Hanoi - "Golden time" to transform against environmental pollution
14:40: Ms. Le Thanh Thuy - Deputy Head of the Department of Environmental Management, Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment - said that Hanoi is considered a key area, which needs to be a pioneer in piloting pollution control policies, especially in transportation and industry, associated with transforming the green development model, reducing emissions and improving the quality of life for people.
Accordingly, Directive No. 20/CT-TTg dated July 12, 2025 of the Prime Minister on a number of urgent and drastic tasks to prevent and resolve environmental pollution has promptly created a "policy boost" of a breakthrough not only in Hanoi in environmental protection. This is a "golden opportunity" for Hanoi to look back, restructure its development strategy towards sustainability, both ensuring economic goals and effectively controlling environmental pollution.
Ms. Thuy emphasized the context and significance of Directive No. 20/CT-TTg. The first affirms the high political determination of the Government in overcoming shortcomings and limitations in direction and management, in overcoming environmental pollution nationwide; demonstrating the high determination of all levels and sectors in implementing strategies, projects, projects, and tasks on environmental protection; ensuring the principle of "6 clear: clear people, clear work, clear time, clear responsibilities, clear products, clear authority".
Second is the specific action orientation for localities, in which Hanoi is considered a key area, which needs to be a pioneer in piloting pollution control policies, especially transportation and industry in transforming the green development model, reducing emissions, improving the quality of life; focusing on removing "bottlenecks", perfecting the environmental protection institutions of the Central and local governments to improve the effectiveness, efficiency of implementation and in line with the arrangement of the apparatus in the political system and the 2-level government model.
Third is to create a legal basis and synchronize management tools so that not only Hanoi but also the whole country can implement stronger measures: from tightening emission standards, limiting motorbikes using fossil fuels, to accelerating the progress of renewable energy conversion; forming low-emission zones following the trend of converting vehicles using green energy and clean energy in the city.
The Deputy Head of the Environmental Management Department, Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment also said that this is a golden opportunity for Hanoi to transform.
Directive 20/CT-TTg not only sets long-term goals but also has a specific roadmap and targets, creating conditions for Hanoi to plan policies, strategies and long-term implementation plans, feasible for the capital's environmental protection activities; in order to achieve the targets set by Hanoi under the Capital Law and under the direction of Directive 20/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister.
The people of the capital have been clearly aware of the negative impacts of environmental pollution on health, creating pressure and motivation for the government to take drastic action.
Hanoi has access to scientific resources, green technology, and global climate finance funds to implement innovative solutions.
Hanoi not only solves environmental problems for itself, but also has the responsibility to set an example and pave the way for other cities to learn.
Regarding Hanoi's key orientations and solutions, Ms. Le Thanh Thuy said that, implementing Directive No. 20/CT-TTg dated July 12, 2025 of the Prime Minister on a number of urgent tasks, drastically preventing and resolving environmental pollution; the Hanoi Party Committee has directed the City People's Committee to proactively develop and promulgate a Plan of the City People's Committee to implement Directive No. 20/CT-TTg to specify 11 general tasks at the provincial level and 9 specific tasks of Hanoi City in Directive No. 20/CT-TTg dated July 12, 2025, develop a detailed and clear roadmap, assign specific responsibilities and have a mechanism for close coordination between departments, branches, sectors and localities to proactively and drastically implement annual environmental protection solutions or roadmaps (2025-2030) to contribute to improving the quality of life of the people in the capital to contribute to improving the quality of the environment.
Currently, the draft Plan to implement Directive 20/CT-TTg of the City People's Committee is being submitted by the Department of Agriculture and Environment to the City People's Committee for consideration and decision; in which it has been determined:
- 4 specific target groups that need to be monitored by 2030 need to be concretized into 23 component indicators in the fields of: collection, treatment of wastewater, air and emissions, solid waste, development of the "green" transport system. In which: 15 targets proposed the highest level (100%), 5 targets higher than the national general regulations (treatment of urban wastewater, waste, buses using green energy); 3 specific targets of the city (wastewater treated in the inner city area, reducing dust in construction sites).
- groups of contents, including:
Review and develop mechanisms and policies in the field of environmental protection and development of a "green" transport system.
Strengthen management, improve the quality of environmental impact assessment report appraisal, grant environmental licenses; strengthen control of waste sources, environmental pollution sources and publicize information on environmental protection activities in the city.
