Environment

Hanoi remained the world’s most polluted city on the morning of December 11, with air quality index (AQI) readings reaching 244, classified as purple, a level considered very unhealthy.

Hanoi’s air quality remained at unhealthy to very unhealthy levels on Tuesday morning, ranking among the world’s most polluted cities as haze continued to blanket the capital.

Northern Vietnam is set to face a strong cold surge, with temperatures in Hanoi forecast to fall to around 10 degrees Celsius and many northern highland areas dropping below 9 degrees Celsius.

For over a year hundreds of households near the Ring Road 3 project in Ho Chi Minh City have endured thick dust, raising concerns over health and daily living conditions.

Cuc Phuong National Park has received 12 Javan pangolins rescued from an illegal wildlife trade case discovered in Cao Bang.

Ho Chi Minh City is forecast to face a high tide peak of 1.85m on December 6, raising the risk of deep flooding on many roads.

HCM City plans to establish Vietnam’s first large scale low emission zone in 2026 as it moves to curb vehicle pollution and push cleaner transport.

A tropical depression near the Philippines is expected to strengthen into Storm No.16 as it enters the East Sea and may strike Vietnam’s central and south-central coast.

Hanoi authorities have urged residents, especially the elderly, children and those with respiratory illnesses, to limit outdoor activity as the city suffers hazardous air quality.

Hanoi has ranked among the world’s 10 most polluted cities for three days as thick haze blankets the capital and sharply reduces visibility.

Authorities in Thanh Hoa Province received three endangered animals from a local resident on December 1, including two Indian peafowls.

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.