In Ha Long City in the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh, a ceremony was held jointly by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor and the Quang Ninh Province People’s Committee.
Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai urged authorities at all levels, as well as industries and individuals, to reduce their use of natural resources, expand environmentally and ecologically friendly services and industries, and restrict the development of industries that pollute the environment.
Deputy PM Hai also called on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, using renewable and green sources of energy more widely, and mitigating and adapting to climate change, as well as developing sustainable and environmentally friendly lifestyles and increasing financial resources for environmental protection.
Despite its great achievements in socio-economic development, there are many shortcomings related to environmental protection in Vietnam. In order to address the problem, the Government consulted the Ministry of Planning and Investment on building a strategy for green growth in the 2011-2020 period. It is also working with the MONRE to amend the 2005 Law on Environmental Protection in order to meet the requirements of the new context.
After the ceremony, industry leaders, local authorities and residents planted trees on the waste dump site of a coal mine. The Quang Ninh provincial Youth Union also co-ordinated with the 'Million Trees for Vietnam' programme to plant nearly 20,000 mangrove trees in Ha Phong ward, Ha Long city.
The same day, Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union members organised a bicycle parade to communicate the importance of enviromental protection to the city’s residents. They also made over one thousand gifts from recycled materials and taught children how to plant and care for trees.
In the central city of Hue, another bicycle parade took place with the participation of over one thousand State workers, Youth Union members and students calling on the population to develop a green and enviromentally friendly lifestyle, and a painting contest was held for primary school pupils on the theme of “World Environment Day - June 5”.
Leaders of the Quang Ngai provincial People’s Committee also mobilised local residents to protect the environment through practical actions in response to World Enviroment Day.