Environment

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung expressed his hope to further promote cooperation with the Netherlands in coping with climate change and rising sea levels.

Vietnam will have a long summer and more storms than previous years, according to the National Hydro Meteorological Forecasting Centre.

Only production plants which have environmental impact assessments should be allowed to be located in HCMC industrial parks, says a proposal by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho will host an Asia-Europe Meeting workshop on water and river basin management from March 20-23.

Authorities in the Mekong Delta are taking measures to prevent forest fires during the dry season as water levels in canals and streams are dangerously low.

Nearly 34,000 people in the Central Highlands are facing severe famine, as the region faces a drought that has continued for months.

Many people in Dong Nai Province have been spending sleepless nights protecting their gardens from illegal sand exploiters.

Several shark species have won international trade protection at a wildlife conference in Bangkok.

Saline-water intrusion in the Mekong Delta's coastal provinces has severely affected the local agricultural production, with rice paddies facing a shortage of fresh water.

Environmental issues challenging the Mekong River were discussed at a three-day international Mekong Environment Symposium, which closes today in HCM City.

Vietnam has proposed to ban the illegal trafficking of several wild species at the 16th Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora Conference of the Parties in Thailand March 3-14.

A major wildlife meeting of world governments shunned calls to ban international trade in polar bears, despite growing fears for the world's largest carnivorous land animal.

Flood shelters constructed for residents in central provinces have proven effective, so there is no need to relocate poor people living in flood-prone areas.

The USAID Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance and Vietnam Red Cross Society jointly held a seminar to evaluate the current situation and propose solutions to reduce the risk of natural disasters in Thua Thien-Hue central province.

Rice crops will be reduced by about 4,000ha in central and Central Highlands regions, which will likely be hit by drought during the summer-autumn rice crop.

Forest fires seared through hectares of trees in the Central Highlands and southern regions, forcing localities to take urgent preventive measures.

A campaign by global environmental movement Earth Hour to get promises of action from individuals and organisations has spread to at least 50 countries, its chief executive said.

Efforts are needed to protect and use water resources sustainably or the world will run short of water for use, delegates warned at an international workshop in Hanoi on February 26.

A 200 million USD credit to help improve safe water supply and sanitation in the Red River delta was signed by the WB in Vietnam and the State Bank of Vietnam in Hanoi.