Environment

The central city has created a pilot programme to build stronger houses in disaster-affected areas in co-operation with domestic and foreign insurance companies.

Central Highlands provinces need to accelerate measures to protect and develop regional forests which are currently suffering from significant deforestation.

Deputy Primer Minister Hoang Trung Hai has called for severe self-criticism from the managers of the Vinh Tan Thermal Plant No 2 and ordered them to ensure there is no more environmental pollution or adverse effects on local residents.

Some hospitals in Hanoi are facing water shortages due to a sharp rise in demand in the capital, with Hanoi Obstetric and Gynecology Hospital and the National Paediatrics Hospital among those affected.

Air pollution levels in some of China's smoggiest cities fell by nearly a third in the first quarter of this year, environmental campaign group Greenpeace said on Tuesday.

While other governments worldwide have set up national standards for indoor air, Vietnam, which faces serious air pollution, still does not have a set of standards.

Old equipment and weak infrastructure are creating a serious pollution problem at many traditional craft villages, with untreated waste being dumped into the local environment.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai on April 18 inspected river systems in the south and west of Hanoi with a view to initiating measures that will restore water flows and reduce pollution.

All bears being raised in captivity in Quang Ninh Province have to be transferred to the Tam Dao Bear Rescue Centre in the Vinh Phuc Province by the end of next month, the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry (MARD)

The Nghe An Province's environmental crimes division said this morning that it has detained a man for allegedly trafficking monkeys following a tip-off.

Vietnam will take drastic measures to protect the white-crest pheasant, an unique type of bird indigenous to Vietnam facing imminent extinction, with the intent to fully recover the species by 2030.

The Nghe An Province's environmental crimes division said this morning that it has detained a man for allegedly trafficking monkeys following a tip-off.

A recent survey revealed that the total forest area of five provinces in the Central Highland region, has dropped by nearly 360,000 hectares (ha), compared with a previous survey in 2008.

Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) will team up with forest range department in Tuyen Quang Province to inspect and rescue as soon as possible a rare monkey that is being raised illegally.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked provinces and cities under the central Government to strengthen measures for forest fire prevention in a recently released document.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has requested the provision of basic living essentials for locals in the central province of Khanh Hoa facing a lingering drought during its dry season.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung agreed with additional funding for the central province of Ninh Thuan to counter the local drought effects while working with local authorities on April 13.

A campaign calling to end the use of rhino horn to cure cancer brought together a Vietnamese-American Hollywood actress, a Vietnamese-Australian singer-songwriter, a representative from the Customs Department and the chairman of Vietnam's Cancer Society.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has agreed to a three-year extension of the second phase of a programme to build elevated houses for people in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta region affected by floods.