Effects of Vietnam’s Air Pollution on the Health of the Inhabitants
- Gyueun Kim
- Jun 7
- 3 min read
1. Introduction
“Air pollution” refers to a mix of harmful substances in the air from both human-caused and natural sources. It is measured using AQI (air quality index), which is the calculation of the concentrations of key air pollutants. Common sources of pollution include vehicle emissions, industrial by-products, and construction activities. Nowadays, air pollution is one of the leading causes of health issues and mortality—it is estimated to have caused 4.2 million premature deaths in 2019. Vietnam, in particular, is a country with some of the most hazardous air quality due to its rapid industrialization and heavy use of motorcycles.
2. Vietnam’s AQI
In 2023, Vietnam was the 2nd most polluted country in the ASEAN (Southeast Asian) region and the 22nd globally. Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, was the 8th most polluted city in the world. On average, Vietnam’s PM2.5 (atmospheric particulate matter that has a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers) level was almost six times higher than the WHO’s (World Health Organization) recommended standards.
The main contributors to Vietnam’s poor air quality are transportation and rapid urbanization. Many people use motorbikes instead of using cars—the country had more than 68 million motorcycles in 2021. Motorcycles release exhaust fumes that contain harmful pollutants like carbon monoxide. Vietnam’s rapid urbanization also contributes to air pollution as the country is going through large-scale constructions and industrial activities. Construction works and factories release harmful particles (PM10, PM2.5, and PM1), dust, and gases, such as CO, NO₂, SO₂, and O₃.
Vietnam’s bad air quality is estimated to cause 70,000 deaths annually and shorten the inhabitants’ average lifespan by 1.4 years.
3. Health Impacts of Air Pollution
How specifically does air pollution affect our health?
Air pollution can cause many different health problems. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air is the main cause of the health effects. These particles have less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, so they are able to penetrate deeply into the respiratory system and other organs. Air pollution increases the risk of respiratory infections with the symptoms of coughing, phlegm, wheezing, and more. Not only related to respiratory infections, air pollution is also related to type 2 diabetes, obesity, systemic inflammation, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia. Also, air pollution increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer.
4. Policy and Regulation
To reduce air pollution, Vietnam must implement stricter policy and regulation. Nowadays, many countries are implementing regulations to promote the adoption of electric vehicles rather than traditional petrol cars. Electric cars do not have traditional internal combustion engines—they instead have electric motors. In contrast, petrol cars have internal combustion engines. So, petrol vehicles emit pollutants during combustion, which contributes to the increasing air pollution. On the other hand, electric cars do not burn fuel for their engines, so they create less harmful pollutants, such as CO₂. In Vietnam, the Ministry of Transport has recently set a goal to have 30% of cars and 22% of motorbikes powered by electricity by 2030.
5. Conclusion
Air pollution is the key problem that has to be solved in Vietnam as it poses a serious threat to Vietnam’s public health and environment. While Vietnam is putting efforts into reducing air pollution, such as promoting electric vehicles, more comprehensive regulation policies are needed in order to ensure improvements in air quality.
6. References
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