Autumn is often regarded as Ha Noi's most beautiful season. In recent years, the changing season has also signaled the onset of a decrease in air quality that impacts the city through the cooler months. Last November, a period of severe pollution at the start of winter prompted city authorities to introduce urgent measures to strengthen monitoring and control emissions. Health authorities advised residents, especially older people, children and people with respiratory conditions, to limit outdoor activities, highlighting the very real impacts that poor air quality can have on daily life.
Air pollution remains one of Viet Nam's most significant environmental and public health challenges. It affects the air people breathe every day, contributes to disease and premature death, reduces productivity and imposes costs on families, communities and the economy.
As Viet Nam approaches another pollution season, it does so with a clearer roadmap than ever before. The Government's National Action Plan on Air Pollution Control and Ambient Air Quality Management for 2026-2030 sets concrete targets for improving air quality. In Ha Noi average annual PM2.5 concentrations need to reduce 20% by 2030 compared with 2024 levels. The plan also aims for at least 80% of days each year to achieve air quality ratings in the good or moderate range according to the national air quality standard. More recently, high-level Party and Government documents have reinforced these ambitions and extended this target to Ho Chi Minh City.
Targets matter because they establish a shared destination and create accountability for achieving results. For the first time, progress can be measured not only through policies adopted or regulations issued, but through outcomes that citizens can see and experience in their daily lives: more blue-sky days, fewer pollution episodes and cleaner air to breathe.
The challenge now is implementation.
This week, leaders, experts and practitioners from across Viet Nam and beyond are gathering in Ha Noi for the country's Second National Conference on Air Pollution. The theme of the conference, appropriately, is turning policies to actions.
Cleaner air cannot be achieved through a single intervention or by one ministry acting alone. Air pollution originates from multiple sources, including transport, industry, energy production, construction activities, waste burning and household fuel use.
Reflecting the need for effective, coordinated action across sectors and levels of Government, this year’s conference brings together environmental agencies, health authorities, provincial leaders, researchers, businesses, development partners and international experts.
Experience from other countries shows that Viet Nam’s ambitious air quality targets are achievable. Last week, WHO and UNDP accompanied a delegation of senior Vietnamese officials led by the Vice Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong to visit Beijing, which has demonstrated that sustained improvements are possible through coordinated, long-term action. Strong governance, clear targets, better monitoring and forecasting, use of integrated data platforms to inform policy and real-time mitigation measures, emissions controls and sustained investment helped reduce the city’s severe pollution levels while increasing the number of "blue-sky" days. Around 85 percent of days achieved good air quality according to China's national air quality standard in 2025.
The clear lesson is that ambitious air quality improvements are achievable when political commitment is matched by evidence-based action and consistent implementation.
Viet Nam has already laid important foundations. Air quality monitoring systems are expanding. Policymakers are drawing on a growing scientific evidence base to guide decision-making. New technologies, including digital tools and artificial intelligence, offer opportunities to better understand pollution sources, improve forecasting and support more targeted interventions.
A key priority is generating stronger local evidence on the health impacts of air pollution, especially its impact on vulnerable groups. At the same time, more can be done to strengthen the integration of environmental and health information. Better connections between air quality data and health data can improve early warning systems, help authorities identify populations at greatest risk and support more effective public health responses. Stronger communication is equally important. People need timely, accessible information that helps them protect themselves and their families, particularly children, older people and those living with health conditions. Well-designed communication strategies can also help build public support for policy change.
Progress often becomes most visible at the local level, where decisions about transport systems, construction management, waste practices and urban planning directly affect air quality. Recent, commendable efforts by Ha Noi authorities to address pollution from construction dust, industry, open burning and transport ahead of the coming pollution season demonstrate the type of practical action that can make a difference when sustained over time.
But cleaner air is not only a government responsibility. Businesses can invest in cleaner technologies and practices. Citizens can help identify pollution sources and support local solutions. Universities and research institutions can generate the evidence needed to inform policy and innovation.
WHO and UNDP are proud to support Viet Nam in this work. Together with national partners, we are helping to strengthen the evidence base on air pollution and health, support the development of a national emissions inventory, promote integration of environmental and health data, strengthen risk communication, pilot a “Breathable Cities” initiative in Ha Noi including engaging citizens to mitigate open burning of rubbish, and connect Viet Nam with regional and global expertise.
None of these actions alone will solve the problem, but together they can accelerate progress.
The significance of Viet Nam's Second National Conference on Air Pollution lies not only in the discussions that take place over the coming days. It lies in what happens afterwards. The conference arrives at a moment when the country has both political momentum and a growing body of evidence. The next step is turning commitments into implementation, and implementation into measurable outcomes.
Viet Nam has already shown leadership in recognizing the challenge and setting ambitious goals. By continuing to strengthen coordination, invest in better data and monitoring, protect vulnerable populations and support action at provincial and city level, the country can achieve meaningful improvements in air quality.
Cleaner air is not simply an environmental objective. It is an investment in better health, stronger economic growth and productivity, and more sustainable development.