FEATURE: VIETNAM'S CAPITAL RESIDENTS STRUGGLE AS SEVERE AIR POLLUTION PERSISTS

HANOI, Dec. 19 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- A thick blanket of smog has settled over Vietnam's capital Hanoi in recent days, blurring high-rise buildings and casting a gray haze across streets as fine particulate matter continues to rise to unhealthy levels.

According to the global air-quality monitoring platform IQAir, the city recorded several consecutive days with fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, reaching the "unhealthy" range over the past month.

The peak occurred on Dec. 12, when PM2.5 concentrations reached nearly 197 micrograms per cubic meter, about 13 times higher than the World Health Organisation's recommended 24-hour limit.

Nguyen Thu Ha, a furniture shop owner in downtown Hanoi, removed her mask and told Xinhua, "I felt tired, and my throat was harder to breathe through. Overall, I felt exhausted."

Her shop sits along a busy road where dust particles blow inside throughout the day, forcing her to clean the products constantly.

"It needs to be cleaned every 15 minutes," she said, noting that she sometimes wears two masks or uses an N95 mask – a medical-grade respirator widely used in Vietnamese healthcare facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While many residents struggle, others are seeing their businesses surge.

The persistent pollution, with elevated fine particulate matter levels, has driven up demand for health-protection products such as masks, air purifiers and other protective items.

Nguyen Thi Ngan, a pharmacist in Hanoi, said the number of masks ordered during this period has doubled compared to earlier this year.

Her pharmacy, even just by selling a few types of face masks, has already generated significant revenue, she said.

Since the beginning of December, Hanoi has experienced 14 days with air pollution at "unhealthy" levels or higher, and on the night of Dec. 7, IQAir ranked Hanoi the most polluted city in the world at that moment.

Speaking to Xinhua, Dr. Tran Van Mieu, vice chairman of the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment, cited several main causes behind the severe air pollution in Hanoi.

"Hanoi has too many motorbikes and cars -- about 8 million motorcycles and 1.5 million cars for a population of 8.5 million," he said.

He pointed out that most vehicles use fossil fuels, and "fossil fuels typically also cause emissions."

He also noted that pollution stems from poorly managed construction planning and inadequate covering of construction sites.

"Pollution in Hanoi also comes from open burning in suburban areas, including burning straw after harvests and burning household waste," he said.

The capital's authorities have stepped up efforts to address these problems.

In April 2025, the Hanoi People's Council approved a resolution that doubled fines for several environmental violations.

In late November this year, the city passed another resolution to implement a low-emission zone, launching a pilot programme to ban gasoline-powered motorbikes during certain hours or in specific areas within Ring Road 1 starting July 1, 2026.

--BERNAMA-XINHUA