HANOI, Vietnam: According to data from independent global air pollution information app AirVisual, this week, levels of hazardous small particles, known as PM2.5, in the air in Hanoi, Vietnam, were at 187 micrograms per cubic meter, the highest among a list of most polluted international cities.
Duong Kim Oanh, a 58-year-old Hanoi resident, said, “This is damaging to our health. I think Hanoi’s pollution is caused by a large number of personal vehicles and the fine dust from all the construction, plus this cold weather.”
A 2021 World Bank report showed that emissions from eight million vehicles registered in Hanoi comprised 30 percent of air particulate pollution and industry emissions another 30 percent.
Due to heavy fog and severe air pollution, some 100 flights to and from the international airport in Hanoi were delayed or diverted to other cities on February 2.