Strengthen inspection and examination work; promptly detect and strictly handle violations of the law in the environmental field.
Strengthen environmental protection activities in 4 areas: Air; Water; solid waste; Craft villages.
Applying science and technology, innovation and digital transformation in pollution treatment and environmental protection.
Strengthen propaganda, raise awareness of all levels, sectors and people of the capital about environmental protection.
Focus on mobilizing investment and financial resources and enhancing socialization for environmental protection and international cooperation.
Regarding the development of a legal framework and policy mechanisms on the environment: it is expected to develop and promulgate 27 documents in the 2025-2026 period, including: 10 Resolutions of the City People's Council, 3 Decisions of the City People's Committee, 12 mechanisms and policies submitted to the City People's Council and People's Committee issued according to their authority and 2 specialized regulations; recommended that central agencies study and promulgate 4 documents so that localities have a basis to effectively implement Directive No. 20/CT-TTg dated July 12, 2025 of the Prime Minister in the capital.
Accordingly, within the scope of the proposed plan, 27 priority programs and tasks need to be implemented according to the roadmap until 2030, assigning 12 units to preside over implementation.
Ms. Le Thanh Thuy - Deputy Head of the Environmental Management Department, Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment emphasized that the golden opportunity has come, demonstrating high political determination from the central level, receiving the attention of all levels, sectors and the entire community in the capital, which is both a favorable and a challenge to create a strong change in the environmental protection of the capital, but if not thoroughly utilized, Hanoi will miss a valuable opportunity to make a breakthrough in environmental protection.
Therefore, it is necessary to:
Resolutely take action, do not let the targets stop at the document.
Clearly allocate responsibilities, link environmental results with assessing the level of task completion of each level and each industry. Strengthen the responsibility of authorities at all levels, especially the leaders in directing the implementation of the Party and State's guidelines, policies and laws in environmental protection and sustainable development of the capital.
Proactively take a step forward, turning Hanoi into the "green capital" of Southeast Asia.
kidex 20/CT-TTg has opened the door, whether or not to seize this golden opportunity depends on the determination and consensus of the entire political system and people of the capital - Ms. Thuy emphasized.
Using drones to monitor pollution points
14:20: Mr. Pham Hong Quan - Department of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment presented a speech "Answered action to combat environmental pollution, return the sky to green".
Mr. Pham Hong Quan said that air pollution in the North has a clear legal status, often concentrated and becoming more serious in winter and spring, from October of the previous year to April of the following year. This is the period when adverse meteorological factors such as temperature difference and wind disturbances appear frequently, creating a protective layer that makes it difficult for pollutants to diffuse, accumulates in the air mass close to the ground and causes prolonged pollution.
The main sources of emissions causing air pollution are transportation. With a huge number of personal motor vehicles, many used vehicles do not meet emission standards, in addition to emissions from exhaust pipes, road dust carried by vehicles and secondary dust preparations also contribute to increased urban air pollution.
The second source is industrial production. Thermal power plants, cement plants, steel processing plants and many other production facilities, especially in provinces neighboring Hanoi, have been identified as contributing significantly to the level of PM2.5 fine dust in the air.
The third is the construction and incineration activities. Dust from construction sites, demolition, and transportation of materials that do not cover in accordance with regulations is still common. Notably, the situation of burning straw after harvest or burning household waste spontaneously in the suburbs and rural areas is also an important source of emissions, requiring drastic measures to control.
In particular, in the last months of the year, when construction, production and trade accelerate, emissions increase simultaneously. Combined with unfavorable weather conditions, this situation has created serious pollution, deeply affecting people's health and lives" - Mr. Quan said.
To implement Directive 20/CT-TTg, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment issued the Ministry's Action Plan in Decision No. 3602/QD-BNNMT dated September 3, 2025. This plan has specified the contents of the Prime Minister's instructions, assigning tasks to units under the Ministry, focusing on key task groups such as: reviewing and evaluating the progress of environmental protection programs and projects; advising on perfecting legal institutions and policies; building a national environmental database; improving the quality of environmental law appraisal, licensing and inspection.
One of the important and key contents of the Department of Environment this year is to develop and draft a document advising the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to submit to the Prime Minister a draft National Action Plan on overcoming pollution and managing air quality for the period 2025 - 2030, with a vision to 2045".
