'Tightening' emissions, eliminating vehicles that pollute the environment

On the morning of October 28, the National Assembly listened to Secretary General and Head of the National Assembly Office Le Quang Manh read a report by the National Assembly's supervision delegation on the implementation of policies and laws on environmental protection since the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection came into effect.

Proposal to apply environmental taxes and fees

The monitoring team pointed out that, in addition to some results, the implementation of the law is still limited, such as the complicated development of environmental pollution, sometimes at a serious level. Especially air pollution (due to fine dust) in big cities; adversely affecting people's health.

Secretary General - Head of the Office of the National Assembly Le Quang Manh presented the report of the National Assembly Supervision Delegation on the implementation of policies and laws on environmental protection.

PHOTO: GIA HAN

"There are times when the capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City fall into the group of the most polluted cities in the world ," said Mr. Le Quang Manh. The environmental quality of some river sections concentrated in densely populated areas, production, business, service establishments, and craft villages in the Cau River basin, Nhue - Day River, and Bac Hung Hai irrigation system has been slow to improve.

In addition, the target on the rate of establishments causing serious environmental pollution that have been handled has not been fulfilled. According to the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, by 2025, 100% of establishments causing serious environmental pollution must be handled. However, by September 2025, the whole country still has 38/435 establishments causing serious environmental pollution that have not been thoroughly handled.

The monitoring team also pointed out that the wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure is still backward. Currently, only about 18% of the total urban wastewater is collected and treated. The whole country has only 31.5% of industrial clusters and 16.6% of craft villages investing in building centralized wastewater treatment systems that meet the requirements...

According to the report of the National Assembly's Committee for Petitions and Supervision, in reality, there have been complaints, denunciations, and petitions related to the activities of some livestock facilities that discharge waste into the environment. Or the activities of some production facilities that generate emissions that pollute the environment; cemetery park projects... have a great impact on the lives of people in the area.

However, it is worth mentioning that most of the solutions by local authorities have only stopped at the level of requiring investors to limit the negative impacts of the project, without having fundamental solutions to completely resolve the environmental pollution situation.

Urgent need to overcome air pollution in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

Presenting urgent solutions, General Secretary and Head of the Office of the National Assembly Le Quang Manh suggested eliminating the view that "environmental protection will hinder economic growth". In particular, establishing a mechanism for pricing resources, environmental taxes, environmental fees, and emission quotas...

At the same time, issue and effectively implement the National Action Plan on pollution remediation and air quality management for the period 2025 - 2030, with a vision to 2045. The monitoring team also proposed to immediately implement urgent measures to control, prevent, overcome and improve air pollution in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The monitoring team proposed to strictly control emissions from road motor vehicles; limit vehicles causing air pollution in large cities. Implement a green transition roadmap with mechanisms and policies to support people, creating consensus in society. In particular, there should be measures to eliminate motor vehicles that do not meet the standards for circulation and cause environmental pollution.

In addition, strictly manage waste generated from traffic and construction activities, especially in urban areas, and agricultural by-product burning activities. Strive to reduce the average annual PM2.5 dust concentration in Hanoi by 2030 by about 20% compared to the average level in 2024.

In provinces and cities surrounding Hanoi, the average annual PM2.5 dust concentration will decrease by at least 10% compared to the average level in 2024. In Ho Chi Minh City and other urban areas nationwide, air quality will be maintained under control, preventing an increase in pollution levels.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/siet-khi-thai-loai-bo-phuong-tien-gay-o-nhiem-moi-truong-185251028003344048.htm