Recorded at around 8:30 a.m., in many areas in Ho Chi Minh City such as Binh Tri Dong, Xuan Hoa, Cat Lai, Lai Thieu... the sunlight will be weak, the sky will be covered in white. Many works and high-rise buildings such as Bitexco, Ba Son Bridge... were covered in fog, creating a temporary fog in the morning.
People said that this phenomenon does not cause great disruption to daily life, but makes travel less convenient. Ms. Le Thanh Thao (Thu Duc Ward) shared that some sections of the road have a clear view. "I can't distinguish whether it's morning fog or air pollution, so when I go out, I still wear a mask to protect my health," said Ms. Thao.
Notably, according to the air monitoring application Air Visual (under IQAir, Switzerland), air quality in Ho Chi Minh City at 8am was unhealthy, with an AQI of 157. The PM2.5 fine dust concentration was measured at 64 μg/m3, about 12 times higher than the average annual guidance value of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Regarding the fog phenomenon, Mr. Le Dinh Quyet, Head of the Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Department - Southern Hydro-Meteorological Station, said that this is mainly the result of typical meteorological conditions at the end of the year.
According to Mr. Quyet, in the last months of the year and the period of January and February every year, strong cold air waves often diffuse deep to the South, lasting about 3-5 days each time. When the temperature of the air mass close to the ground decreases, combined with the humid convergence zone, the low pressure trough or high-altitude tense tongue encroaches to the West, it will create favorable conditions for low-level clouds, fog and fog to form.
"Therefore, the fog appearing in recent days is considered not unusual. From now until Lunar New Year 2026, Ho Chi Minh City may record some more days with similar phenomena. If only meteorological factors are taken into account, fog will not harm people's health," Mr. Quyet emphasized.
However, from the perspective of environmental management, the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Ho Chi Minh City believes that air pollution is still an issue that needs special attention. According to this agency, declining air quality not only directly affects public health but also negatively affects the economy and urban image.
Therefore, in the environmental resource monitoring program in 2026 and vision to 2030, the Department proposed to arrange 157 air quality monitoring points to provide scientific data, serve the work of monitoring, warning of pollution and serve as a basis for planning sustainable development policies of the city.
