Whether it is for power generation or irrigation, all upstream developments on the Mekong River put Vietnam at risk as the last downstream country, experts said yesterday.

 Waste and dead animals from upstream have been washed up to the beach in Nha Trang City, rated as one of the most attractive beaches in the world.

 Ancient trees and clumps of trees in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long were recognised as cultural and historical relic trees by the Vietnam Ornamental Creatures Association. 

 The Prime Minister has issued a plan to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change with five objectives, including reducing green house gas (GHG) emission and adapting to climate change. 

 The mass fish deaths reported in Linh Dam Lake in Hanoi’s Hoang Mai District are not related to its water quality, Hanoi Environment Protection Branch officials said.

 Vietnam has identified over 1,080 species of marine fish, including many highly economically valuable creatures such as the skipjack tuna, Japanese horse mackerel, yellowtail scad, largehead hairtail (or beltfish), ariid catfish, among others.

VietNamNet Bridge - In 2016, the consequences of climate change in Vietnam were evident with 10 typhoons and seven tropical depressions in the East Sea, more than the average of many years ago. 

 Thousands of fish have been found dead in Hanoi’s Linh Dam Lake since October 26.

 VietNamNet Bridge – A fisherman in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak on Monday caught a giant catfish weighing nearly 130kg, 2.2m long in the Serepok River in Buon Don district.

The Vietnam Sustainable Energy Alliance and the Vietnam Non-Communicable Disease Prevention Alliance have proposed the Government put on hold all the coal-fired thermal power projects. 

 Phu Quoc Island, one of the popular tourist attractions of Vietnam, is facing the danger of becoming overloaded with waste as the island struggles to process half the daily amount produced.

 The government of HCM City has approved a pilot factory project that will treat 200 kilos of rubbish a day for power generation at the Phuoc Hiep Rubbish Dump Area. 

 Residents who live around Hanoi’s Van Quan Lake are complaining that the lake, once a beautiful spot, has become very polluted and is stinking up its surroundings.

 The Ministry of Industry and Trade has announced a list of 30 thermal electricity, hydropower, chemical and mining projects that are posing risks to the environment.

 Planning for HCM City and its neighbouring provinces must be adjusted to adapt to climate change and ensure sustainable development, speakers said at a meeting on regional planning to 2030 held in Hanoi last week.

 Authorities in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau are working with government agencies to provide financial assistance to farmers who suffered losses after the recent mass death of farm-raised fish in Long Son Commune.

 Construction of a centre for natural resources conservation and fauna and flora rescue has begun in Thua Thien-Hue, a central province with rich biodiversity. 

 Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha has promised that Vietnam will successfully implement commitments in greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction and climate change mitigation. 

The tourism sector in the four central provinces suffering from the seawater pollution caused in April by Taiwanese steel maker Formosa Ha Tinh has reported thousands of billions of dong in lost revenues.

 Fifteen ancient trees in Lao Cai, Bac Ninh, Bac Giang and Haiphong have been recognized as national heritage trees, including an ironwood which is around 1,100 years old, Vietnamplus reports.