Environment

Air quality in Hanoi worsened on December 1, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) climbing to hazardous levels and posing significant health risks.

Two cold fronts are forecast to strike northern Vietnam in early December, bringing chilly and rainy weather, while the central region faces the prospect of heavy rain.

Typhoon Koto, the 15th storm entering the East Sea, has left one person dead and three missing, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has reported.

Typhoon Koto abruptly changed direction on November 29 and is forecast to weaken, while a new tropical depression is expected to enter the southern East Sea.

Hanoi and nearby provinces are entering a 10 day period of stagnant weather that is expected to drive PM2.5 concentrations to unhealthy levels.

Hanoi will ban petrol motorbikes by set hours or zones within ring road 1 from July 1, 2026 as the city launches its first low-emission area.

Typhoon Koto reached its peak strength early November 27 with coastal areas from Danang City to Lam Dong expected to see rain from November 29.

Nearly 90 tonnes of fallen and decayed wood have washed into hydropower and irrigation reservoirs in Hue City after recent floods, posing safety risks to infrastructure and nearby communities.

Vietnam has reiterated its commitment to protecting nature, conserving biodiversity and fighting illegal wildlife trade at the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CITES Convention.

Typhoon Koto entered the East Sea early on November 26 with maximum sustained winds of 74 km/h.

HCM City’s Construction Department has proposed installing EV charging poles at 19 bus stations, including some with battery-swap cabinets for electric motorbikes.

Northern Vietnam will face a stronger cold spell from November 25, while a developing storm is forecast to enter the East Sea on November 26 and may head toward the south central and southern regions.

Floodwaters have swept huge volumes of waste from upstream into the waters off Nha Trang, leaving the shoreline buried under debris after days of historic rainfall.

Vietnam has set a target for 100 per cent of public transport vehicles in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to use clean, green and environmentally friendly energy by 2030.

A 35.7-kg shipment of rhino horn smuggled from South Africa to Laos via Singapore has been seized at Changi Airport, marking the country’s largest-ever rhino horn smuggling case.

Ho Chi Minh City may face large scale trash congestion from December 1 as the Da Phuoc Waste Treatment Complex switches to receiving waste only from 6 pm to 6 am.