I registered for Mount Ba Den- clean- up trip immediately when being informed about it because I liked sports and had considerable experience of mountain climbing. We started the trip early in that morning with a tasty breakfast, which included noodles and beef, as well as necessary things for climbing up the mountain.

We set off at 5.00 am to Mount Ba Den. It was raining heavily, therefore we had to stop at the foot of the mountain. We started climbing up the mountain with never ending set of stairs. There were big obstacles to conquer the highest mountain in the Southeast Vietnam when we reached the huge rocks at the end of the stair-paths.

The path up to the top of the mountain was more dangerous and slippery than usual because of the earlier heavy rain. However all the members encouraged each other to climb up the rocks with the strong will to finish the tasks. After 30 minutes, 1 hour and then 2 hours we reached Uncle Tu’s stop which was one third of the way. That man, a shopkeeper at the foot of the mountain, was loved for his enthusiasm, cheer, sincerity and kindness like the local people. He was born and brought up in Tay Ninh province but decided to live there, which made me amazed. While I , who was pretty sporty, found it difficult to reach his stop, he went there 5 times a week to bring the commodities. He had worked there for over 30 years. All the commodities must have been carried  without the trollies or easy transportation because everything was very primitive there such as: his table, chair or even the waterproof dome. The goods were so cheap compared with his hard work. He always advised travellers to rest and drink enough water because there was only one stop on the way to the mountain.

He was very enthusiastic to guide all the climbers with his life-long experience to reach the top of the mountain. He also considered all young people as his relatives even if it was the first time they met. Therefore we seemed to forget almost the tiredness and had more power to finish the next two third of the way

Have reached the top, we began to clean up. In my opinion, it was at the top of the mountain there was the most amount of trash because that was the place for people to camp and relax. There were a lot of signs on the way to remind people not to throw rubbish but they still did. We all cleaned up the mountain with our enthusiasm and belief of having the good result.

Eventhough VHV’s members are very young and have not got much experience and life skill, we still join hands to preserve our environment. What about you????

P.s: I have gained a lot of experiences not only about the climbing-up skills but also about the solidarity and the enthusiasm through this trip. What an enjoyable and meaningful trip.

Ánh Nguyễn.

 Translator: Nguyen Hang