Protect the natural environment

According to a report of the Vietnam Environment Administration (VEA), the monitoring results in 2021 showed that the quality of most river water of large basins including the Red, Thai Binh, Ma Chu, Ca La, Vu Gia, and Thu Bon rivers and the Mekong Delta are maintained well. At many river sections, the water is used for domestic, aquaculture and other purposes. The To Lich River has always been one of Hanoi's pollution hotspots The average monitoring results have not thrown up unusual signals. However, local pollution is still recorded in some river sections flowing through densely populated areas, craft villages, and industrial production areas, like the Cau River before flowing into Thai Nguyen City or the Nhue River section through Hanoi City. River basin pollution is mainly of organic and nutrient sources. Most monitoring stations have not recorded any signs of metal pollution and pesticides. Deputy VEA Director Hoang Van Thuc said the agency will continue to … [Read more...] about River pollution: Large discharge facilities to be strictly controlled

Illustration by Trịnh Lập by Nguyễn Mỹ Hà Local residents and environmentalists have been spreading the news that UNESCO Việt Nam has opposed an official letter from the Đồng Nai People's Committee consulting on a contractor's proposal to build a 40km highway with a bridge across the core zone of the Đồng Nai Biosphere Reserve. VnExpress news website reported that UNESCO Việt Nam, in response to the letter, strongly suggested not building a road across the world biosphere for fear the damage would impact flora and fauna in reserve. It added that the full biodiverse ecological corridor would be affected. Vehicles moving on the road could accidentally kill animals crossing it, and the construction process would pollute the soil, air and groundwater. If this happens, the criteria for a world biosphere would not be met, and Đồng Nai Reserve could be crossed off the list of world biospheres. It also cited that building a bridge and a national highway failed to meet Việt Nam's … [Read more...] about Đồng Nai Biosphere Reserve must not be spoilt

A stamp exhibition, under the theme “For the Green” took place at Ho Chi Minh Museum, Number 2 Le Duan Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City on November 20 th in response to environmental protection in Vietnam, the UN International Forest Year, the wild life and ecosystem protection campaign and sustainable use of biodiversity. On display are 38 sets of stamps of 30 collectors, reflecting nature, environment, flora and fauna species as well as the culture, people and history of Vietnam and countries in the world. The event aims to mobilise people to take active part in protecting flora and fauna species, ecosystems and the biodiversity. Dinh Duc Tuan, the winner of the fifth Viet Stamp Exhibition confided that he decided to introduce set of stamps about environment, especially about polar ice melting, to raise  people’s awareness and responsibility on protection of the environment. Source: SGGP Translated by Tran Hoai … [Read more...] about “For the Green” Viet Stamp Exhibition kicks off in Ho Chi Minh City

Reporter: The adoption of VNLOS could be considered the localization of the UNCLOS in Vietnam. Could you please  elaborate more about the policy and principles of Vietnam when applying the above two legal documents to the demarcation of waters and dealing with arising issues at sea in reality, sir? Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh: First, There are two basic legal documents that we rely on when exploiting resources, protecting and operating in Vietnamese waters. They are UNCLOS internationally and VNLOS domestically. At present, there are a lot of conventions, international laws or legal documents. They are not issued by any courts, but built based on the commitments of coastal and island states. Due to the characteristics of UNCLOS, each country needs to devise its own law of the sea, but basically all of those laws must comply with and be based on UNCLOS. Generally, international conventions or laws at large, not only on the sea, are loose to some extents, but first … [Read more...] about Part 3: Upholding VNLOS is upholding international law

For the first time, Việt Nam has had a representative in the Ironman World Championship. Lâm Túc Ngân, 27, from HCM City, qualified for the biggest event after winning Ironman Philippines 140.6’s 25-29 year-old female group and finishing in the top 8 of the women's ranking. She will join powerful athletes from all over the world at the 2022 event in Hawai in early October. Ngân shares her experience and plans for the upcoming race. Lâm Túc Ngân will be the first Vietnamese to compete at the World Ironman Championship in October in Hawaii, the US. Photo from Lâm Túc Ngân facebook Inner Sanctum: Congratulations. You are the first Vietnamese to earn a slot at the Ironman World Championship. How do you feel? Thank you. It is several months to go to the world championship. There are many things to work on. In the last 15 years of the world tournament, there was no one from Việt Nam. Lâm Túc Ngân trains for her world competition. She plans to complete the race … [Read more...] about Woman with an iron will

That statement was made by Dr. Tran Cong Truc, former head of the Government Border Committee. An international comprehensive legal document On April 30, 1982, the third U.N. Conference on the Law of the Sea passed a new convention named The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982. On June 23, 1994, Vietnam was one of the first countries in the world to ratify the convention and became a member of UNCLOS. According to Dr. Tran Cong Truc, UNCLOS 1982 was built on the basis of “whole package,” including all aspects related to the law of the sea. This is a comprehensive international legal document that consists of all the most important legal contents and practices in reality concerning seas and oceans. The most important part of the convention is that it devises a united measure of defining waters and continental shelf under the sovereignty and sovereign and jurisdiction rights of coastal countries. The convention also defines clearly the rights and … [Read more...] about Part 1: A fair look into UNCLOS 1982 needed