Illustrative Image (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Low-cost models and sustainable energy solutions applied for the community in rural and mountainous areas were introduced at a recent seminar in Hanoi, which was jointly held by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Live & Learn and the French Cultural Centre (L’Espace) in Hanoi. Among the solutions were wind-power generators using recycled materials for the community living on Red River’s sand-bank, renovated cooking stove for rural and mountainous households, and air filter using solar power. Nguyen Tuan Anh, Director of the The he xanh (Green Generation) JSC, held that using traditional stoves of Vietnam is harmful for both human health and the environment. Therefore, the company has developed new models of cooking stoves to save materials and protect people’s health and the environment by reducing carbon emissions. As the company’s calculation, the model will save 50-60 percent of … [Read more...]

Volunteers collected waste at public places in HCM City on April 22 in response to Earth Day 2018. (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Nearly 2,000 volunteers collected waste at public places in Ho Chi Minh City on April 22 in response to Earth Day 2018 which has the theme of “End Plastic Pollution.” The campaign was jointly launched by the organisation “Vietnam Clean and Green” and HCM City’s Youth Federation. A survey conducted by the HCM City Department of Natural Resources and Environment found that the volume of plastic trash in the city is just behind food waste, with an estimated 250,000 tonnes of plastic waste discarded each year. According to HCM City’s waste recycling fund, if 48,000 tonnes of plastic waste, which are buried in the southern metropolis each year, are recycled, the city can save about 15 billion VND (660,000) annually. The same day, more than 500 representatives from businesses, organisations, clubs and volunteer … [Read more...]

Vinh Tan 4 thermal coal-fired power plant in the central province of Binh Thuan. (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam is reviewing and updating the country’s carbon emission target to better comply with the Paris agreement on climate change and prepare for the global assessment later this year. Deputy Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Vo Tuan Nhan announced the review during a recent consultation workshop, where international partners such as UNDP and EU contributed ideas and technical expertise to help the country reduce its emissions. Nhan said that Vietnam started its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) back in June last year and the report has been mostly completed. The greenhouse gas mitigation component focuses primarily on energy-related policies, industrial and agricultural production, land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) and waste. Evaluation of data needed for calculating costs and the feasibility of greenhouse gas mitigation in various … [Read more...]

The Norwegian People’s Aid and Quang Tri province signed an agreement on April 18 to implement a project to restore the environment and neutralising the effects of the war (Photo: VNA) Quang Tri (VNA) – The Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) will provide 225 billion VND (USD) for the central province of Quang Tri to settle post-war bomb and landmine impacts in the locality. The funding comes under an agreement signed on April 18 between the NPA and the provincial People’s Committee to carry out the project “Restoring the Environment and Neutralising the Effects of the War” (RENEW). During 2018-2022, the project will focus on conducting technical and non-technical surveys to support efforts to clean up land that has been contaminated by unexploded ordnance as well as enhancing management capacity of the project. At the signing ceremony, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Mai Thuc affirmed the crucial role of the NPA in … [Read more...]

Participants pose for a photo at the 2018 Green Climate Fund (GCF) Structured Dialogue with Asia in Da Nang (Photo: VNA)   Da Nang (VNS/VNA) - Vietnam has given top priority to measures aimed at reducing Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and those that promote climate change resilience, with the aim of seeing an 8 percent GHG reduction by 2030. Vice Minister of Investment and Planning Nguyen The Phuong made these remarks at the 2018 Green Climate Fund (GCF) Structured Dialogue with Asia in Da Nang on April 17. He also said that Vietnam would hit its committed target in sustainable development if the country was to receive positive support and funding from the Global Climate Fund (GCF) and its partners in the coming year. “Many measures have been taken by the government to raise awareness among communities and businesses on the issue of climate change and GHG emissions. The Government has assigned Vietnam Electricity Group to buy renewable power from companies, and … [Read more...]

