Continuously top-notch pollution in the world
According to the reporter's records, for 3 consecutive days, from November 29 to December 1, Hanoi City has experienced air pollution, foggy sky, high-rise buildings submerged in a layer of white dust.
On December 1, from early morning, many people can easily observe the pollution with the naked eye, the AQI pollution index at 7:30 is 212 - the purple threshold, very bad for health.
Ms. Vu Thi Linh (Hanoi) said that in recent days, air pollution has significantly affected her health, often causing headaches and nasal congestion. Despite wearing a mask, when going out on the morning of December 1, Ms. Linh still felt suffocated and uncomfortable.
Following information in newspapers and social networks, Ms. Mai Anh (Hanoi) also proactively adjusted her schedule. She went out later, waiting until the sun and fog cleared to reduce exposure to polluted air.
According to BSCKI Dam Thi Tuyet - Hoa Nhai General Hospital, environmental pollution is one of the causes of respiratory diseases, bacteria from the outside easily enter the body.
During the period of increased air pollution, people should limit going out and equip themselves with additional air purifiers in their homes to protect their health, said BSCKI Dam Thi Tuyet.
Determining causes, aiming for measures to reduce air pollution
Mr. Le Hoai Nam - Deputy Director of the Department of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment - said that monitoring results show that in Hanoi and some provinces in the Red River Delta, fine dust pollution is a very complicated and high situation.
In 2024, air pollution in Hanoi and some northern provinces is relatively bad. In the last period of 2024 alone, Hanoi has experienced 4 prolonged air pollutions, monitoring results show that the fine dust pollution data in 2024 will exceed about 2 times and the number of days with bad air quality will be quite high.
Regarding the cause of air pollution, Mr. Le Hoai Nam said that the first cause is emissions from industrial sectors, the second is emissions from the transportation industry, the third is emissions from the agricultural sector, the problem of burning household waste in localities and construction activities...
Regarding the issue of emissions from the transport sector, Hanoi City has recently decided to ban gasoline motorbikes in Ring Road 1 according to the time frame/time and area from July 1, 2026.
From July 1, 2026, the pilot low-emission zone will be applied in some areas in Ring Road 1 (including 9 wards: Hai Ba Trung, Cua Nam, Hoan Kiem, O Cho Dua, Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam, Ba Dinh, Giang Vo, Ngoc Ha, Tay Ho).
From January 1, 2028, the city will implement a low-emission zone in Ring Road 1 and some areas in Ring Road 2 and above. From January 1, 2030, the city will implement a low-emission zone in Ring Road 3 and above.
This plan is expected to help significantly improve emissions from traffic activities and contribute to reducing air pollution in the capital.
Mr. Hoang Duong Tung - Chairman of the Vietnam Clean Air Network - said that in recent years, air pollution in Hanoi has become very serious, especially in the winter months.
According to him, Hanoi's roadmap to ban gasoline motorbikes by the hour and by the area, and at the same time implementing a low-emission zone from 2026, is a suitable step to gradually switch to green transportation.
