An Australian man has been rowing on a 230-kilometre journey across the Mekong Delta to raise awareness about water pollution in Vietnam.

After his departure from Cambodia earlier this month, Rod Kidney arrived in Can Tho on Monday.

Kidney, who is a trainer at a windsurfing and hang gliding club in the beach town of Mui Ne, in the south central province of Binh Thuan, said he has been living in Vietnam for five years.

After seeing the plastic bags that flood Mui Ne Beach every day, Kidney said he decided that someone must take action against the pollution.

“There must be someone to raise awareness and to spread the message of the importance of keeping the seas and rivers clean in Vietnam,” he said.

He started his journey on a boat that is 3.3 metres long by 80 centimetres wide and weighs 20 kilogrammes.

Covering an average of 20 kilometres a day by spending four to six hours rowing, Kidney said he expects to finish the journey in Tra Vinh Province on May 26.

Throughout the trip, he met with some schools and community and state organizations to spread his message, which is “the source of water is also the source of life.”

“People tend to talk about the source of water,” he said. “But I’m more to the thought that life begins from water.”