Here’s an updated list of articles, blog posts, and reports about environmental pollution in Viet Nam. I’ll also include related articles about development. It’s a way for me to track and share this information with those who are interested, and care about the natural world we all share. They are listed in descending chronological order. Let me know if you have any suggestions. I will also include the occasional positive article because we all need good news now and then. (Status: 15.2.25)

Hanoi becomes world’s most polluted city (13.2.25) Reuters video

Residents urged to stay indoors as Hanoi air quality hits ‘very unhealthy’ levels (8.1.25)

Hanoi declared world’s most polluted city, authorities seek action (4.1.25)

2024

Hanoi’s air quality ‘hazardous‘ (23.12.24) VNExpress International

Woman sells 4 houses, flees Hanoi to escape haze (23.12.24) VNExpress International

Japanese city to name and shame improper waste disposal (23.12.24) VNExpress International MAA: This is what Vietnam needs.

UNESCO to study development risks to Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay (20.12.24) Reuters

Top importer Vietnam struggles to recycle plastic waste, exposing limits of multibillion-dollar trade (26.11.24) Reuters

Flee or fall ill: For many Hanoi residents pollution makes choices stark (25.11.24) VNExpress International

Viet Nam’s rivers are running out of sediment (18.11.24) Mekong Eye

Hanoi suffers years of excessive fine dust levels (17.11.24) VNExpress International

Environment official names main causes of air pollution in Hanoi (11.11.24) Tuoi Tre News

Can incinerators solve Vietnam’s waste crisis? (28.10.24) Mekong Eye

Nature conservation seeks young researchers (26.8.24) Viet Nam News

Đà Nẵng students turn organic waste into multi-purpose cleaning solution (22.8.24) Viet Nam News

Cat Ba launches construction of green tourism project (20.8.24) Vietnam Investment Review

Before and after photos. What a difference three months can make. 😡🤬

Harsher punishments needed to prevent graffiti vandals in Vietnam (13.8.24) Tuoi Tre News

2 tons of garbage removed from Con Dao coral reefs (12.8.24) VNExpress International

On heavily dammed Mekong, tracking study tries to find where the fish are going (24.7.24) Mongabay

Vietnam’s heavy air pollution needs stronger action (4.6.24) VNExpress International

Saigon canal filled with trash again two years after cleanup (14.5.24) VNExpress International

Viet Nam’s budding food forests (13.5.24) Mekong Eye

In a Dammed and Diked Mekong, a Push to Restore the Flow (8.5.24) Yale Environment 360

PetroVietnam announces new oil discoveries with initial reserves of 100.5 million barrels (7.5.24) CNA

Tourists turn away as Ha Long Bay full of plastic waste (23.3.24) VNExpress International

Việt Nam’s air quality second-worst in ASEAN, Hà Nội most polluted in country last year: Report (22.3.24) Viet Nam News

Viet Nam’s mangrove forests under siege (19.2.24) Mekong Eye

A large percentage of European plastic sent to Vietnam ends up in nature, finds study (24.1.24) Phys.org

South Korea as Vietnam’s model for not littering (11.1.24) VNExpress International

2023

Company fined $25,000 for building wind farms on protected forest land (24.12.23) VNExpress International MAA: As one reader pointed out, the bribe to make this project happen was probably larger than the fine.

Graffiti dogs Ho Chi Minh City (13.12.23) Tuoi Tre News

Primary pupils join a training to learn water and environment protection (11.12.23) Viet Nam News

Unplanned landfills spread in Hanoi suburbs (6.12.23) Tuoi Tre News

2 waste treatment plants abandoned for years in Hanoi (5.12.23) Tuoi Tre News

Vietnamese prime minister, French president table coal-fired power reduction at COP28 (3.12.23) Tuoi Tre News

Foreign tourists complain about trash, overcrowding in Ha Long Bay (1.12.23) VNExpress International

70,000 tons of garbage form hill on Con Dao Island (1.12.23) VNExpress International

