Vietnam striving to ease air pollution

At a government press conference in Hanoi on January 8, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien said that air quality has become a serious issue, with PM2.5 fine particulate pollution a particular concern that requires urgent attention, especially in Hanoi and the northern key economic region.

He shared that in the first nine months of 2025, air quality remained at a moderate/good level, but from October to December, pollution increased sharply, peaking on December 12.

The government's press conference in Hanoi on January 8. Photo: Bich Thuy

Monitoring shows the pattern of pollution throughout the day changes. Besides being concentrated at night and early morning (when temperature inversions are strongest), air pollution is also high during peak hours such as 9-11 am and 3-5 pm (high traffic and production activity).

He explained, “The objective reasons are the unfavourable weather patterns (at the end of November and beginning of December) compared to the multi-year average (fog, prolonged temperature inversion).”

He added that the subjective reasons include emissions from traffic and increased traffic density at the end of the year, construction projects, road expansions, spontaneous burning of waste/by-products, and emissions from craft villages and industries.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is coordinating with other ministries, sectors, and localities to aggressively implement measures to strengthen the management, coordination, and control of air pollution.

These include establishing a monitoring mechanism and submitting weekly reports every Friday so the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment can compile data, assess progress, and report to the prime minister.

The ministry will also strengthen the monitoring network (installing rapid air quality sensor devices in Hanoi and neighbouring provinces), and provide forecasts and early warning information (2-3 days in advance) so that people can take protective measures.

Emergency measures will be deployed to control emission sources. In late November, according to forecasts from meteorological and hydrological services and the national environmental monitoring network, the ministry requested the immediate activation of emergency measures such as increasing street cleaning, controlling 100 per cent of construction projects, and strictly prohibiting open fires.

Research and amendments will also be made to regulations on air environmental protection in the Law on Environmental Protection, while carrying out the activities and tasks of the national steering committee on air pollution remediation.

The focus is to develop inter-regional and interprovincial regulations, especially for Hanoi and its neighbouring provinces of Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, and Hai Duong to address inter-regional and interprovincial pollution issues.

The ministry will invest in a synchronised and efficient monitoring network, develop a task outline for comprehensive modernisation and digital transformation of environmental quality management, and publish a list of major issues in science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation for the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. This will be accompanied by a task force on controlling emission sources.

Localities will be directed to conduct emissions inventories, and a national database on emission sources will be built to serve as a scientific basis for identifying causes and implementing inter-sectoral and interprovincial coordination.

It will also focus on local support, communication, and international cooperation, closely coordinate between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to establish and pilot low emission zones, and provide technical support in the transition to green transportation.

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