Hanoi - A video posted on Leonardo DiCaprio's Instagram account
calling for an end to pollution in a world-famous Vietnamese bay
passed the 1-million-viewer mark on Wednesday.
The 58-second clip shows aerial footage of the floating village of
Cai Beo in Lan Ha Bay, located around 10 kilometres south-west of
world famous Ha Long Bay. It has garnered 1,143,664 views as of
Wednesday.
"This traditional fishing village in Lan Ha Bay, Vietnam, floats atop
emerald waters among lush limestone karst formations," DiCaprio says
in the description beneath the video. "Villagers depend on the sea
for survival and make a living from fishing, aquaculture, and
tourism."
"It looks like paradise, but their unique way of life is threatened
by wastewater, plastic pollution, unsustainable tourist activities,
and climate change," he adds. "If Lan Ha Bay is to remain a beautiful
place to live and visit, tourists must take care to reduce their
environmental impact while visiting - if they visit at all."
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Leonardo DiCaprio(@leonardodicaprio) on May 29, 2020 at 9:31am PDT
It is unclear whether DiCaprio has ever visited the bay, although the
message aligns with the actor's well-known interest in environmental
issues.
In 2014, he was named a United Nations messenger of peace, a role he
has regularly used to draw attention to climate change.
Vietnamese borders remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, so
the international tourism industry is currently dead in the water.
In 2017, however, officials in Ha Long City told local media that two
tons of trash was being dumped into Ha Long Bay every single day,
with the area's tourism industry largely to blame.