Vietnam

The slow implementation of urban waste solutions and wastewater treatment projects leads to environmental problems and the risk of unsustainable development in the near future on Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam.

The Mekong River in the Vietnamese delta region has consistently received its lowest flow levels in recent years, limiting rice-growing and other crops. Climate change, saline intrusion, and hydropower dams have all significantly impacted farmers’ livelihoods but Resolution 120, a response from the Vietnamese government, is expected to provide some hope for a shift in agricultural strategy and food security for the future. 

Maggie Tra, founder of SYS Sister Sounds and Hà Nội Community Radio, keeps pushing boundaries to give Vietnamese women more opportunities in the music industry. Navigating a path through DJ-ing in Hanoi, offering workshops and encouragement to others, she hopes the music sector will evolve to see more diverse participation and change perspectives of what women can do.

Several cities and provinces in Vietnam are reopening after a so-called tragic fourth wave of COVID-19. Along with societal and economic losses, waste generated from daily routines and medical facilities has become a huge consequence and the country must learn how to deal with the overwhelming waste.

More public awareness of the link between wildlife and pandemics has given conservation groups a wider entry point to step up campaigns against their use. But COVID-19 restrictions have also led wildlife traffickers and sellers to turn to social platforms to push their trade.

The 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) had the potential to be the most consequential congress since 1986, when the party adopted the Doi Moi reforms that began Vietnam’s opening to the world.

2020 is an outstanding year in every respect. Despite current events turning the world upside-down, it is also the anniversary of a number of historic events that changed the world and people’s lives: 30 years of German reunification, 45 years of diplomatic relations between the Federal Republic of Germany (former West Germany) and Vietnam

At their core, the shared crises of the pandemic, the climate emergency and the plastics habit reflect how human beings view their space in the natural world.

From all indications, Vietnam has succeeded in managing the pandemic, an achievement that has drawn a lot of news coverage, some envy by countries in Asia and beyond, and praise from international organizations. But while there has been much analysis from outside about Vietnam’s response to the pandemic, what do Vietnamese themselves think?