As air pollution in the capital city of Hanoi has reached alarming levels over the past week, the Ministry of Health has issued scores of recommendations for residents to alleviate the effects of poor air quality on their health.

The HCM City Department of Natural Resources and Environment has proposed local authorities to raise the frequency of air monitoring.

Independent air quality tracker AirVisual reported a higher index in some areas in Hanoi at 198 early on Monday.

Many people in Hanoi are buying air purifiers to cope with rising air pollution.

The air quality in the last six days of November was poor, with the index exceeding the permitted levels.

Experts think that HCM City authorities need to apply a special policy under Resolution 54 to amend existing policies to better manage quality of the air.

Authorities in provinces and cities around the country should co-operate with sensor manufacturers, data management companies and scientists to make plans to monitor air pollution.

Secretary of the Hanoi municipal Party Committee Hoang Trung Hai announced Hanoi will be more determined in environmental management especially controlling wastewater discharge and construction sites in the capital city.

If Vietnam stops investments in new coal-fired thermopower projects, the total amount of coal it would consume could drop by 221 million tons by 2050.

The HCMC Department of Transport will cooperate with the Vietnam Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers to monitor motorcycle emissions in districts 1, 3 and Binh Thanh from February to November next year.

Do you wear a mask when out an about in Vietnam? Maybe you should, as the pollution builds up. 

Hanoi and HCMC both have some serious air quality issues to grapple with.

The capital Hanoi has continued facing terrible air pollution which is posing a risk to health.

Motorbike emissions are a major reason for air pollution. More seriously, old motorcycles banned from traffic are still rolling on streets.

Hybrid, PHEV and EV engines help reduce harmful emissions and save fuel, but they are not favored in Vietnam because of the lack of encouragement measures.

Air monitoring stations that warn people about air pollution can be useful, but this is not a radical solution to have a safe living environment.

Instead of works for public interest, multistory buildings in Hanoi have arisen on land where factories and administration offices were located in the past.

Saying that private vehicles are the biggest source of pollution, Hanoi’s Mayor Nguyen Duc Chung supports the policy to recall old cars and motorbikes.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked the leaders of Hanoi to apply radical solutions to handle air pollution.

The HCMC Department of Transport is mulling over a scheme to control emissions from scooters and motorbikes on a trial basis.