The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will conduct inspections of the Vietnam Environment Administration along with 64 organisations and 10 departments relating to natural resources and the environment during the performance of legal regulations on environmental protection while importing waste as production materials.
Hundreds of used home electronics banned from import found in containers at Cat Lai Port in HCM City. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of NaturalResources and Environment will conduct inspections of the Vietnam EnvironmentAdministration along with 64 organisations and 10 departments relating tonatural resources and the environment during the performance of legalregulations on environmental protection while importing waste as productionmaterials.
Among the 64 inspected organisations, 54 werecertified by the ministry as being eligible to import scrap as productionmaterials.
According to the General Department of Customs,in the first five months of 2018, Vietnam imported more than 2 million tonnesof steel, worth 744 million USD. The highest imports came from Japan with 564,000tonnes worth 200 million USD.
Speaking at the Government’s monthly pressconference in August, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc demanded that “Vietnammust not become a landfill that will damage people’s living conditions and thecountry’s image”.
The Government leader ordered customsauthorities, the environmental ministry, the transport ministry, and local administrationswhose major ports struggle with scrap containers to review their policies andactivities, and to “learn their lessons” from having let the situation get outof control in the first place.
Minister of Environment and Natural ResourcesTran Hong Ha said the ministry is considering a total ban on the import ofscraps. Besides comprehensive inspections and a thorough revamp of scrap importpermit mechanisms, heavy fines and revoking business licences are all on thetable as possible solutions, he added.
What the country need is a complete reshufflingof recycling companies’ operations, which would require these companies toraise their standards and update their technologies with defined roadmaps fortransition, he said.
Vietnam would also need to introduce a nationalwaste system to improve the woeful rate of reuse and recycling, which would atleast help those in the recycled produce sector obtain sufficient domesticscrap supply, he suggested.–VNA
To prevent Vietnam becoming a destination for scrap from other countries, ministries, sectors and localities need to enhance coordination in managing scrap imports and use of scrap as production material, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha has said.
Business associations have voiced their support for stricter management of scrap imports, but they also underlined the need to continue importing these goods to serve domestic production.
The General Department of Vietnam Customs will study and submit to the Ministry of Finance a proposal to the Government to restrict imports of scrap materials and move towards a ban on scrap imports to Vietnam.
Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh has issued a directive on enhancing State management of scrap imports in order to implement the Prime Minister’s guidelines on strengthening the management of the import and use of scrap.
Floodwater levels in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta are high and will continue to rise this month, especially in upstream areas, according to the hydraulic works management and construction department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.
Conservation efforts to restore habitat and boost the population of red-crowned cranes in Tram Chim National Park are finally showing progress, with the cranes and many other rare wild birds coming back to the park.
Torrential rains from the night of July 31 to early August 1 triggered flash floods and landslides across several communes in Dien Bien province, leaving at least two people dead and eight others missing.
Transitioning to a circular economy not only offers a sustainable development path for Ho Chi Minh City but also serves as a pivotal step toward establishing a fully green economy.
An exhibition featuring 100 green, recycled, and circular economy models and products from 50 businesses and educational establishments took place in Ho Chi Minh City on July 31, as part of the local green transition forum and recycle day 2025.
Regional solidarity and cooperation are the key factor for the effective implementation of wildlife protection regulations. Only through sustainable cooperation, innovative approaches, and collective action can biodiversity be safeguarded for the present and future generations, an Vietnamese official has said.
Hanoi has approved a comprehensive plan to restore the environmental quality and develop four major urban rivers – the To Lich, Kim Nguu, Lu, and Set reverine environments.
The Javan pangolin is listed in Vietnam’s Red Book as critically endangered and is protected under Group IB – a category reserved for forest species facing an extremely high risk of extinction and requiring strict conservation measures.
As a key member of the core group of 18 countries, initiated by Vanuatu, Vietnam engaged in advocating for the UN General Assembly’s Resolution N.77/276, requesting for the ICJ’s advisory opinion. Following the resolution's adoption, Vietnam fully participated in all procedural steps for the first time, from submitting written proposals to presenting directly at the court’s hearings.
The wild elephant population in Da Nang includes a full developed herb of mature males, females, and calves. To date, the herd has grown to nine individuals.
Conservation efforts here have become a model, helping to save millions of turtle hatchlings and promoting Con Dao as a member of the Indian Ocean-Southeast Asia Turtle Site Network.
As part of its drive to fulfil its net zero emissions commitment by 2050, Vietnam is fast-tracking the development of a legal corridor to launch a pilot carbon market by the end of 2025, according to the Department of Climate Change.
Under the plan, from 2025 to 2026, the city will complete mechanisms and policies to support businesses in switching to green vehicles, expand the electric and green-energy bus network, and build charging stations. The targeted proportion of green buses is set at 10% in 2025 and 20–23% in 2026.
Storm Comay, the fourth in the East Sea this year, was at around 16.7 degrees North and 118.3 degrees East, in the east of the East Sea's northern waters as of 4am on July 24.
The disaster risk warning level for flash floods, landslides, and ground subsidence due to heavy rains and flows is rated at level 1, except in Nghe An, where it is raised to level 2.
Hundreds of used home electronics banned from import found in containers at Cat Lai Port in HCM City. (Photo: VNA) 
