Environment ministers from Singapore, Myanmar, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and China visited Ha Long city, in the northern province of Quang Ninh, home to the UNESCO world heritage site of Ha Long Bay, on October 10, 2008.
The central highland resort town of Da Lat removed potentially toxic algae blooms in its famed Xuan Huong Lake on Monday. Local experts say the algae may be linked to pollution in the lake.
A smoking ban in Hanoi’s state offices, public places and public transportation will begin in April, 2008 according to a plan recently approved by city administrators.
Environmental pollution has become a burning issue for local media. Around the country there is news of polluted rivers and land caused by companies flushing wastewater or discarding solid waste into the environment, causing a headache as well as a challenge for environmental stewardship.
Ha Long city, which overlooks the World Heritage Ha Long Bay, on Oct. 8 gained ASEAN’s first-ever award as one of the 10 most environmentally sustainable cities in the south-east Asian region.
A Vietnamese reporter has been presented with the Media Award for Excellence in Environmental Reporting by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Reuters Foundation.
Environment ministers from 16 East Asian countries agreed here yesterday that creating environmentally-sustainable cities should be the first goal in addressing the problems of rapidly growing urbanisation, pollution and climate change.
The city should have a comprehensive solution on environmental protection to ensure the city’s sustainable development, said several delegates at the conference on environmental protection yesterday.
Vietnam has taken the initiative and been active in environmental protection and international integration, thus contributing to the cooperation between countries both regionally and globally for the common good.
A 15.4 million USD project to improve urban environment in the central province of Quang Ngai started in Tu Nghia district on October 4, 2008.