Hanoi stood second in Southeast Asia in terms of air pollution just behind Jakarta, according to a 2018 World Air Quality Report jointly conducted by Greenpeace and IQAir AirVisual.

 Three black bears kept in Bien Hoa city of the southern province of Dong Nai were handed over to a wildlife conservation centre on March 12. 

 Developing renewable energy is one of the priorities of Vietnam to gradually reduce the dependence on traditional forms of power generation in order to protect the environment.

 Two Asian black bears which were kept in a local house in Thuan An town of the southern province of Binh Duong were handed over to competent agencies on March 11.

A campaign named “Day to clean plastic waste 2019” was launched in Ho Chi Minh City on March 9 to raise public awareness and call for practical actions to protect the environment. 

 Although the dry season has yet to reach its peak, many reservoirs in the Central Highlands have recorded seriously receded water levels, leading to water scarcity for agriculture.

 Scientists have found over a dozen Guar or Indian Bison in the central province of Quang Binh at Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park through photographic traps.

 Vietnam has seen decreases in the number of violation cases related to forest protection and development, as well as the area of forest lost by deforestation.

 A large area of forest in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai has been burnt down for farming.

Four Paws, an international animal welfare organisation, opened a bear sanctuary in Ky Phu commune of Nho Quan district, the northern province of Ninh Binh, on March 7. 

 The Green Climate Fund (GCF) will continue supporting the central province of Quang Nam’s climate change adaptation efforts this year by sponsoring the construction of flood-proof houses and the cultivation of mangrove forests.

 The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has approved the dumping of 14.3 million cubic metres of mud off the coast of the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

 An illegal tourism site has been built on forested land by the son of an environment official in Quang Nam Province.

 HCMC aims to cut off non-biodegradable plastic bags in supermarkets, shopping malls and markets, collect and recycle plastic bags produced from household activities this year.

 Early March, gradual saltwater intrusion in coastal provinces in the Mekong Delta is threatening to the primary production system and daily activities.

 A program to survey the status of some large important animals at Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park has recorded tens of gaur individuals moving in herd.

 The Vietnam Environment Administration (VEA) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment held a ceremony on March 5 in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho to put an environmental monitoring station in the southwest region into operation.

 Thailand, as chair of ASEAN, has hosted the Special ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Marine Debris. All member countries agreed to the Bangkok Declaration and the Framework of Action on marine debris management in the ASEAN region.

 Over 100,000 ha out of 350,000 ha of forests in the south central coastal province of Binh Thuan are on the highest alert for fires as the peak of the dry season begins, according to the provincial Forestry Management Department. 

Due to the rising volume of coal ashes produced by thermal power plants, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung noted that it was necessary to change the way of handling these ashes.