The Sustainable Future Leaders Camp in Da Nang and Hoi An was one of the most transformative experiences I’ve ever had. As a team leader, I guided a group of students from across Vietnam through a week of activities that connected science, culture, and the environment. It wasn’t just about learning sustainability,  it was about living it together.

Throughout the camp, I learned what hands-on leadership truly means. Our team planted over 300 trees in wildfire-affected areas, turning dry ground into the beginnings of a living forest. We renovated and painted two heritage sites and war cemeteries, working alongside 80 volunteers to preserve stories that time could have erased.

We also spent hours on the coast of Da Nang, where we collected more than 500 kilograms of plastic waste. Each bag was a small victory in a long fight against pollution. Later, we turned awareness into engagement through the “Amazing Race for the Ocean”, a conservation event that involved 200+ tourists and locals, mixing education with play to spark a love for the sea.

Every activity was different, but the feeling was the same: a quiet sense of pride in doing something that mattered, even if just for one small corner of the world.

When I think back to that week, what stays with me isn’t the number of trees or the amount of trash we collected. It’s the feeling of standing side by side with people who cared. The laughter after a long day in the sun, the paint-stained hands, the shared silence before plating the next tree, that’s where I learned what leadership truly is

It’s not about organizing tasks or giving instructions. It’s about creating moments where others feel ownership and purpose. The camp taught me that sustainability isn’t only about protecting the Earth, it’s about nurturing the human spirit that chooses to protect it. That’s the kind of leadership I want to keep pursuing.

 

We started with STEM workshops, where over 120 participants learned through playful experiments that turned curiosity into understanding. Then came something completely different –  a Zèng weaving session, where 50 campers sat together with ethnic artisans, threading colorful yarns while listening to stories of their homeland. It was in those quiet, shared moments that I realized sustainability isn’t just about the planet, it’s also about preserving the people and traditions that belong to it.

That spirit of connection carried through every project from restoring forests to cleaning beaches. The camp became a reminder to me  that meaningful change often starts small: with a single conversation, a shared effort, or a tree planted in the soil of hope.