On Wednesday, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chaired a nationwide online meeting to discuss effective ways to protect the environment. 

Representatives from the Da Nang authorities participating in the online meeting

Da Nang People’s Committee Chairman Huynh Duc Tho said “My city is giving its top priority to protecting local beaches because they are considered as local precious natural gifts, and the most important factor for bolstering the local tourism development”.

The city leader also proudly said “Thanks to the great assistance from the national government and the World Bank, 75% of the total volume of wastewater from local industrial parks and residential areas has been effectively treated before they are discharged into the sea”.

However, a large volume of domestic and industrial effluent has been discharged into the sea during the rainy seasons, adversely affecting nearby beaches.  To deal with the problem, the city is appealing for more domestic and FDI inflows into local environmental protection projects to ensure that 90% of the effluent collected from across the city will be treated before being discharged into the sea.

Prime Minister Phuc praised Da Nang as an impressive and liveable city in Viet Nam.  He said that he was very impressed with the image of many elderly and young people voluntarily picking up litter on local beaches whilst they are strolling there.  He urged the city authorities to make greater efforts to ensure a healthy environment for local residents, and to help Da Nang to build its green, clean, and beautiful image through the eyes of locals and tourists.

The central government leader stressed the need to bolster the country’s progress in combination with protecting the environment.  He re-affirmed that investment licences will not be granted to projects which use outdated technologies or might have caused negative impacts on the local environment.

He also asked relevant central government agencies to inspect the operation of domestic and FDI businesses nationwide in order to identify whether or not their production activities harm the environment.  Special attention will be paid to re-checking the operation of toxic domestic and industrial waste treatment systems across the country.