Sharing about key task groups and solutions, Mr. Pham Hong Quan emphasized that the national action plan has identified key task groups and solutions to control and improve air quality.
First of all, it is necessary to improve institutions and policies, continue to review and amend legal regulations, especially the Decree on administrative sanctions in the direction of increasing heaviness to have enough deterrence.At the same time, build a roadmap for clean fuel supply nationwide and establish an inter-regional and inter-provincial coordination mechanism to handle inter-sectoral and cross-border air pollution issues.
For large emission sources, implement policies in sync with Directive 20/CT-TTg to limit motorbikes using fossil fuels in large cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Along with that, it will manage emissions from traffic and develop and apply a roadmap to limit personal vehicles entering and leaving the 1, 2, and 3 beltways of Hanoi in the period of 2026 - 2030. All construction works are also required to strictly comply with dust reduction measures.
Some other key activities:
- Control open burning and construction activities: Coordinate with the National Telecommunications Administration to use drones to monitor the situation of straw burning in suburban areas and spreading dust from large construction sites, and immediately transfer the results to local authorities for handling.
- Establish interdisciplinary inspection teams. Coordinate with Hanoi and relevant ministries to establish surprise inspection teams at construction hotspots, traffic and areas at risk of burning waste and agricultural by-products to strictly handle violations.
- Coordinate with media agencies, social networking platforms, iHanoi to communicate and issue warnings when there are pollution hotspots.
- Develop a Draft Regulation on inter-regional and inter-provincial coordination and emergency actions when serious pollution occurs.
Through the above analysis, it can be seen that air pollution is a serious and urgent environmental problem, but we are not passive. Under the strong direction of the Government, the synchronous participation of ministries and branches, in which the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment plays the presiding role, a comprehensive, scientific and feasible action roadmap has been developed and is being strongly implemented.
Taking action for the environment is not only a responsibility but also a command from life, for our own health today and for the future of future generations. The political determination of the Party, State and Government is very high, but to succeed, this war requires the cooperation of the whole society.
More than anyone else, the workforce, especially the brothers and sisters who are working day and night on environmental sanitation, the ones who are operating production lines in factories and enterprises, play an extremely important role. The companionship, support and active participation of comrades, from the smallest actions such as complying with safe production processes, not discharging waste arbitrarily, to spreading awareness of environmental protection in the community, is the decisive factor for the success of the State's policies and guidelines.
14:10: Report "So that every citizen can enjoy a clean green environment in the era of growth".
14:05: Speaking at the opening of the forum, Mr. Nguyen Duc Thanh - Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Lao Dong Newspaper - said that on July 12, the Prime Minister issued Directive No. 20 on a number of urgent tasks to prevent and solve environmental pollution. In which, it emphasized that environmental protection work is of special concern to the Party and State, identified together with the socio-economy, environmental protection is an important pillar, inseparable, deciding the sustainable development of the country.
However, current reality shows that environmental issues are still emerging, notably air pollution, water pollution, waste problems, etc. For many years, it has been a problem that has caused public concern.
From this reality, Lao Dong Newspaper under the direction of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, organizes the 2025 Workers' Forum for the Environment with the theme "Management of domestic waste after merger, associated with the implementation of Directive 20 of the Prime Minister".
The forum is a voice accompanying each occupational hygiene worker, each locality to continue to promote the protection of the air and water environment, promote waste classification, turn waste into resources, build models for urban and rural waste management and treatment to meet the requirements in the new situation.
We believe that, with just one small action for each person, each agency, each enterprise having a clear commitment, we can completely create a big change in the journey to protect the environment. We hope to receive the response of the entire forum - Mr. Thanh emphasized.
The content of the forum focuses on disseminating new points of Directive 20 on environmental protection, associated with the responsibility of each ministry, branch and locality, in which the capital Hanoi is assigned many urgent tasks.
Highlighting the difficulties and problems in the process of handling domestic solid waste after the merger of administrative units, many contents are overlapping and not synchronous, and at the same time providing solutions for the merger process to go hand in hand with environmental protection.
The forum focused on analyzing the important role of waste classification at source, preparation of localities, raising awareness for each household, raising knowledge for environmental workers in waste classification. At the same time, the Forum listened to the opinions of workers and waste treatment enterprises, answering their questions in the waste collection process.
At the forum, representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor and other units will answer questions from workers and laborers in environmental protection activities.
