustainable development policies and citizens are aware of their significant responsibility,” Swan said.

Hoang Minh Hong, the leader of Vietnamese explorers, said: “We went to the Antarctic this time with a new mission: we will not only promote awareness of environmental disasters but also seek solutions and take actions for environmental issues in Vietnam.”.

The International South Pole Convention was signed in 1959 in the US by 12 countries. This convention’s Environmental Protection Protocol can be amended in 2041.

VietNamNet/VNE