HCMC – Hanoi has ranked second globally for the worst air quality, according to real-time air quality tracker IQAir. The city recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 278, indicating “very unhealthy” air conditions, today, January 2.
Two monitoring stations in Tay Ho and Hai Ba Trung districts reported even higher AQI levels, reaching 297 and 231 respectively, both categorized as “very unhealthy” for human health, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
The Department of Environmental Pollution Control under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has identified vehicular emissions, industrial emissions and dust, and construction activities as the main contributors to air pollution in Hanoi and the Red River Delta as a whole.
Vietnam’s capital specifically grapples with elevated levels of PM2.5 and PM10 particle matter.
Following behind Hanoi, the northern province of Thai Nguyen recorded an AQI of 279, while Ha Nam and Hung Yen provinces also reported high levels of pollution with an AQI of 261.
The AQI is a scale that measures the concentration of air pollutants and their potential health effects. A higher AQI value corresponds to a greater level of air pollution and health risk.
