Environment

According to new research for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), over 90% of respondents surveyed in Vietnam support government-led closure of illegal and unregulated wildlife markets.

Four facilities which specialise in pulp and votive paper production have been suspended for polluting the Ma River, causing mass fish deaths on the river.

Saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta will likely remain at a high level until the end of April or early May, before gradually declining, according to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.

Howard Limbert, an expert of the British Royal Caving Research Association, announced that 12 new caves have been found in Quang Binh during their exploration in early 2020.

Around a total of 6.5 tonnes of fish and shrimps have been found dead on Ma River in the central province of Thanh Hoa.

Eleven minor earthquakes have occurred in Vietnam since the beginning of this year, according to the Standing Office of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will allocate VND4bn (USD170,000) to five provinces in the Mekong Delta in order to fight drought and saline intrusion.

The northern region will have three to five more cold spells that cause rainstorms in April.

Vietnamese and German scientists have discovered a new species of Megophrys toad in the northern mountainous province of Cao Bang, according to the Nhan Dan newspaper.

The air quality in Vietnam will improve from the end of March into the following months compared to that in the first months of 2020, the Vietnam Environment Administration (VEA) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has said.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has called for people to switch off lights and unnecessary electric devices on March 28 as a way to participate in the international Earth Hour Campaign.

Hundreds of hectares of rice fields in Binh Thuan Commune, Binh Dinh Province are being abandoned due to serious drought.

Bac Ninh is having to deal with pollution caused by rapid urbanisation, large industrial zones and craft villages.

The central province of Thừa Thiên-Huế's plan to build a bird sanctuary in Ô Lâu estuary area has been met with a groundswell of local support.

Farmers in Dong Nai Province are worried about their crops being destroyed by reoccurring elephant rampages.

Save Vietnam's Wildlife has proposed to the National Assembly to ban the eating of wild animals.

The Earth Hour 2020 will call for not only the efficient use of energy but also reduction of plastic use, according to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

The southernmost province of Ca Mau has been seriously ravaged by long drought.

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) signed an agreement on March 17 to support the Mekong Delta’s response to drought and saltwater intrusion.