Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City ordered to make air quality 'safe' for human health

The Government Office, in an announcement last week, quoted Ha as saying that air pollution in Vietnam's two biggest cities continues to worsen, impacting socioeconomic development and public health.

The major contributors to the pollution in the two cities are dust, vehicular emissions, construction, industry, and agriculture, much of which is increasing unchecked.

The directive said existing programs and regulations to address air pollution are unsynchronized and lack efficacy.

It requires both cities to promptly inventory emission sources and assess the current state of air quality and develop annual and five-year action plans with clear targets, concrete tasks to be undertaken and yearly emission reduction quotas by sector to enable monitoring of progress.

They must quickly establish mechanisms to support the collection and recycling of construction waste, promote the use of public transport, encourage a shift toward low-emission vehicles, and formulate local emission standards stricter than national standards to implement from May this year.

The directive also mandates the recall and elimination of outdated and polluting vehicles.

Wastes and emissions from construction and urban development must be carefully managed to minimize dispersion.

Authorities at the commune level and local police will be vested with greater powers to penalize violators.

Industrial clusters in cities must plan to become properly managed industrial parks or relocate entirely.

More air quality monitoring stations will be set up and monitoring frequency will be increased during transitional seasons, with the data made public.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has been instructed to immediately carry out a national inventory of emission sources and develop an air quality management plan for 2026–30.

In collaboration with the Ministries of Construction and Industry and Trade, it will issue updated national emission standards for automobiles and motorcycles by April.

Ha also directed the three ministries to establish a joint inspection team by July to oversee industrial clusters, craft villages and facilities identified as significant polluters in Hanoi and HCMC.

The Ministry of Construction will propose incentive mechanisms to encourage collection, treatment and recycling of construction waste.

According to IQAir, the Air Quality Index measured 177 in Hanoi and 155 in HCMC on Tuesday morning, levels considered "unhealthy" and requiring masks outdoors and avoidance of outdoor activities.

The PM2.5 concentration in HCMC was 61.7 µg/cu,n, or 12.3 times the World Health Organization annual PM2.5 safe level.

In Hanoi, it was 93 µg/m³.

PM2.5 particles are floating particulate matter in the air measuring 2.5 micrometers in diameter or less.

PM2.5 is so small it can be absorbed into the bloodstream on inhalation and, for this reason, is possibly the pollutant posing the greatest health threat.