Drainage workers grapple with waste oil, grease clogging sewers in Ho Chi Minh City (29.11.23) Tuoi Tre News

Why Vietnam faces an uphill battle in its war against plastic waste (26.11.23) South China Morning Post

Turning the Tide: Vietnam’s War Against Plastic Waste (23.11.23) Fulcrum

Award-winning journalist exposes wildlife traffickers, polluters in forests (23.11.23) VietNamNet Global

Vietnam eco-label criteria for environmentally friendly plastic issued (21.11.23) VNExpress International

Vietnam’s ‘pearl island’ faces growing trash pollution (20.11.23) VNExpress International

Smoke, mirrors, wood pellets: Vietnam clears native forest to supply ‘clean’ energy to Asia (19.11.23) Mekong Eye

Central Vietnam popular beach flooded with garbage following severe flooding (16.11.23) VNExpress International

Da Nang forests slated for resorts, landfills (16.11.23) VNExpress International

Vietnam’s waste sorting plan goes unsupported (14.11.23) VNExpress International

Public outcry over construction near Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay (6.11.23) The Straits Times

Viet Nam’s Mekong Delta is running out of sand. What’s next? (6.11.23) Mekong Eye

Floods, rain cover central Vietnam beaches in trash (2.11.23) VNExpress International

Man spends 3 decades seeking clean water sources for southern Vietnam (23.10.23) Tuoi Tre News

River of garbage and odor runs through Hanoi (21.10.23) VNExpress International

Deforestation caused by rubber vastly underestimated: study (19.10.23) VNExpress International

Eco-tourism area to be built in northern national park (17.10.23) VNExpress International

Garbage piles up along Ho Chi Minh City Canal (17.10.23) Tuoi Tre News

Hanoi rivers face prolonged pollution crisis (16.10.23) Tuoi Tre News

Garbage from lobster farming pollutes beach in Vietnam’s Khanh Hoa (15.10.23) Tuoi Tre News

Da Nang warns hotels, restaurants against letting wastewater into sea (14.10.23) VNExpress International

Ho Chi Minh City dwellers yet to break plastic bag habit (6.10.23) Tuoi Tre News

Women play crucial role in plastic waste reduction (16.9.23) Vietnam+

Radical, sustainable solutions needed for HCM City’s polluted canals (31.8.23) Viet Nam News

400 metric tons of trash removed from polluted lagoon in Vietnam’s Quang Ngai (30.8.23)

Mekong Delta province coastline devastated by erosion (29.8.23) VNExpress International

Northern Vietnamese province reduces over 11,000 hectares of natural reserve for urban area, golf course project (18.8.23) Tuoi Tre News

Another Visit to Ha Long Bay: And the Beat Goes On (10.8.23) An International Educator in Viet Nam

Mekong Delta overloaded with garbage (8.8.23) VNExpress International

Vietnam’s desolate seabed (31.7.23) Mekong Eye

Đà Nẵng makes efforts to thoroughly address wastewater polluting the sea (28.7.23) Viet Nam News

Foul-smelling wastewater discharge continues polluting Nha Trang beach pending costly solution (27.7.23) Tuoi Tre News

Harvard graduate to follow dream of solving pressing issues in Việt Nam (23.7.23) Viet Nam News

Informal recycling facilities do more harm than good environmentally (21.7.23) Viet Nam News

Clean me a river: Southeast Asia chokes on Mekong plastic pollution (18.7.23) Mongabay

Oyster farming pollution threatens central Vietnam lagoon (18.7.23) VNExpress International

HCMC to clean up Saigon River’s downtown stretch (16.7.23) VNExpress International

Landfill sues HCMC woman for posts about stench (13.7.23) VNExpress International

Vietnam’s Phu Quoc suspends trial operation of waste treatment plant (9.7.23) Tuoi Tre News

HCMC canal cleaned at $211.5M cost polluted again (2.7.23) VNExpress International

