Hanoi crossed the red line of air pollution...Government Announces Measures

[Anchor]
As is widely known, Hanoi, Vietnam, is suffering from severe air pollution.

An aging motorbike and motorcade are spewing fumes on the streets every day, and the problem is that the majority are significantly exceeding their emission standards.

Vietnam's transportation authorities have come up with some measures to reduce air pollution.

Reporter Kim Hye-in has the news.

[Reporter]
On the road in Hanoi, packed with tons of motorcycles and cars.

The acrid fumes keep spewing out.

Masks are a must for motorcyclists who have no choice but to live with air all day.

[Pung Kuang Hoa / Hanoi, Vietnam: Wear a mask when riding a motorcycle. There is a section with a lot of fine dust, so wearing a mask is good for your neck.]

It is the same for foreign tourists coming to Vietnam on a short schedule to complain that it is difficult to breathe.

[Zanina Fetz / German tourist: In Germany, scooters and cars are put on certain filters to prevent soot, but Hanoi doesn't seem to have that.]

Currently, there are about 1.1 million cars in operation in downtown Hanoi and about 7 million motorcycles.

The problem is that many of them are aged vehicles that did not meet emissions standards,

The main culprit of Hanoi's air pollution is vehicles, as more than two-thirds of toxic smog has occurred in gasoline vehicles in the past year.

As of 2023, Vietnam was the second most polluted country in the ASEAN region,
according to a survey.
Hanoi is the eighth most polluted city in the world.

The Vietnamese government has taken a knife in this increasingly serious air pollution.

Part-time introduction of motorbike processions near Hoankiem Lake in central Hanoi,

We have announced a policy to reduce pollutants by regularly cleaning major roads and spraying water.

In addition, we have also prepared a plan to provide various tax benefits to electric vehicles and electric motorcycles.

It is a long-term and fundamental solution to improve air pollution problems by reducing traffic emissions, but there is a long way to go before practical use.

[Ha Dong-hwan / Hanoi National University Ph.D. Program: (Electric vehicles and motorcycles) are actually too expensive to be commercialized, so the government operates them as state-run, semi-private classes, but it's hard to say that this has a significant impact on environmental policy yet.]

Vietnamese authorities make late efforts to address Hanoi's serious air pollution,

Citizens are also watching with interest whether this measure can lead to a policy to drastically reduce air pollution in the long run.

I'm Kim Hye-in from YTN World in Hanoi, Vietnam.