Clean-up: Hanoian students join efforts to give the Tuoi Tre Park a facelift. The park was once notorious as a rendezvous for drug addicts. — VNA Dinh Tran

THUA THIEN – HUE — The ancient city of Hue took the centre-stage on Saturday as a week-long programme was launched to observe the World Environment Day that falls on Tuesday.

Hue has been chosen by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as one of four cities in the world on which celebrations of the event will be focused.

Hue was joined on Saturday by many cities and provinces nation-wide.

The provincial software technology centre marked the occasion by setting up a website named Green Hue that will on which all available environment-related information will be posted.

The website will highlight the natural resources of Thua Thien – Hue Province, the existing environmental situation, pollution control efforts, and the community’s environment protection activities.

About 100 students from the Hue’s universities have volunteered to organise a series of cultural and art activities with environmental protection as the main theme.

Residents around the world famous citadel of the last Vietnamese feudal regime headed by the Nguyen Dynasty also took a pledge on Saturday to protect the environment at the city’s various historical sites.

Other non-civil sectors including the ministries of Police and Defence also joined to mark the day with many practical activities.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment has announced that it will award this week four organisations and nine individuals for their contributions to safeguarding the environment.

The award, the first of this kind in Viet Nam, seeks to encourage every individual, foreign and domestic organisation to participate actively to environmental activities.

The prize-winners were picked from 116 environmental activists nation-wide.

The Viet Nam Environment and Natural Protection Association was scheduled to present prizes to its members working at the Bach Ma National Park, as well as 14 other individuals, mostly scientists, journalists and writers and film directors for their outstanding achievements on Tuesday. — VNS

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