Phuc called on provincial and urban authorities to immediately review and evaluate industrial plant, transport and construction emissions.

He asked law enforcement agencies to suspend operations negatively impacting the environment.

A coal-fired power plant in Thai Binh Province, northern Vietnam.

The directive mentioned the worsening air quality in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and other localities, affecting socio-economic development and public health. It blamed the low air quality on large-scale construction, emissions from a large number of private vehicles, and intensive industrial activity.

It also said green urban space and water supply remains subpar, with enforcement, implementation and synchronization of air pollution controls a serious dilemma.

Natural Resources and Environment departments were urged to assist production facilities in installing automatic emission monitors, with all collected data evaluated on a daily basis.

Le Vu Tuan Anh, chief inspector of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said Vietnam Environment Administration will be implementing an inspection program of major emission sources around Hanoi should the proposal be approved.

Research conducted by Vietnamese experts showed the nation suffered between $10.8- $13.2 billion worth of economic losses associated with ambient air pollution each year, equivalent to about 5 percent of the country’s GDP.

Vietnam ranked fourth in the number of pollution-linked deaths in the Western Pacific, with an estimated 71,365 Vietnamese people losing their lives to pollution, including 50,232 to air pollution, in 2017, the latest year for which data was available, according to the Pollution and Health Metrics report by Global Alliance on Health and Pollution.

Can Tho student wins Vietnam Miss University 2020 crown

Le Thi Tuong Vy, a student of Nam Can Tho University in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, was named the winner of the Vietnam Miss University 2020 pageant during the contest’s final night in Hanoi on January 19.

Bac Giang urged to grasp labor relations, improve quality of human resources

BGO - On the afternoon of January 19, a delegation of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLOSA) led by Deputy Minister Le Van Thanh had a working session with the provincial People's Committee on labor market situation, employment and labor relations in the province.

Source: VnExpress