It is estimated that 100,000 tons of plant protection chemicals are used in Vietnam every year, and that more than 2,000 investment projects have insufficient environmental impact assessments, while hundreds of industrial zones (IZs) have no waste water treatment systems. 

According to the ministry, Vietnam’s land, water and air environment remain ‘relatively good’. However, the environment bears pressure from development activities, international integration activities and cross-border impact. 

There are 283 IZs in Vietnam which discharge 550,000 cubic meters of waste water a day, and 615 clusters of industrial production workshops, of which only five percent have concentrated waste water treatment systems. 

The others either treat waste water themselves or discharge waste water directly to the environment.

There are also more than 500,000 small-scale production workshops, many of which use outdated technologies and cause pollution. 

It is estimated that 100,000 tons of plant protection chemicals are used in Vietnam every year, and that more than 2,000 investment projects have insufficient environmental impact assessments, while hundreds of industrial zones (IZs) have no waste water treatment systems.

In addition, there are 13,500 healthcare centers which produce 47 tons of hazardous waste and 125,000 cubic meters of medical waste water.

It is estimated that 3 million cubic meters of waste water is discharged from 787 urban areas every day, most of which cannot be treated. Meanwhile, 43 million motorbikes and 2 million cars produce emissions that pollute the air. 

Also according to MONRE, about 100,000 tons of plant protection chemicals are used every year in agricultural production. Eighty percent of plant protection products are not used as prescribed, while the usage efficiency is low, at just 25-60 percent. 

Danger not only comes from the abuse and ineffective use of chemicals, but also from the products’ packaging. Bottles and boxes, which are not collected after use and are left on fields, cause harm to the environment and local residents.

The other figures also cause concerns: more than 23 million tons of domestic waste, 7 million tons of industrial solid waste and over 630,000 tons of hazardous waste. There are 458 landfills, including 337 unhygienic ones and 100 small-scale waste incinerators which produce dioxin and furan. 

Environmental experts said that Vietnam has been experiencing rapid development in economic growth and is paying less attention to sustainable development goals.

It is still difficult for Vietnam to shift from a brown economy (using natural resources and causing pollution) to a green economy.

MONRE’s Minister Tran Hong Ha believes that now is the time to create the ‘green GDP index’ for economic development instead of the current GDP growth rate. 

This means that Vietnam needs to include the use of natural resources and damages to the environment in estimating costs for economic development.

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