INTEGRATING ART INTO CONSERVATION EDUCATION: LÊ NGUYỄN TONY’S JOURNEY WITH GREENVIET

His journey with GreenViet began with a visit to the Nature Education and Experience Center at 70 Lý Tử Tấn Street, Sơn Trà Ward. From that first encounter, Lê Nguyễn Tony—an Australian theatre practitioner of Vietnamese heritage—chose to accompany GreenViet for four consecutive years (2022–2025) as an Program Development Mentor (Environmental Education) through the the Australian Volunteers Program (AVP). Through theatre, music, and creative experiential approaches, stories of the Sơn Trà ecosystem and the red-shanked douc langur were told in a relatable, emotionally engaging way, creating strong resonance and widespread impact within the community.

The most distinctive hallmark of Lê Nguyễn Tony’s journey at GreenViet lies in his integration of performing arts into conservation education. For him, the stage is not merely a place for performance, but a space where nature can “speak”—where conservation messages are conveyed through images, music, and emotion.

Within GreenViet’s education initiatives, he made significant contributions to two flagship programs, Art with Nature and Hey Langurs, Hey Monkeys!, bringing stories of red-shanked douc langur conservation to schools and communities. Through these dynamic theatre–music performances, more than 2,500 students and local residents in Đà Nẵng gained opportunities to engage with, and deepen their understanding of, the value of local nature, while nurturing a spirit of conservation.

Beyond performances, Lê Nguyễn Tony directly trained more than 50 students from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Education, University of Đà Nẵng, in applying theatre practices to community education. This initiative helped build a young cohort capable of spreading conservation messages through the language of art.

With a strong background in theatre education and extensive experience in community development programs, Lê Nguyễn Tony supported GreenViet in refreshing its nature education programs to be more visual, interactive, and learner-centered. Rather than passively listening, students and participants were encouraged to observe, experience, ask questions, and express their emotions in response to stories about the natural world of Sơn Trà.

In addition, he devoted substantial time to composing and supporting the production of 10 songs about the Red-shanked Douc Langur and the Sơn Trà Peninsula, accompanied by illustrated videos and educational games. These outputs have become vivid, accessible learning resources that can be used long-term in schools and community activities.

Thanks to these innovations, GreenViet’s conservation education programs have contributed to raising awareness among approximately 10,000 students, university learners, and residents of Đà Nẵng, helping them better understand the value of local nature and the role each individual plays in protecting biodiversity.

Mr. Trần Hữu Vỹ, Director of GreenViet, shared:
“The contributions of Lê Nguyễn Tony have brought an entirely new approach to conservation education at GreenViet. Through art, our programs have become more vivid and emotionally engaging, allowing conservation messages to spread more deeply throughout the community. Tony is not only an education mentor, but also an important bridge connecting GreenViet with international partners and friends, helping our conservation efforts gain wider visibility and leave a distinctive mark.”

Beyond education and artistic activities, Lê Nguyễn Tony also made important contributions to strengthening GreenViet’s institutional capacity. He provided training for more than 10 project staff in visual storytelling and documentary filmmaking skills; supported the development of education programs designed to engage effectively with both Vietnamese students and international visitors; assisted with backing up GreenViet’s data on NAS software; and contributed to the completion of a repository of over 3,000 biodiversity conservation education materials on the platform thiennhiendanang.vn, a digital resource now widely used by teachers and the community.

From a long-term perspective, he has also served as a consultant on ideas for developing a new Nature Education Center that integrates art, technology, and experiential learning, while fostering connections with education and arts partners both domestically and internationally.

Lê Nguyễn Tony’s journey with GreenViet demonstrates that when art is placed in the right context, conservation education becomes neither distant nor difficult to access. The numbers of participants reached, programs implemented, and educational resources produced provide clear evidence of the positive impact he has brought—helping to sow and sustain a love for nature throughout the community.