Air pollution in major Vietnamese cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City has reached alarming levels, seriously endangering public health - especially for children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with chronic illnesses.

According to Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong, who spoke at the recent National Scientific Conference on Air Quality Control and Improvement, urban air pollution in Vietnam is having a direct impact on public health, economic development, and daily life - especially for vulnerable groups and outdoor laborers.

Studies have linked air pollution to increased cases of respiratory infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and allergic reactions, as well as cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, angina, myocardial ischemia, and heart failure. It also contributes to skin and mucous membrane conditions.

Air pollution adds to the national disease burden, resulting in more hospitalizations, higher treatment costs, and longer recovery times. This strains healthcare facilities and undermines the quality of medical care.

Deputy Minister Huong emphasized that improving air quality requires cross-sector, cross-regional collaboration and the involvement of the entire political system, businesses, and communities.

An inter-regional, cross-sector approach is essential

Dr. Hoang Duong Tung, Chairman of the Vietnam Clean Air Network, acknowledged that Vietnam has adopted measures such as urban greening, public transportation development, and the gradual shift from traditional to electric buses. However, these efforts have yet to yield significant results.

He attributed the limited impact to a lack of cohesive coordination among agencies, weak enforcement, and the absence of a rigorous monitoring mechanism to ensure proper implementation.

Dr. Tung stressed the need for a comprehensive, cross-sector approach. Since air pollution transcends city boundaries, especially in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, isolated measures are insufficient. Neighboring provinces also contribute to urban air quality issues.

Regarding pollution sources like construction, traffic, and waste burning, Dr. Tung observed that while these issues are frequently discussed, concrete actions are still lacking.

“In other countries, they install surveillance cameras and particulate monitoring systems to supervise construction sites. Violations are dealt with immediately. Here, enforcement is still lenient, and penalties are not strict enough,” he noted.

He also highlighted the inadequacy of Hanoi’s air monitoring network. “The city has only two main stations and 12 central government ones, which is far from sufficient. We need more sensor stations to detect pollution hotspots in real time and respond appropriately,” he added.

Transparent data allows public participation in monitoring

Dr. Tung cited Beijing as an example of effective air quality management. China has acted decisively with synchronized policies, advanced technologies, and big data analytics to monitor pollution and guide actions.

They established a centralized command unit with clear accountability, paired policies with direct action, and allocated substantial funding for implementation. Measures included closing polluting factories, investing in electric buses, and subsidizing the transition from fuel-powered to electric vehicles. These swift, coordinated steps yielded measurable improvements.

Dr. Tung asserted that improving air quality in Vietnam requires unified leadership, transparent responsibility, stronger inspections, and especially, the active involvement of local authorities, sectors, and citizens.

“We must measure and publicly disclose all air quality indicators so that the public can participate in monitoring. Only through transparency and collective oversight can we drive lasting change,” he concluded.

Vu Diep