Tourists ruin Ha Long Bay with litter (5.6.23) VNExpress International

Phu Quoc to burn 200,000 tons of trash over two years (4.6.23) VNExpress International

Provinces in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta struggle with waste management (11.5.23) Tuoi Tre News

Experts call for reducing plastic waste at Vietnam’s tourist hotspots (15.4.23) VNExpress International

Tourism businesses should be pioneers in plastic waste reduction: Vietnam tourism assoc chair (14.4.23) Tuoi Tre News

Da Lat golf course to add parking lots, mall (14.4.23) VNExpress International

Tourists complain as trash washes up in Ha Long Bay (10.4.23) VNExpress International

Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay grapples with floating styrofoam buoys (10.4.23) Tuoi Tre News

Da Lat pine forest on fire for 8 hours (8.4.23) VNExpress International

Central Highlands losing forest bit by bit (7.4.23) VNExpress International

Iconic Da Nang river blanketed with trash (19.3.23) VNExpress International

Hanoi second most polluted city in Southeast Asia: survey (16.3.23) VNExpress International

Thousands of tons of trash in Da Lat landfill burning for days (15.3.23) VNExpress International

Hai Phong stuck with 4 million tons of fertilizer production waste (7.3.23) VNExpress International

Garbage and more hinder Vietnamese tourism (23.2.23) VNExpress International

Tourists discard hundreds of tons of plastic waste each year in Vietnam: report (21.2.23) VNExpress International

HCMC canal remains stinky, polluted despite cleanup project (16.2.23) VNExpress International

Hanoi’s air quality suffers while Saigon air remains good Wednesday (8.2.23) VNExpress International

Hanoians among those least satisfied with their local environment (7.1.23) VNExpress International

2022

HCMC seen cancelling two long-stalled waste treatment projects (27.12.22) The Saigon Times

In Vietnam, a forest grown from the ashes of war falls to a resort project (20.12.22) Conservation News

Salt rising, river slowing: Climate change drives harsh realities for people in the Mekong Delta (17.12.22) CNA (Channel NewsAsia)

Starving the Mekong (15.12.22) Reuters

Garbage spread all over Cam Ranh Bay’s tourist island (17.12.22) VNExpress International

Northern city piles up 5,000 tons of untreated trash along main road (11.12.22) VNExpress International

Opinion: The Mekong Delta is drowning in ‘sand debt’ – it urgently needs a sand budget (7.12.11) The Third Pole

Beyond the hype, a dirty side of Da Lat (2.12.22) VNExpress International

Khánh Hoà issues master plan for Nha Trang Bay restoration (16.11.22) Viet Nam News

Littering, safety issues of concern as camping gains traction (1.11.22) VNExpress International

Burning garbage in Hanoi threatens residents’ health, property (4.10.22) VietNamNet 

Graffiti is visual pollution, an eyesore Vietnam can do without (24.10.22) VNExpress International

Trash washes up on central Vietnam beaches in wake of storms (22.10.22) VNExpress International

Requiem for a river – Can one of the world’s great waterways survive its development? (13.2.16) The Economist

Oil spill in river leaves Hanoi apartment residents scrambling for water (24.9.22) VNExpress International

Public urination ‘pisses off’ residents in Ho Chi Minh City (20.9.22) Tuoi Tre News

You can’t eat money: the cost of unlimited growth (8.9.22) VNExpress International

Experts blame Da Lat’s serious flooding on greenhouses, garbage, concrete (4.9.22) Tuoi Tre News

Tackling the Waste Challenge Toward a Greener, Circular Economy (27.8.22) Cities Development Initiative

Will the sorting of waste at source become a non-starter? (18.8.22) VNExpress International

Tourism projects found encroaching on Phu Quoc marine sanctuary (17.8.22) VNExpress International

Waste treatment on Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island raises concern (16.8.22) Tuoi Tre News

