Go to the zoo.

(Baonghean) - On the recent September 2nd holiday, my family didn't go far, just stayed around the city. Thinking that everyone else would be out celebrating and the city would be deserted, we decided to take little Bim to the zoo.

Unexpectedly, not only were city dwellers there, but people from the suburbs also flocked to the zoo, making it even more crowded than usual. We walked and walked but couldn't find any animal enclosures, only crowds of people. Some spread out mats to eat and drink, others hung hammocks under the trees for afternoon naps. Many families brought their children, who lay sprawled on the grass. Mothers sat fanning their children to keep them cool. The men sat drinking beer and eating sticky rice and chicken they'd brought from home.

Normally, the zoo is a place with few visitors because city dwellers are so busy, but today it was bustling like a festival. Little Bim pulled my hand and asked, "Uncle, are we in the wrong place? I don't see any animals."

The whole family took one last stroll around the zoo before deciding to head back because of the crowds and the noisy eating and celebrating. We thought a holiday would be a chance to get some fresh air and escape the smog from the cars, but it turned out to be no different.

Zoo. Photo: Internet

A foreign friend of mine once made this comment when he came to Vietnam, which has been making me think a lot ever since: "I have to take advantage of coming to Vietnam while it's not yet a hot tourist destination like Thailand or Bali. Because if I wait until it's popular and everyone comes, it will be completely ruined."

Similarly, I once visited a waterfall in western Nghe An province. The first time, it was pristine and unspoiled, beautiful and clean. After a while, it received enthusiastic media attention, and people flocked to visit. When I returned a second time, I could barely recognize the waterfall from before. It was covered in tourist trash, and some areas even reeked of urine because people used them as places to relieve themselves.

Tourism is touted as a "smokeless industry," with the expectation of generating economic benefits without harming the environment. However, in reality, this is likely a long way from being achieved. Famous tourist destinations like Spain, Thailand, Italy, and France have all paid a significant environmental and social price. Vietnam is also aiming to develop tourism as one of its key economic sectors. Are we ready to accept this environmental cost, or are we prepared to avoid repeating the mistakes of those other tourist nations?

Before discussing such distant matters, let's consider ourselves: do we even know how to dispose of trash properly, or how to keep our living spaces clean and green? How much more so for visitors?

Hai Trieu