At the workshop (Source: VNA) Bac Lieu (VNA) – Measures to deal with drought and saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta region were discussed during a workshop in Bac Lieu province on April 17. Organised by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, the event drew experts, scientists and managers from research institutes and universities, and representatives from regional localities such as Bac Lieu, Soc Trang, Hau Giang, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh and Kien Giang. Experts assessed solutions to adapt to drought and saltwater intrusion in this year’s dry season, while discussing the efficiency of transformative economic models that have been implemented to address the problem. Coastal provinces in the Mekong Delta are mostly affected by salinity intrusion and climate change. Scientists said the best solution is to plant crops able to adapt to climate change. Associate Professor, PhD. Vo Cong Thanh from Can Tho University stressed the need to pay more attention to building … [Read more...]

Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Pereric Hogberg addressed the “7 Day Challenge” campaign in Hanoi (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The “7 Day Challenge” campaign, an initiative from Sweden, has arrived in Vietnam. It encourages the participants to eat, move and live without harming the environment. “Since I came some years ago, I met so many young Vietnamese who think very much about security and safety in daily life. It’s about air safety, water safety, food safety - what does it come from? Of course, traffic safety,” Pereric Hogberg, Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam told Vietnam News Agency on the launch of the campaign. The event was organised by the United Nations, the Swedish Embassy in Vietnam and the Live & Learn Environmental Education Centre. It has three periods, starting on April 10, April 17 or April 24 and lasts for a week. It was previously held in Kenya, Brazil, India and Indonesia. The campaign’s hashtag … [Read more...]

Prolonged heat in the southernmost province of Ca Mau has exposed 43,000 hectares of cajeput forest in U Minh Ha National Park . (Photo: VNA) Ca Mau (VNA) – Prolonged heat in the southernmost province of Ca Mau has exposed 43,000 hectares of cajeput forest in U Minh Ha National Park to high risk of forest fires, according to the local forest protection sub-department. Of the total forest areas, which have been dried up, over 4,200 hectares were given extremely dangerous level (level 5) warning and other 14,600 hectares dangerous level (level 4) warning. Forest fires are likely to affect areas in Nguyen Phich, Khanh An and Khanh Lam communes in U Minh district and Khanh Binh Tay Bac commune in Tran Van Thoi district. Relevant authorities and forest owners have arranged forces around the clock in case forest fires occur while keeping close watch on the local water level to give prompt forest fire warning and operate firefighting in a timely manner. Communication work is also … [Read more...]

A turtle believed to be of the same species as the one that lived in Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi was found in the Dong Mo Lake outside the city in 2007. (Photo courtesy of biologist Ha Dinh Duc) Hanoi (VNA) - A new turtle with an appearance similar to that of the turtle that lived in Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi have been found. But according to an expert, it is yet to be confirmed if they are of the same species. The Asia Turtle Programme (ATP) announced last week it had found a turtle of the same species as the Hoan Kiem turtle in a town north of Hanoi using environmental DNA testing (eDNA) techniques.  ATP considered this “a ground-breaking discovery” since the last turtle that lived in Hoan Kiem Lake – one of the last of the Yangtze giant softshell turtles, belonging to the species Rafetus swinhoei – died in January 2016. The species now has just three living specimens, two in China and one in a lake outside Hanoi. If the turtle found by ATP is of … [Read more...]

Authorities in Hai Duong Province inspect a stretch of the Bac Hung Hai irrigation channel in the province in February 2018. Stretches of the channel in Hanoi and in the provinces of Hung Yen and Hai Duong have been severely polluted in the past years, affecting several households. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) will spend 30 percent of its budget and personnel on irregular inspections of suspected environmental violations this year, said MONRE deputy chief inspector Le Vu Tuan Anh. The MONRE will conduct irregular inspections of river basins where violations of environmental regulations have been reported, such as Bac Hung Hai and Duy Tien irrigation channels, Anh said. The ministry will also conduct irregular examinations of environmental issues in Hanoi and in the northern provinces of Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, Ha Nam and Nam Dinh, he added. ‘Irregular inspections’ are those conducted after environmental issues have … [Read more...]