An American finds fame, lots of cockroaches in Hanoi’s mucky storm drains
VOV.VN - On June 2, the Wall Street Journal ran an article by James Hookway on James Kendall, an American teacher in Vietnam, who helped clear refuse from Hanoi waterways in May.
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| James Kendall, an American teacher in Vietnam, began clearing refuse from Hanoi waterways in May and has gathered a following of other cleanup volunteers. PHOTO: JAMES KENDALLL |
James Kendall has a dirty way of having of fun that has made him one of Vietnam’s favorite Americans, the article said.
James Hookway talked about curiosity of bystanders when Mr. Kendall stepped into Hanoi’s canals and floodways to clean up refuse voluntarily earlier in May for first time. Kendall also got a telling-off from a local government officer.
He kept up his cleanup act and suddenly has become something of a celebrity and a focus for the country’s growing environmental movement after the city’s mayor Nguyen Duc Chung awarded him a medal.
On May 23, he was on the evening television news, second only to a report on US President Barack Obama lifting a Cold War arms embargo on Vietnam during his state visit.
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| Mr. Kendall has gained celebrity in Vietnam for his efforts to clear storm drains and other waterways. PHOTO:JAMES HOOKWAY/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL |
James Hookway also talked about software developer Nguyen Quoc Trinh, 26, who found Mr. Kendall’s Facebook page, Keep Hanoi Clean, and joined volunteers from his neighborhood to clean up their community and plant trees the following weekend.
Trinh is working on developing a smartphone app that lets people use GPS and Google Maps to pinpoint problem areas and describe what kind of work needs to be done.
