The thick smog in Hanoi is mostly caused by heavy traffic, trash burning and industrial activities.
PHOTO: REUTERS
UPDATED Jan 03, 2025,
HANOI – Vietnam’s capital Hanoi has been covered in thick smog over recent weeks, putting it at the top of a list of the world’s most polluted cities, as the government said it would push for more electric vehicles (EVs) to alleviate the problem.
Levels of hazardous small particles, known as PM2.5, were measured at 266 micrograms per cubic m in Hanoi early on Dec 3, the highest reading among a list of most-polluted cities, according to AirVisual, which provides independent global air pollution information via a phone app.
The South-east Asian country, a regional manufacturing hub with one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia, has reported severe air pollution in its major cities for years, particularly in Hanoi.
The thick smog is mostly caused by heavy traffic, trash burning and industrial activities. “We the elderly can feel it very clearly when we suffer from respiratory problems that lead to breathing difficulties,” 64-year-old Luu Minh Duc, a resident of the city, said. “The situation seems to get worse recently.”
Young people are also complaining.
“At first I thought it was foggy... but later I found out that it is actually fine dust that reduces my vision and makes me feel like it is not healthy to breathe,” said 21-year-old student Nguyen Ninh Huong.
Speaking at a meeting with the Transport Ministry on Dec 2, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha called for an accelerated transition to electric vehicles (EVs) as part of the efforts to reduce pollution, state media reported.
So far, Hanoi has a target for at least 50 per cent of buses and 100 per cent of taxis to be EVs by 2030.
“This is the responsibility of the state to the people, and there must be specific and timely actions,” Mr Ha was quoted as saying by the Tien Phong newspaper.
The ministries of natural resources, environment and health did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
UPDATED Jan 03, 2025,
HANOI – Vietnam’s capital Hanoi has been covered in thick smog over recent weeks, putting it at the top of a list of the world’s most polluted cities, as the government said it would push for more electric vehicles (EVs) to alleviate the problem.
Levels of hazardous small particles, known as PM2.5, were measured at 266 micrograms per cubic m in Hanoi early on Dec 3, the highest reading among a list of most-polluted cities, according to AirVisual, which provides independent global air pollution information via a phone app.
The South-east Asian country, a regional manufacturing hub with one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia, has reported severe air pollution in its major cities for years, particularly in Hanoi.
The thick smog is mostly caused by heavy traffic, trash burning and industrial activities. “We the elderly can feel it very clearly when we suffer from respiratory problems that lead to breathing difficulties,” 64-year-old Luu Minh Duc, a resident of the city, said. “The situation seems to get worse recently.”
Young people are also complaining.
“At first I thought it was foggy... but later I found out that it is actually fine dust that reduces my vision and makes me feel like it is not healthy to breathe,” said 21-year-old student Nguyen Ninh Huong.
Speaking at a meeting with the Transport Ministry on Dec 2, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha called for an accelerated transition to electric vehicles (EVs) as part of the efforts to reduce pollution, state media reported.
So far, Hanoi has a target for at least 50 per cent of buses and 100 per cent of taxis to be EVs by 2030.
“This is the responsibility of the state to the people, and there must be specific and timely actions,” Mr Ha was quoted as saying by the Tien Phong newspaper.
The ministries of natural resources, environment and health did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
REUTERS
Vietnam's capital blanketed by toxic smog
Published: 03 Jan 2025 -
Motorists wearing face masks ride scooters along Long Bien Bridge amid heavy air pollution in Hanoi on January 3, 2025. Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP
AFP
Hanoi: Thick smog blanketed Hanoi on Friday, obscuring buildings and leaving nine million residents choking on toxic air as the Vietnamese capital topped a list of the world's most polluted major cities.
Authorities urged people to wear masks and limit time outdoors, but commuters told AFP they were struggling to breathe through the putrid smog, now a fixture of the winter months in the city.
