Environment and natural resources
President pledges to encourage investment to Myanmar
President Trần Đại Quang pledged that Việt Nam will encourage its business community to invest in Myanmar, especially in agriculture, fish farming, mining and tourism. At a meeting with visiting Myanmar Minister of Home Affairs Kyaw Swe in Hà Nội yesterday, the President said that Việt ...
VN Gov’t wants energy-efficient buildings
Việt Nam is going through a construction boom, with apartment and office buildings mushrooming, and energy efficiency is imperative, Nguyễn Công Thịnh, head of the Ministry of Construction’s science, technology and environment department, told a seminar in HCM City on December 5. “The ministry would like ...
Noise – the hidden killer in HCM City
Tens of millions of Saigonese not only suffer from the effects of waste water, hazardous waste and emissions, but also from noise. Medical experts say that noise has damaging effects – physiological, psychological and social. Physiologically, when noise exceeds acceptable levels, noise can cause ear injury ...
New funding programme to help improve ecosystems in Borikhamxay
The Wildlife Conservation Society Laos Programme will work closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to protect and conserve the unique and important species, habitats, and ecosystems in Borikhamxay province. An agreement on the Integrated Ecosystem and Wildlife Management Programme Phase 3 was signed ...
Hydropower in the Mekong: an alternative approach
Laos needs to rethink its aggressive hydropower plans as new markets and technologies create an opportunity to change course. A report published in September by the Stimson Center, a Washington D.C.-based think tank, challenges prevailing notions about the future of hydropower in the Mekong subregion, an ...
Hạ Long cement factory causing pollution
Many households in northern Quảng Ninh Province’s Hoành Bồ District have been forced to live with smoke and cement dust discharged from Hạ Long Cement Factory for years. This has seriously affected the lives of local residents and their cultivation activities. In the meantime, local ...
Carrying a stranger’s child through an uncertain time
Ly Raksmey left her home in the heart of the country’s rice bowl in January and headed to a hospital on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. The 34-year-old stayed there several nights, in a facility that was better and cleaner than any hospital she had ...
The risks of diverting water
Thuong Kon Tum dam, which is built in the Dak Snghe River watershed, is one of the biggest hydropower projects in the basin of the Se San river. The effect of the dam is still questionable but it raises concerns about environmental impacts as the ...
Wood exports to Europe to rise
Once the Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade comes into force, there will be opportunities for Việt Nam to export more wooden products to Europe and other new markets as well as get higher prices, according to the EU Delegation to ...
Expenses for frozen seafood tests covered by Formosa
All frozen-seafood testing expenses will be covered by part of the US$500-million compensation paid by Taiwanese Hưng Nghiệp Formosa Hà Tĩnh Steel Corporation. This was the latest order from Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình, who subsequently tasked the Ministry of Finance to make the ...
