Viet Nam tightens controls on fine dust and open burning to curb year-end air pollution

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has issued Official Dispatch No. 9593/BNNMT-MT dated November 25, 2025, instructing local authorities in Hanoi and neighboring provinces to urgently roll out emergency measures to cope with a forecast surge in air pollution in late November and early December.

According to the Ministry’s warning, concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are expected to rise sharply in the coming period, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) potentially exceeding 150 - classified as unhealthy. This level of pollution poses direct risks to public health and could also have adverse impacts on socio-economic activities.

To curb road dust, localities are required to strengthen urban environmental sanitation, instructing environmental service units and investors of traffic infrastructure projects to increase the frequency of street sweeping, vacuum dust collection, and the use of specialized vehicles to spray and wash roads at major traffic arteries and city gateways. Dust suppression activities are prioritized at night and in the early morning, before 6 a.m., to maximize effectiveness ahead of rush hours while minimizing traffic disruption.

Controls over construction activities are also being tightened. Authorities are instructed to strictly inspect construction sites to ensure adequate covering and cleaning of vehicles entering and exiting sites. Construction work must be suspended if violations of environmental protection regulations are detected, particularly those generating dust or mud discharged onto public roads. Vehicles transporting construction materials and waste without proper covering, causing spillage and pollution, will be strictly sanctioned.

For industrial emission sources, local governments are required to intensify inspections of environmental compliance at facilities with large air emissions, including cement plants, thermal power stations, steel production sites, and craft villages with combustion processes - especially recycling facilities. The Ministry has called for strict control of exhaust gas treatment systems and encourages facilities to reduce operating capacity on days when air quality deteriorates to unhealthy levels.

The open burning of waste, rice straw, and agricultural by-products must also be strictly controlled. Commune- and ward-level police forces are assigned a leading role in stepping up patrols to detect and strictly handle illegal burning, particularly in border areas between localities and along major traffic routes.

To protect public health, the Ministry has instructed local authorities to strengthen public information and air quality alerts. Residents - especially the elderly, children, and people with respiratory conditions—are advised to limit outdoor activities when AQI levels are high, wear face masks when going outside, and avoid outdoor exercise in the early morning and at night.

Notably, the Ministry will deploy unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and satellite imagery to monitor open burning sites and major emission sources, and promptly forward evidence of violations to local authorities for handling. Provinces and centrally governed cities are required to submit weekly reports on implementation results to the Ministry for consolidation and monitoring.

Hoang Hien