Hanoi to be cleaner with two wastewater plants on horizon

Hanoi authorities and Japanese consultants are working on a project to construct two plants to treat waste water in a bid to further improve the environment in the capital city in the 2010-2020 period.

Nation grapples with rising river pollution

Viet Nam is struggling to find measures to prevent pollution in the country’s rivers from worsening, environmental officials have admitted.

Monkey around

In the northern province of Ha Giang, Fauna and Flora International (FFI) has discovered a new population of snub-nosed monkeys, one of the world’s most endangered animals.

Police complete probe into wild elephant smugglers

The HCM City Environmental Police Department said last week that it had completed its investigation into the illegal trading, transporting and maintenance of two wild elephants in Cu Chi District.

Air New Zealand tests jet with biofuel

A passenger jet powered in part by vegetable oil successfully completed a two-hour flight on Tuesday, December, 30, 2008 to test a biofuel that could lower airplane emissions and cut costs, Air New Zealand said.

Quang Nam taskforce to surround illegal logging hotspots

The People’s Committee and the Forest Protection Bureau of central Quang Nam Province plan to lay siege to 30 hotspots of illegal logging and smuggling of wood, it was announced Saturday, Dec. 27, 2008.

Rare plant discovered in Quang Binh national park

A forest of hairy-leafed apitong (Dipterocarpus alatus), a rare timber tree whose resin is also used by indigenous people as a waterproofing material, has been found in Sinh Ton valley in the central province of Quang Binh, the head of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park has said.

Japan-funded waste water treatment plant opens in HCM City

The Wastewater Treatment Plant in HCM City, which began construction in 2005, was put into operation on the 26th December, 2008, witnessed by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, a representative of the Vietnamese Government and the Japanese Consul in HCM City, Masaaki Gokura.

Grant to help regional conservation

Nature conservation in Indochina has been given a boost after the first of two small grants were approved by BirdLife International.

New species of dragonfly unveiled in Vietnam

This species of dragonfly has been discovered on Phu Quoc Island in the southern province of Kien Giang by experts from the Wildlife at Risk (WAR) and the Phu Quoc National Park. They recognized just three individuals of this dragonfly species.