Victoria Angkor Resort staff pitch in to police grounds at Angkor Thom

Erica Goldberg

Volunteers gather to clean the grounds of Bayon temple last Sunday.

STAFF from the Victoria Angkor Resort and Spa in Siem Reap held a morning cleanup of the Bayon temple in Angkor Thom on September 27, as part of the Victoria Group's annual Green Day Project.

Similar events were held for the five Victoria hotels in Vietnam, although the cleanup in Sapa was cancelled due to a storm.

This is the third consecutive year that the Victoria Angkor Resort and Spa has participated in the Victoria Group's annual Green Day Project, which originated five years ago.  Resident manager Vorana Na Champassak said that the staff participated voluntarily, in lieu of a regular work day. "This is a great way to give back to the community," Champassak said.

 

Last year, when the staff cleaned Angkor Wat, there was a staggering amount of rubbish, and several tonnes of garbage were collected.  Even though Angkor's temple grounds are now kept relatively clean by hired companies, almost 100 of the hotel's staff  trekked to Bayon in a parade of honking motorcycles and created teams to clean the site.

The hotel coordinated its efforts with local authorities who were receptive to the idea.

"The response from local authorities has been very good," said marketing and communication coordinator Lina Nguyen.  "More and more, they think it's important to protect the environment."