No ideal waste treatment technology for Vietnam yet (9.8.22) VNExpress International

Vietnam tourist island to ban single-use plastics (8.8.22) VNExpress International

HCMC’s water supply, lifeblood of 13 million, faces serious problems (4.8.22) VNExpress International

Mekong delta tightens measures to fight erosion (30.7.22) Viet Nam News

Pine trees die en masse at golf course project in Vietnam’s Central Highlands (19.7.22) Tuoi Tre News

Long-term action plans to service a circular economy (17.7.22) Vietnam Investment Review

Vietnam loses $3 bln a year not recycling plastic: UNDP (16.7.22) VNExpress International

Vietnam’s ‘Giant’s Causeway’ imperiled by lobster rafts (11.7.22) Tuoi Tre News

Sustainable products stimulating business (5.7.22) Vietnam Investment Review

Plastic from greenhouse boom blights Vietnam’s vegetable basket (1.7.22) The Third Pole

Phu Quoc forests in state of emergency (29.6.22) Tuoi Tre News

Vietnam halts scuba diving off popular island to protect coral (27.6.22) Tuoi Tre News

In the Mekong Delta, sand mining means lost homes and fortunes (23.6.22) Mekong Eye MAA: Stupid is as stupid does

Beaches trashed in central, southern Vietnam (26.5.22) VNExpress International

As Vietnam reopens, villagers seek more sustainable tourism (4.5.22) Al Jazeera

Vietnam’s cable car craze is driving environmental decline (2.5.22) Globe

Mekong River’s water level in red alert due to hydroelectric dams (26.4.22) Viet Nam News

42 tonnes of untreated hazardous waste, including mercury and sulfur, discovered at Vietnam lamp factory (25.4.22) Tuoi Tre News

Human activities threaten Saigon River: experts (24.4.22) VNExpress International

Green tourism needs drastic action (17.4.22) The Saigon Times

Vietnam builds master plan to cut air pollution (14.4.22) VNExpress International

The Zero-Waste School Movement Is Finding Its Stride In Vietnam (14.4.22) NewSecurityBeat (blog)

Dong Nai wants highway diverted away from biosphere reserve (14.4.22) VNExpress International

Vietnam: Fewer Natural Forests, Increasingly More Golf Courses (11.4.22) An International Educator in Viet Nam

Vietnam looks for solutions to plastic pollution where government fails (31.3.22) China Dialogue

Quang Nam proposes removing protective forests for construction (28.3.22) VNExpress International

Construction of $148mn coastal tourist route begins in Vietnamese province (27.3.22) Tuoi Tre News

Garbage covers beaches near Ha Long Bay (26.3.22) VNExpress International

Hurtling toward the point of saturation (20.3.22) Tuoi Tre News

Trash fills beaches in Vietnamese province ahead of summer tourist season (20.3.22) Tuoi Tre News

Pollution threatens 335 species in Vietnam: report (12.3.22) VNExpress International

Vietnam among 20 countries with largest plastic waste discharge (3.3.22) VietnamNet Global

The Greening of Vietnam and Environmentalism 2.0 (28.2.22) Geopolitical Monitor

The toxicity of agriculture in the Mekong delta (23.2.22) Water Science Policy

Trash, Trash, Everywhere, Everywhere! (19.2.22) An International Educator in Viet Nam

Putting Garbage In Its Place (25.2.22) An International Educator in Viet Nam

Ocean of trash washes up on central Vietnam beaches (1.1.22) Tuoi Tre News

PM2.5 pollution still problematic across Vietnam (2.12.21) VietnamNet Global

2021

Eastern part of Ho Chi Minh City could be underwater by 2030: Climate Central (8.11.21) Tuoi Tre News

Why Việt Nam needs a circular economy for plastics (10.4.21) Viet Nam News

Vietnam needs to get wise about being healthy and wealthy (28.7.21) VNExpress International

Air pollution top environmental concern among Vietnamese citizens (13.3.21) VNExpress International