According to IQAir, levels of PM2.5 pollutants -- cancer-causing microparticles small enough to enter the bloodstream through the lungs -- hit 227 micrograms per cubic metre, 15 times the World Health Organization's recommended maximum daily average exposure.
Residential buildings are shrouded behind heavy air pollution in Hanoi on January 3, 2025. Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP
Hanoi topped the Swiss monitoring company's ranking of the world's most polluted major cities during the morning, before falling back down.
The city was rated among the world's top 10 polluted capitals by IQAir in 2023.
Office worker Tran Quynh Lan told AFP that her struggle to breathe through noxious haze while commuting on a motorbike had forced her to switch to buses and taxis, despite the increased cost.
Workers sit in a boat on West Lake amid heavy air pollution conditions in Hanoi on January 3, 2025. Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP
"The air quality has been so extremely bad that I really don't feel I can breathe easily in the open air. I have to wear masks all the time," she said.
The WHO says that a number of serious health conditions are linked to air pollution exposure, including strokes, heart disease and lung cancer.
Experts say pollution in Hanoi is a result of widespread construction, as well as emissions from the huge number of motorbikes and cars that crisscross the capital every day.
Carbon emissions from coal plants to the north and agricultural burning exacerbate the problem.
A motorist wearing a face mask rides a scooter on Long Bien Bridge amid heavy air pollution conditions in Hanoi on January 3, 2025. Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP
"The source of pollution emissions changes little every day," said climate expert Huy Nguyen.
Due to current unfavourable weather conditions, "pollutants seem to be locked in a giant atmospheric glass cage that they cannot escape and they accumulate day after day", Huy told AFP.
He said Hanoi residents need to "wait for a strong northeast monsoon with rain and strong convection" for the pollution situation to improve.
Rain does not typically arrive in the city until March.
Published: 03 Jan 2025 -
Motorists wearing face masks ride scooters along Long Bien Bridge amid heavy air pollution in Hanoi on January 3, 2025. Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP
AFP
Hanoi: Thick smog blanketed Hanoi on Friday, obscuring buildings and leaving nine million residents choking on toxic air as the Vietnamese capital topped a list of the world's most polluted major cities.
Authorities urged people to wear masks and limit time outdoors, but commuters told AFP they were struggling to breathe through the putrid smog, now a fixture of the winter months in the city.
According to IQAir, levels of PM2.5 pollutants -- cancer-causing microparticles small enough to enter the bloodstream through the lungs -- hit 227 micrograms per cubic metre, 15 times the World Health Organization's recommended maximum daily average exposure.
Residential buildings are shrouded behind heavy air pollution in Hanoi on January 3, 2025. Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP
Hanoi topped the Swiss monitoring company's ranking of the world's most polluted major cities during the morning, before falling back down.
The city was rated among the world's top 10 polluted capitals by IQAir in 2023.
Office worker Tran Quynh Lan told AFP that her struggle to breathe through noxious haze while commuting on a motorbike had forced her to switch to buses and taxis, despite the increased cost.
Workers sit in a boat on West Lake amid heavy air pollution conditions in Hanoi on January 3, 2025. Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP
"The air quality has been so extremely bad that I really don't feel I can breathe easily in the open air. I have to wear masks all the time," she said.
The WHO says that a number of serious health conditions are linked to air pollution exposure, including strokes, heart disease and lung cancer.
Experts say pollution in Hanoi is a result of widespread construction, as well as emissions from the huge number of motorbikes and cars that crisscross the capital every day.
Carbon emissions from coal plants to the north and agricultural burning exacerbate the problem.
A motorist wearing a face mask rides a scooter on Long Bien Bridge amid heavy air pollution conditions in Hanoi on January 3, 2025. Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP
"The source of pollution emissions changes little every day," said climate expert Huy Nguyen.
Due to current unfavourable weather conditions, "pollutants seem to be locked in a giant atmospheric glass cage that they cannot escape and they accumulate day after day", Huy told AFP.
He said Hanoi residents need to "wait for a strong northeast monsoon with rain and strong convection" for the pollution situation to improve.
Rain does not typically arrive in the city until March.
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