The Government is developing guidelines enabling People’s Committees of districts and provinces to sue polluters, Pham Van Loi, head of the Environmental Study Institute under the Vietnam Environment Administration, said at a recent conference on sustainable development.
![]() |
A Government decree on assessment of environmental damage that took effect in March 2015 provides for suing polluting enterprises if they fail to agree on compensation with local authorities, including People’s Committees and the ministry of environment.
But Loi said compliance of Vietnamese firms with obligations relating to environmental protection, such as issuing environmental impact assessments, environmental protection plans, waste management and pollution reduction measures was still modest.
“Stricter punishment of polluters will deter them,” Loi said.
Deputy head of the Vietnam Environmental Admistration (VEA), Hoang Van Thuc, said there are 283 industrial zones in Vietnam but just 75 percent have waste water treatment systems and just 60 percent of the systems meet national standards. Only five percent of trade villages and industrial groups across the country have waste water treatment systems.
VEA data shows that half the enterprises inspected failed to complete legal documents relating to environmental protection. Thirty percent of enterprises discharged improperly treated waste water into the environment.
Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Vo Tuan Nhan, said that besides their obligations, enterprises were offered incentives in taxes, land use and infrastructure for complying with environmental protection laws.
However, enterprises complain that they face difficulties in accessing such incentives, Nhan said, adding that he himself saw enterprises struggle to access the Environmental Protection Fund when he was in charge of the fund management.
The International Day of Older Persons 2026, themed “The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives,” highlights the need to develop healthcare, social security, labour-market and social-service systems in response to increasing life expectancy. For Vietnam, rapid population ageing is not only a demographic issue but also a development challenge.
The Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre on September 29 safely brought ashore an unconscious sailor from the Liberian-flagged MSC HERMES III, who was suspected of inhaling toxic gas, for further medical treatment.
This year, lessons will weave Vietnamese culture, history and everyday life into the curriculum, tailored to each age group.
Among the key transport and conference projects, the runway expansion at Phu Quoc International Airport has been completed, while the VIP terminal is 96% complete and Terminal 2 is 72% complete.
Both sides agreed to keep educating officials, Party members, youth union groups and the broader public, especially young people in both provinces, on the great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation and strategic cohesion between Vietnam and Laos.
Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc on September 27 inspected Huu Nghi – Chi Lang and Dong Dang – Tra Linh expressway projects, urging local authorities, investors and contractors to speed up construction to connect the two routes before the Lunar New Year (Tet) 2027.
General Secretary and President Lam stressed that bilateral friendship and cooperation have been nurtured by people living and working in both countries, with the Vietnamese community in Canada playing an important bridging role.
Of the total, 631 were individual sets of remains, while 33 were recovered from eight mass graves. Personal artifacts were found with 298 sets of remains.
Vietnam plans to connect its national digital identification application VNeID with the electronic identification systems of Singapore and Laos, with a view to expanding the connection to other ASEAN countries.
Such assessments, however, need to be viewed in the context of Vietnam’s starting point in 1986 and the broader trajectory of its development. A country emerging from prolonged wars, facing severe socio-economic difficulties and economic embargo has undergone profound changes over the past four decades.
The floods have left three people dead, destroyed eight houses and damaged 111 others, while nearly 20,000 houses have been inundated, with more than 5,000 in riverside and low-lying areas of Hanoi and Ninh Binh currently remaining flooded.
The captain discovered water entering ballast tanks No. 4, 5 and 6 on the port side, causing the vessel to list slightly. Initial assessments indicated that the vessel may have struck an underwater rock formation while underway.
Publishing copyright is entering an entirely new phase. As AI becomes increasingly capable of generating text, summarising books, mimicking writing styles and producing content at enormous speed, ensuring copyright protection is becoming more difficult.
Authorities urged residents in the eight provinces and cities - Son La, Phu Tho, Lao Cai, Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen, Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An - to remain alert for a high risk of flash floods and landslides on September 17.
Prolonged heavy rains from September 13–17 have caused flooding and landslides, damaging homes, crops, roads and infrastructure in Phu Tho and Thanh Hoa provinces, with local authorities mobilising forces for emergency response.
Quang Ninh city's Public Security Department warned individuals, agencies and businesses not to publicly disclose or provide personal information or bank account details on social media, and urged organisations and businesses to strictly comply with regulations on protecting customers’ personal data.
From a weekend support activity, the “Zero-dong stall” has grown into a widely recognised community initiative, helping ease living costs while fostering solidarity and compassion among local residents.
The continued recovery of martyrs’ remains provides valuable information and further evidence of those who fought and sacrificed their lives for national independence and freedom. It also encourages search teams to persist in locating fallen soldiers still lying on former battlefields, contributing to the effective implementation of the 500-day campaign and reflecting Vietnam’s long-standing tradition of gratitude.
Vietnam will launch nationwide screening for five groups of school-related diseases and health conditions among students from preschool through high school from 2028, including overweight and obesity, refractive errors, spinal curvature, oral diseases and mental health disorders.
Vietnam always regards the Republic of Korea (RoK) as a country with a highly developed press sector and hopes to learn more from its Korean colleagues, said Le Quoc Minh, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper and President of the VJA.