Environment and natural resources
Central power plants eye urgent repairs
Four power plants in the central provinces of Nghệ An, Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên-Huế have been asked to undertake urgent repairs before the flooding season arrives. Tô Xuân Bảo, deputy director of the environmental and technical safety agency under the Ministry of Industry and ...
Landslides threaten coastal provinces
Landslides have been eroding coastal areas and tourism sites, seriously affecting the lives of thousands of people. Travelers at Cua Dai Beach in Hoi An in Quang Nam province last year could not swim in the sea because of warnings about landslides. Similar warnings have appeared ...
Joint panel discusses prior consultation process for Pakbaeng dam
Delegates from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam met on April 4 at the second meeting of the Joint Committee Working Group on the procedures for notification, prior consultation and agreement for the Pakbeng hydropower project. The Pakbaeng hydropower project is one of the five Mekong mainstream ...
Vientiane factories in need of wastewater treatment
Most factories in Vientiane are in need of wastewater treatment systems, according to a study by the Project for Urban Water Environment Improvement. The results were revealed at a seminar on Industrial Wastewater Treatment Management held on April 4 by the project and Lao National Chamber ...
Coffee sector looks for ways to adapt to climate change
Solutions to help coffee production adapt to climate change was the focus of discussion at a workshop held in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai on March 31. Looking into causes behind the unsustainable development of coffee at present, participants pointed out that small-scale production ...
HCM City seeks approval for solid-waste treatment plan
The People’s Committee of HCM City has submitted a solid-waste treatment plan to 2025 to the Ministry of Construction, which will seek approval from the central Government. The plan calls for re-use and recycling of waste by using advanced waste treatment technologies instead of the ...
The last nghien wood kingdom is being destroyed
The nghien (excentrodendron tonkinense) kingdom growing on the rocky mountains in Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang is getting smaller because of illegal logging. This is a hard, tough and durable wood with no termites, even if it is buried underground. Tay and Nung ethnic minorities like ...
Paper factory pollution under scrutiny
The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has ordered the Vietnam Environment Administration to collaborate with Hau Giang province to investigate media reports about environmental pollution caused by Vietnam Lee & Man Paper Manufacturing Limited after its waste treatment plant developed problems. Media reports this week ...
Water management cooperation to flow from Laos, China joint efforts
Laos and China have agreed to further enhance cooperation in the field of water resources through a new Data and Information Centre in conjunction with river basin management plans. The centre and the River Basin Master Planning Project are set to formulate planning schemes for ...
ADB economist looks to PPP for infrastructure needs
Yasuyuki Sawada is the first Japanese national appointed as chief economist at the Asian Development Bank. In an interview with the Nikkei Asian Review, he called for private-sector funding to meet the huge demand for infrastructure in Asia. This could be achieved through public-private partnerships ...
