Experts and members of the technical working group of five Mekong sub-region countries gathered at a seminar in Hanoi on June 2, discussing solutions to transboundary haze pollution. According to Nguyen Huu Dung, Deputy Head of the Forest Ranger Department, the seminar will make suggestions to the agenda of the third meeting of the Mekong Sub-region Technical Working Group and the fourth conference of the Standing Committee of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, which will be held in the next two days.
An environmental and development contest for 2009-2010 was launched in Hanoi on June 3 in response to World Environment Day on June 5. The contest, entitled “Adapting to Climate Change,” aims to raise awareness and understanding in the community, especially people living in coastal areas, about the environment and maritime pollution.
Every day, hundreds of visitors descend upon the lush green Cham Islands off the central coast of Hoi An Town. With pristine white-sand beaches and crystal-clear water, the area is renowned for both its beauty and vast biodiversity. Now, locals of the eight-island cluster can boast one more glowing attribute of the area – UNESCO recognition of the islands as a global biosphere reserve.
Ho Chi Minh City is one of the 10 cities in the world most vulnerable to climate change along with Dacca in Bangladesh, Shengzhen and Guangdong in China, Bangkok in Thailand, and Yangon in Myanmar. The remark was made by the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in a press release for the World Environment Day, June 5, quoting from a report by the Paris-based Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development.
Building concentrated water supply systems, using water economically and planting trees are considered immediate and long-term solutions to the reduction of groundwater level, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE).
Sixty of Binh Thuan province’s 100 beach resorts, including most three and four-star enterprises, have brought their wastewater treatment facilities into compliance with national standards. The province is pressing the rest to complete upgrades by September, the high season for international visitors. Resorts not in compliance by 31 December will lose their licenses.
The domestic trading and real estate company Sy Cat has submitted a plan to Ba Ria-Vung Tau province’s authorities to build a wind energy plant worth some US$26 million on Con Dao island off the southern coastal province, in line with the province’s plan to turn Con Dao into an eco-tourism island.
Vietnam will hold a Sea and Islands Week between June 1-8 in response to the World Ocean Day (June 8). According to Dr. Nguyen Chu Hoi, Deputy Head of the Vietnam Sea and Islands General Department, the event, the first of its kind in the country, is considered a significant milestone for Vietnam’s sea and islands management sector as well as for the world ocean community.
A photographic exhibition featuring the flora and fauna in Vietnam’s national parks will be held in Hanoi from May 30 to June 7. The exhibition will give local visitors the chance to view 45 photographs of Ha Long Bay, Cat Tien, Cat Ba and Ca Mau Cape National Parks taken by photographers Kevin Vang and Wojciech Dabrowka.
Phu Quoc is Vietnam’s largest island. Situated in the Gulf of Thailand, the island is part of Kien Giang province. The district of Phu Quoc includes the island proper and 21 smaller islets. Phu Quoc is called a “Tourist Heaven”. Under the government’s scheme, by 2020 Phu Quoc will be a sea ecological tourism centre, attracting 2-3 million visitors a year.