environment

The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Trang An in the northern province of Ninh Binh has been covered by rubbish during the on-going festival season. After the Tet Holiday, large numbers of rubbish bags were dumped along two sides of the road leading to Trang An tourist site. The litter came from local households, tourists and service operators. The areas with many restaurants have been contaminated the most.  It is easy to see piles of litter along roads to the tourist complex. Many visitors have to wear masks to avoid the bad odour from the rubbish which has not yet been removed.  Bags of rubbish piled in Hoa Lu Citadel.  Rubbish is burned at the tourist site, causing smoke. The pollution has harmed the image of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The communes of Ninh Xuan and Truong Yen of Hoa Lu District, which are home to a range of restaurants, have been hardest-hit. After Tet Holiday, many households in Hoa Lu District have been found dumping rubbish. … [Read more...] about Trang An tourist site polluted by rubbish on festival season

Local authorities in the Mekong Delta have warned about forest fires during the dry season as temperatures in the last two days reached 34 degrees without any rain. Checking the pumps Le Van Hai, head of the Forest Protection Department in Ca Mau Province said on February 18 that over 54,000 hectares of forest were in danger. The situation is very serious at Vo Doi National Park. After being asked to be proactive in preparing for forest fires, many forest owners have cleaned undergrowth and cleared 300km of canals. The provincial authorities have 101 pumps ready with over 62,300 metres of hoses and 12 fire trucks. They have set up 25 warning signs at residential areas near the forest. The authorities in An Giang Province also raised the forest fire danger level to high for Thoai Son, Tri Ton, Tinh Bien and Chau Doc. National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting forecasted that from February to May, the southern region could face a rainfall shortage of about 20-40%. … [Read more...] about Forest fire danger raised for Mekong Delta

The risk of fire has been raised to the fourth level in the area near Dai Mountain in An Giang province’s Tinh Bien district.(Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Authorities in the Mekong Delta are setting up firebreaks, preparing equipment and putting up warning boards as the area’s forests face a high risk of fire in the dry season. An Giang province’s authorities have raised the fire risk to the fourth level, out of a total of five, as the risk of large forest fires increases, especially in cajuput forests in mountainous districts. The province has prepared firefighting facilities, including trucks to transport firefighters, fire extinguishers, pumps, and water containers on the top of mountains. Truong Minh Hung, deputy head of An Giang province’s Forest Protection Sub-department, said that forest owners had prepared well for fire prevention. The sub-department has set up seven firebreaks with a combined total area of 27ha in Cam and Phu Cuong mountains … [Read more...] about Mekong Delta acts to prevent forest fires in dry season

A house collapsed as a result of whirlwinds in Tua Chua district of Dien Bien province (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The recent abnormal weather conditions have indicated that natural disasters will be unpredictable in the time ahead, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting. Head of the centre’s weather forecasting division Tran Quang Nang said gales and whirlwinds occur in Vietnam mostly from March to May, which is the transition period between the cold and hot weather and between the dry and rainy seasons. Hailstorms also appear this time, especially in mountainous areas. However, hails were recorded right in mid-February 2019, indicating that the rainy season with dangerous weather phenomena like whirlwinds, gales, lightning and hailstorms is around the corner. Additionally, the recent temperature has been higher than the average of many years. Given these, weather conditions are likely to be complicated in the coming time, he noted. Nang … [Read more...] about Natural disasters unpredictable this year: forecasting centre

Illustrative photo (Source: VNA) Son La (VNA) – In 2019, Vietnam’s forestry sector will foster the implementation of forest development policies and the building of a production chain, said Vu Xuan Thon, head of the Management Board of Forestry Projects under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). Thon made the statement at a ceremony to launch the tree-planting campaign in Moc Chau district of the northern mountainous province of Son La on February 18. The event was organised by the MARD in cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Winrock International. Thon also noted that 2018 was a successful year for the forestry sector, adding that this year, it will work to connect businesses with forest owners and growers to enhance forestry values, thereby raising incomes for local people. On the occasion, the USAID-funded Vietnam Forests and Deltas (VFD) project offered assistance in planting 2,200 trees at the Dai … [Read more...] about Vietnam bolsters tree planting, livelihoods for forest growers