by Ray Riches*
Sitting on the 16th floor of an office building in HCM City, I look out across the skyline at a haze that is full of everything bad and nothing good for human consumption.
HCM City has become one of the top 20 most polluted cities, and this may have far-reaching effects on the long-term future of the city.
With 12 million residents in the wider city, pollution has become a significant challenge for the community. Housing density, due to many factors, is high in HCM City. While this is not inherently bad, it does contribute to the air we end up breathing every day.
 |
| Particulate matter covers high buildings in District 1, HCM City. VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Đạt |
Several key factors contribute to this emergency. Transportation, influenced by the city’s density, has been a major issue. But it goes beyond just transportation.
HCM City’s transport system is still developing. The first Metro line opened in 2024, and a fleet of electric buses replaced old fuel units at the same time. However, the lack of public transport over many decades has created a motorbike culture in the city. Unlike cities such as Singapore, people in HCM City don’t rely on public transport because it is not convenient.
Motorbikes are synonymous with Việt Nam. These cheap and reliable small vehicles have been the backbone of development across the nation, but their very technology contributes to the pollution issue. Small motorbikes, especially the older ones, lack pollution control devices found in modern cars and larger motorbikes. This means that, while each vehicle emits only a small amount, collectively, motorbikes release immense amounts of pollution into the environment.
Cars also play a significant role in the pollution issue. The city was designed with small personal vehicles in mind. The reduction of tariffs and taxes on cars around six years ago led to an increase in the number of larger vehicles on the streets of the city. For every car that entered the roads, delays were added for everyone else using the network.
People say the traffic in HCM City is among the worst in the world. This is because cars fill spaces where motorbikes once ran freely. Indeed, my 3km ride to work should take around seven minutes, but with the traffic, it can stretch to as long as 40 minutes. It takes me 45 minutes to walk to work. This is unacceptable and exacerbates the pollution issue with vehicles idling for extended periods in traffic.
 |
| Traffic in Bình Chánh District, HCM City. VNA/VNS Photo Tiến Lực |
Burning rubbish also contributes to the air pollution in the city. Sometimes for religious purposes, but mostly just to remove leaves and rubbish from the street, burning organic matter is a common practice for homeowners in Việt Nam.
Globally, cities are now banning all fires in an attempt to reduce air pollution. For example, in Sydney, Australia (a city double the size of HCM City and half the population), burning of any kind has been banned for over 30 years. The results are clear: Sydney transformed from a highly polluted region to one of the cleaner cities in the world. I believe this can also happen in HCM City if small changes are made.
It has long been known that industrialisation affects the environment. Factories produce goods and the result is pollution entering the environment in many ways. This also occurs in HCM City, but from speaking with friends in this area, exceptional measures are taken to ensure that the pollution produced is limited, and high-polluting factories are moved out of the city.
The last factor, which is rarely spoken about, is the geography of the region. Việt Nam sits on a peninsula of Southeast Asia, and as a result, particularly in winter, there is a stream of cooler air that flows all the way from China, through Laos and Cambodia, across the south and out into the ocean. This stream collects pollutants from three or four countries as it makes its way south, affecting the entire southern region of Việt Nam.
 |
| A traffic jam near An Phú Junction on HCM City-Long Thành Express Way. VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Đạt |
The solutions are vast, and some are already in their early stages. A public transport system is being developed, electric buses are replacing outdated fuel ones, new roads are being built to improve traffic flow, and factories are being moved out of the region. But there is so much more to do to bring this city’s air quality back to a safe level.
We need to get people off motorbikes and out of cars. We need more reliance on public transport and the use of alternative transport methods such as bicycles. Burning rubbish needs to stop, and big businesses must play their part by looking at how they can reduce pollution from their factories.
If everyone plays their part, HCM Citycan return to its glory days of clean air and a more attractive environment. This will do a lot to attract tourism and make this city one that is the envy of many around the world.
* Ray lives in HCM City and works as a teacher and freelancer. Apart from teaching, he is a keen runner and bicycle adventure rider. He has visited many parts of the country by bicycle and loves the smaller parts of this beautiful country. After ten years in Việt Nam, Ray has a love and passion for the smaller things and enjoys sharing his experiences with people all over the world.
Read original story on Vietnam News