In a move to reduce air pollution and promote green mobility, Hanoi has approved a plan to deploy 5,000 public electric bicycles, alongside restrictions on petrol- and diesel-powered vehicles in the city’s central area.
The city requires the enhanced application of advanced technologies and remote monitoring systems, including satellite remote sensing, drones, and AI-integrated traffic cameras, to monitor, detect, and strictly address the illegal burning of garbage, straw, and agricultural by-products.
A “Single Command” system will guide rapid responses when PM2.5 levels exceed safety thresholds. Thai provinces and Bangkok are required to act quickly, protect at-risk groups, and declare disaster zones when conditions worsen
Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen on November 6 received Sylvain Ouillon, Chief Representative of the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) in Vietnam, to discuss potential cooperation in air quality monitoring and pollution reduction in the capital city.
Hanoi and HCM City have the highest and most frequent levels of air pollution in the country.
As of early June 2025, 11 companies in Indonesia had been suspended for causing air pollution.
Despite notable progress, environmental pollution remains poorly controlled in many areas, with several regions facing severe conditions.
According to the State of Global Air 2023 report, Indonesia ranks among the world's top 10 countries with the highest exposure to PM2.5 particles, with annual averages exceeding 30 micrograms per cu.m while the World Health Organidation recommends a threshold of 5 micrograms per cu.m.
Jakarta’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 154, placing the capital in the “unhealthy” category, with fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration measured at 59.2 micrograms per cubic metre.
The Government has instructed the People's Committees of Hanoi and HCM City to urgently implement measures aimed at achieving safe Air Quality Index (AQI) levels within five years.
Key measures proposed included promoting clean energy transitions to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, developing sustainable transportation, cutting emissions from motor vehicles, managing industrial and household waste efficiently, and having stricter regulations on industrial emissions control.
Minister of Environment Hanif Faisol Nurofiq affirmed on March 14 that focus is placed on tackling emissions from vehicle exhaust.
Under the MoU, Bangkok and Beijing will concentrate on collaboration in the control of air pollution over the next three years.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt confirmed that 744 out of 1,966 classrooms are earmarked to be upgraded into dust-free classrooms in 437 BMA-run schools. The rest will be transformed into dust-free classrooms by the end of the year.
Closely following the directions of the Government and the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) addressed policy bottlenecks to ensure the effective and sustainable management, exploitation, and use of natural resources.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Suriya Jungrungreangkit said the decision was made after Bangkok was ranked as the fourth worst city in the world for air quality according to the latest data from Swiss-based IQAir on January 24.
Hanoi authorities are under significant pressure to improve air quality, particularly as the city rotates in and out of the top global ranking for air pollution levels, depending on routine measurements of the local environment.
Thailand's government on January 24 deployed small aircrafts to spray white mist over the dense smog blanketing Bangkok in an effort to alleviate the city’s stifling air pollution.
Over 100 schools in Thailand's Bangkok city have suspended in-person classes and shifted to online learning due to severe air pollution affecting the capital and over 60 provinces nationwide.
Bangkok experienced the highest air pollution levels in Thailand on January 7, with fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations reaching hazardous levels across all 50 districts of the capital, according to the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA).