Environment and natural resources
Environmental and biodiversity protection
New decree strengthens environment fund
A new government decree on a key environmental fund will help bolster fundraising for the protection of environment across the country, sources say. An official from the Environment Protection Fund (EPF) Mr Vithoun Inthavong discussed his expectations speaking with Vientiane Times on April 19 about the ...
Forest conservation might be an even more important climate solution than we realize: study
It’s estimated that deforestation is responsible for about 10 percent of global carbon emissions. Of course, in addition to the direct emissions created, the destruction of a forest means the removal of a valuable carbon sink, as well, which is why deforestation represents a “double ...
Landslides threaten coastal provinces
Landslides have been eroding coastal areas and tourism sites, seriously affecting the lives of thousands of people. Travelers at Cua Dai Beach in Hoi An in Quang Nam province last year could not swim in the sea because of warnings about landslides. Similar warnings have appeared ...
Paper factory pollution under scrutiny
The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has ordered the Vietnam Environment Administration to collaborate with Hau Giang province to investigate media reports about environmental pollution caused by Vietnam Lee & Man Paper Manufacturing Limited after its waste treatment plant developed problems. Media reports this week ...
Illegal logging groups arrested
Eleven Vietnamese men and two Cambodian men have been arrested for border crossing offenses and logging in protected forests. Interior Ministry immigration police officer Bun Chantha said the Cambodians and seven of the Vietnamese were arrested in Rattanakiri province’s Lumphat district on March 27. The provincial ...
Will the environment be the Vietnam government’s downfall?
For years, Tran Thi Nga was subjected to harassment and brutalization by the Vietnamese authorities, the details of which emerged in a fresh Human Rights Watch report published earlier this year. She was finally arrested in January for using the using “the Internet to post ...
Japan to help country go green
Japan has signed a three-year deal to help train government officials on attracting environmentally friendly investment. The Environment Ministry and Japan International Cooperation Agency on March 6 signed the agreement to educate officials about how to use environmental impact assessments and enforce pollution controls. The project is ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...