22 December 2025, Bui Thi Xuan – Mui Ne Highschool, 1121 Participants
Reported by Lê Đoàn Ngọc Hân, Lê Đỗ Thanh Tú
The Organizing Committee of the No Plastic Mũi Né Project held the “No Plastic Mũi Né – A Journey Toward a Plastic-Free Lifestyle” Closing Ceremony and Award Presentation at Bùi Thị Xuân – Mũi Né High School to conclude the program through reflection and recognition. The event also marked the award presentation for the recycling competition “Turning Waste into Useful Items” which encouraged students to creatively transform plastic waste into functional products. Through this closing activity, the program reinforced students’ understanding of plastic pollution and its impacts on marine ecosystems and human health, while promoting green lifestyles, creativity, teamwork, and a sense of responsibility toward waste reduction. Awards and certificates were presented to Booth Day participants and competition winners, alongside certificates of appreciation for the local organizing team. The project’s co-founders and the school principal were also formally recognized, underscoring the strong collaborative partnership behind the initiative.
Key Takeaways
- Experiential learning significantly enhanced environmental awareness and practical application: Through hands-on recycling activities, 22 student classes transformed post-consumer materials into functional products, demonstrating applied understanding of waste reduction and circular economy principles.
- Structured collaboration fostered interpersonal and leadership skill development among students: Participation in event planning, coordination, and presentation enabled local organizing members to develop communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership skills, supported by mentorship from the Saigon team under a training-of-trainers approach.
- Integrated communication strategies increased project reach and collective engagement: The closing ceremony and its media dissemination reached over 1,100 on-site participants and generated strong online engagement, reinforcing collective ownership and extending environmental messaging beyond the physical event.
Main Highlights
- Date: 22 December 2025
- Venue or location: Bui Thi Xuan – Mui Ne Highschool
- Organizer and co-organizers: Bui Thi Xuan – Mui Ne Highschool and GRAC Technology (Grac Tech)
- Participants: Students and Teachers from Bùi Thị Xuân – Mũi Né Highschool
- No. of participants: 1121 participants
Activities Implemented
Plastic Recycling Competition “Turning waste into useful items”
The activity engaged students from Bùi Thị Xuân – Mũi Né High School. Each class was asked to create and submit one recycled product as part of the activity, aiming to encourage plastic reuse while fostering creativity and strengthening environmental awareness among students. Organizational and gift-related expenses, totalling VND 3,000,000, were generously sponsored by Ms. Lê Thị Ngọc Diễm (MSc), the program’s mentor, in support of the successful implementation of the event. Entries will be evaluated using the following criteria (10 point total): practical usability (4 pts), environmental significance (2 pts), creativity and originality (2 pts), and aesthetic quality (2 pts). The evaluator is Ms. Lê Thị Ngọc Diễm, a lecturer at the Faculty of Environment, Ho Chi Minh City University of Natural Resources and Environment, and a visiting lecturer at Van Lang University, with extensive experience in wastewater treatment, resource reuse, biotechnology, and circular economy models, and served as a judge alongside Vietnam Fellows.
Award Winning Entries
In total there were 22 products submitted from all participating classes. All products were created from post-consumer plastic or reused materials and demonstrated practical usability, creativity, and positive environmental messages. The submissions reflect students’ awareness of plastic waste reduction and their ability to transform discarded materials into functional and meaningful items. The winning teams received the following prize amounts.
Table 2 Award structure (Sponsored by Ms. Lê Thị Ngọc Diễm (MSc))
| Award Category | Number of Awards | Value per Award (VND) | Total (VND) |
| First Prize | 1 | 400,000 | 400,000 |
| Second Prize | 2 | 300,000 | 600,000 |
| Third Prize | 2 | 200,000 | 400,000 |
| Consolation Prizes | 7 | 150,000 | 1,050,000 |
| Total Prize Budget | 2,450,000 | ||
Closing Ceremony
The Closing Ceremony was held on Monday morning to coincide with the school’s weekly assembly, enabling the participation of the wider school community, including students, teachers, school leaders, and representatives from PEDACO as a project partner. The 45-minute program was structured to balance formal proceedings with active student engagement.
To support the scale and formality of the event, the Saigon-based Content Team played a key coordinating role. Their responsibilities included developing the program rundown, preparing the master of ceremonies script, and organizing the sequence of award presentations and acknowledgements. A full rehearsal was conducted one day prior to the event to test stage arrangements, refine transitions, and provide on-site guidance to the local organizing team. This preparation ensured the ceremony was delivered smoothly, professionally, and in line with the educational objectives of the No Plastic Mũi Né project. Special commemorative engraved trophies were also prepared and presented to the School Board as a gesture of gratitude and recognition.
A consolidated visual record of the Closing Ceremony and Award Presentation is available at the following link.
Outcomes
The Closing Ceremony recorded the participation of 1,121 participants, including students and teachers from the entire school, the organizing team from Saigon, and representatives from partner organizations. This broad participation reflects strong school-wide engagement and effective coordination among internal and external stakeholders.
The program provided hands-on experience for the local organizing team in event planning and operational management, allowing students to directly engage in real-world tasks such as coordination, logistics, stage management, and audience control. Through close collaboration with the Saigon organizing team, the local team benefited from a training-of-trainers (ToT) approach, where knowledge and practical skills were transferred through mentoring, guidance, and on-site supervision rather than theoretical instruction alone.
For the Saigon team, the process strengthened leadership capacity, communication skills, and adaptability in cross-location project management. Team members practiced mentoring roles, offering structured advice while empowering local members to take ownership of execution.
In addition, the competition successfully attracted 22 student groups (class collectives) to participate and present their recycled products, demonstrating a high level of student initiative, creativity, and environmental awareness. This outcome highlights the project’s ability to mobilize collective action, foster soft skills development, and translate sustainability concepts into tangible, student-led outcome
Establishment of Environmental Club
As a key outcome of the project, an Environment Club was officially established after the program’s completion to ensure continuity in youth empowerment and youth leadership. The initiative was formally approved by the school board, with Vietnam Fellows serving as mentors and advisors for the club’s executive committee. Notably, club members are drawn from the No Plastic Mũi Né local organizing team, enabling sustained leadership development and institutional memory.
Based on recommendations from the No Plastic Mũi Né Organizing Committee, the club holds strong potential for long-term impact through proposed activities such as environmental awareness sessions and mini workshops on green living, periodic clean-up and trash collection campaigns within the school and surrounding community, the “A Green Corner for Every Class” program, and regular “Green Sundays” focused on beach and sidewalk clean-ups. Through these initiatives, the club is positioned to continuously propagate environmental responsibility among students and the wider community.
Collaboration & Partnership
The event was made possible through the support of several key partners. Xanh Việt Nam Community, a non-profit organization operating in all 63 provinces in Viet Nam and with a volunteer base of over 50,000 members, served as the communication partner, amplifying outreach and ensuring consistent public visibility. GRAC Technology, a pioneering Vietnamese company using smart technologues to buold zero-waste cities and promote circular economy joined as the accompanying sponsor, provided eco-friendly gifts for the Boothday exchange activity, including recycled-material pens, seed packets, and canvas bags. PEDACO, a professional waste collection and transport provider, supported the project by ensuring all collected plastics were safely transferred to the recycling facility. Meanwhile, Bùi Thị Xuân – Mũi Né High School, our key institutional partner, facilitated strong student engagement, and uniform sponsorship from Dong Phuc Á Châu (Asia Uniform), a major uniform manufacturer and supplier in Viet Nam helped create a cohesive identity for both organizing teams.
