Environment and natural resources
Hundred-year-old nghien forest in Ha Giang destroyed
Ancient nghien trees (Excentrodendron tonkinense) in Ha Giang province, in the middle of old forests and on high cliffs, have been lost due to illegal logging and clearing to make room for hydropower plants and mineral exploitation. However, the plan has failed: the province has lost ...
Vietnam-bound timber seized
Ratanakkiri provincial forces and military police yesterday seized 15 logs of luxury wood bound for export to Vietnam. Provincial military police chief Kim Reaksmey said the haul was found when officers targeted the location in Patort village in Lumphat district for the second time. The team ...
Donors embrace hospital's 'green' bag campaign
More than 100,000 cloth bags have been donated to Wat Bot district Hospital in response its request for environmentally friendly bags to replace plastic ones previously used for prescribed medication. The management of the public hospital stopped distributing medication in plastic bags this year as ...
Landslides threaten 11 households in Đồng Tháp
Cả Lách Canal in Bình Thành Commune, Thanh Bình District, southern Đồng Tháp Province, was hit by landslides during the past week, threatening 11 houses. This was stated by the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD). The landslide section is 150m in length, ...
Lower Klity Creek villagers: Living with lead poisoning
Over the past five decades, a lead-processing mine and factory in Kanchanaburi province has released toxic waste including lead into the rivers and creeks of the Lower Klity creek, home to about 400 ethnic Karen people. The factory operation began in the mid-1960s and, though ...
Đồng Nai set to close handicraft brick-kilns by year end
Brick-kilns in residential quarters – and those using fossil fuel materials – in the southern province of Đồng Nai must close no later than the end of this year, chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Trần Văn Vĩnh announced in a conference in the province. ...
Central power plants eye urgent repairs
Four power plants in the central provinces of Nghệ An, Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên-Huế have been asked to undertake urgent repairs before the flooding season arrives. Tô Xuân Bảo, deputy director of the environmental and technical safety agency under the Ministry of Industry and ...
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 ...
Joint panel discusses prior consultation process for Pakbaeng dam
Delegates from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam met on April 4 at the second meeting of the Joint Committee Working Group on the procedures for notification, prior consultation and agreement for the Pakbeng hydropower project. The Pakbaeng hydropower project is one of the five Mekong mainstream ...
Vientiane factories in need of wastewater treatment
Most factories in Vientiane are in need of wastewater treatment systems, according to a study by the Project for Urban Water Environment Improvement. The results were revealed at a seminar on Industrial Wastewater Treatment Management held on April 4 by the project and Lao National Chamber ...
