Environment and natural resources
JICA to aid impact studies
The Ministry of the Environment signed an agreement yesterday afternoon with the Japan International Cooperation Agency in an effort to improve the Ministry of the Environment’s capacity to curb pollution and review environmental impact assessments for development projects. “[JICA] will deploy advisers and discuss with officers ...
Hanoi’s iconic lakes need urgent clean-up help
One sunny morning in October 2016, Hanoi residents living around the city’s West Lake woke up to a foul and irritating smell. “We could not bear the overwhelming smell,” Ms Huong, a local resident said, wearing a mask while inside her home. “But we have nowhere ...
Lights off in Vietnam for earth hour
Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang and 60 other cities and provinces will turn off the light from 8.30 PM to 9.30 PM on March 25, in sync with foreign countries. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has launched the Earth Hour campaign 2017 themed “Light ...
The mysterious ancient cinnamon forest on Ngoc Linh mountain
There is a cinnamon forest, hundreds of years old, on the Mount of Ngoc Linh. One has to pass through tens of hills, muddy roads and climb many rocks for hours to reach the mysterious forest, located in Tra Van commune of Nam Tra My ...
South coast holds development key
Real estate and hotel developers have identified the southern coast of Cambodia as having tourism potential to encourage more business investment. Developers and investors gathered in a Real Estate and Construction Forum on Friday to discuss the possibilities of developing the coastal provinces, particularly in ...
Xayaboury to open forest as latest visitor attraction
Xayaboury province is opening up its largest forest as one of its visitor attractions, hoping to draw more people to experience its natural beauty and raise its profile as a tourist destination. Director of the province’s Information, Culture and Tourism Department, Mr Chanthi Simanichan, said ...
Geologists die in tunnel cave-in
The deaths of two young geologists may have been caused by a fragile layer of rocks in a freshly built tunnel caving in, causing a large rock to fall and crush them, engineers say. The incident in Mae Taeng district occurred as Pratyawat Wasu-anant, 24, and ...
Hướng Hóa protective forest fights logging threat
Trekking through Hướng Hóa protective forest in Đak Rông District of central Quảng Trị Province, it is not hard to see dozens of tree trunks, branches and twigs lying in disorder on the pathway. Right next to the forest protection station, illegal logging is still ...
DNP set to build DNA database for wildlife
The National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department invited the press to its wildlife forensic lab yesterday to demonstrate its accountability and transparency in wildlife forensic investigation in a move to counter the strong opposition of elephant owners. Kanita Ouithavorn, chief of the department’s Wildlife ...
Academics call for reform of environmental impact studies on projects
A strategic Environment Assessment was proposed by academics to serve as a sustainable solution for conflicts over major development projects such as the Krabi coal-fired power plant. A team of academics and public policy campaigners discussed the current problems of Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental ...