January 2007

Toxic Waste Control in Ho Chi Minh

Ho Chi Minh City has over 2,000 factories and 12,000 medium and small production facilities but most do not have the capability nor measures to control or treat toxic waste, authorities said Wednesday.
At a conference in the city, the local Natural Resources and Environment Department’s waste management section said 1,200-1,500 tons of solid waste, 20 percent of which is toxic, is emitted everyday in the city.
Most factories do not follow safety protocols regarding waste, it said.
Last year, only 104 production facilities applied and entered into a pact with local authorities with regard to their environment-protection responsibilities and anti-pollution measures.


Oil Spill on Coast
An oil spill from an unidentified source has hit Vietnam's central coast, blackening popular resort beaches as thousands of local people help with the cleanup.
Authorities are investigating the source of the spill that reached the coast Tuesday night in Quang Nam province.
"Oil is everywhere at sea," said Nguyen Ngoc Dung, director of the provincial Natural Resources and Environment Department. "In some areas, it's as far as 20 kilometers."
The spill has affected beaches along the coast in the ancient town of Hoi An. Tourists were kept out of the sea while employees at the Palm Garden Resort in Hoi An worked to clean up blobs of thick oil that left a trail of dead fish, said Huynh The Nhien, a hotel manager. Thousands of local people were mobilized to help with the cleanup elsewhere.
The spill has also affected some beaches in neighboring Danang City.

The below pictures show the quiet town of Hoi An before the oil spill

September-October 2006

Britain Agrees to Provide Vietnam $450 Million (US) to Fight Poverty
September 19


HANOI, VIETNAM: For years Vietnam, a communist country, has struggled with poverty. But today, Britain signed an agreement granting Vietnam 250 million pounds over the next five years. This agreement, signed by Britain’s International Development Secretary Hilary Benn and Vietnam’s Minister of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc, is part of a ten-year partnership between the two countries.

The money will enable Vietnam to continue reducing poverty in their country. In the last few years, the country has made great progress in helping their poor citizens. As Britain’s Hilary Benn says, “It is a success story which has been hidden from the rest of the world.”


Smuggled Diamonds Flood Vietnamese Market
October 10, 2006


338 million Canadian dollars worth of diamonds are sold in Vietnam each year. Most of these gemstones are not imported legally.
This is because the import taxes in Vietnam are very high, so trading companies can no longer afford to import diamonds. That leaves one other option open - smuggling.
This problem was brought to attention at a recent meeting between Vietnam Gold Trading Association (VGTA) and the Ministry of Finance and the State Bank of Vietnam. There’s talk of changing the way the tax works, but for now the Vietnamese diamond market largely depends on smuggled goods.
It seems the air routes and the southern border provide a way for diamonds to be illegally imported.