The water of Hoan Kiem Lake has turned a strange colour in recent days due to the impact of a kind of poisonous algae.

 US Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Mary Tarnowka has called for actions to improve public awareness of plastic waste as well as measures to reduce and recycle plastic waste. 

Chin Well Fasteners Vietnam Company in Hiep Phuoc Commune, Nhon Trach District, was fined VNĐ3.5 billion (US$154,000) for releasing untreated wastewater and directly burying 1,600 tonnes of contaminated waste.

 A workshop took place in Hanoi on April 18 to review and update Vietnam’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

 The State-owned Hanoi Sewage and Drainage One Member Limited Company said it has released green algae into Hoan Kiem Lake to revive the unique green colour of the lake.

 Vietnamese and French localities have signed a cooperation agreement on managing and developing geoparks after Vietnam’s Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark in Cao Bang province was named a UNESCO global geopark on April 12. 

Binh Dinh’s authorities are sealing off the factory of loss-making Binh Dinh Sugar JSC, in which India-based NIVL JSC holds 97 per cent, for causing serious environmental pollution.

The commitment was confirmed by Vietnamese Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha at the Korea-Vietnam Environmental Cooperation Forum 2018 on April 16 at Hanoi’s Daewoo Hotel.

 Da Loc Commune protective coastal forest in Thanh Hoa Province has become a huge dumping site as large amounts of rubbish are being washed up on the beach. 

Prolonged heat in the southernmost province of Ca Mau has exposed 43,000 hectares of cajeput forest in U Minh Ha National Park to high risk of forest fires, according to the local forest protection sub-department.

 People in Hanoi’s Bac Tu Liem and Tay Ho districts have been living with a seriously-polluted river for many years, but the local authorities have seemed to ignore the problem.

 A rubbish dump in Phu Quoc Island’s An Thoi Town is severely over capacity and polluting the surrounding neighbourhood.

 Of Nghe An’s 124 sand exploitation locations, 101 are unlicensed.

Masses of dead fish were found in central Quang Tri Province’s communes of Trieu Van, Trieu An, and Gio Ha, as well as in Cua Viet Township late last month.

 The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) will spend 30 per cent of its budget and personnel on irregular inspections of suspected environmental violations this year.

 Many sections of the dyke along Hoi An Town’s Cua Dai Beach have been seriously damaged.

 More than 60 Vietnamese bamboo varieties have been planted in the Gao Giong eco-tourism site in Cao Lanh district, the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, as part of the site’s bamboo conservation project. 

 Residents living near the Lee&Man paper manufacturing factory continue to complain about the pollution and noise caused by the factory, while the investor—Hong Kong-based Lee&Man Paper Group—insists that its factory meets environmental criteria.

 A marine project is underway in the central province of Quang Nam to save sea turtles as part of a local effort to protect the biodiversity in Cu Lao Cham (Cham Island) Marine Protected Area (MPA).

 The hosting of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) conference on climate change response toward sustainable development next June is a highlight of Can Tho’s people-to-people diplomacy this year, stated a municipal leader.