Participants in the campaign launch pose for a photo (Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNA) – A “Say No to Ivory” campaign waslaunched in Ho Chi Minh City on August 30 with a view to raising publicawareness of elephant protection.
The campaign, part of the global wildlifeprogramme “When the buying stops, the killing can too”, was launched by theCentre of Hand-on Actions and Networking for Growth and Environment (CHANGE)and WildAid organisation.
CHANGE Director Hoang Thi Minh Hong said hercentre is carrying out communication activities to improve public awareness ofelephant protection by not buying or using ivory products.
The “Say No to Ivory” campaign is set to lastfor three years, she noted.
John Baker, Managing Director of WildAid, said thepoaching and trading of elephant ivory has been banned in many countries, butthe elephant killing in Africa and ivory trading in Asia still occurs. WildAidhas worked with China and Thailand to prevent illegal ivory trading. InVietnam, it is focusing on measures to change people’s wrong belief in the usesof wildlife products, including ivory, through communication publications.
Do Quang Tung, an official from the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development, said the number of elephants in Vietnam hasfallen from more than 1,000 to about 100 which mainly live along the borderwith Laos and Cambodia. Vietnam has become an illegal point of transit forivory over the last decade, he noted.
Elephants are being strictly protected atnational parks and ivory trading is completely prohibited in the country, Tungsaid, admitting that a large volume of ivory has still been illegallytransported into Vietnam.
Le Nguyen Linh, a customs official at the SaigonPort, said up to 6 tonnes of elephant ivory was seized at this port of entry inthe last three months of 2016. Ivory is often hidden in wood blocks or aquaticproducts inside big containers transported through sea ports.-VNA
There are only 60 domestic elephants and around 100 wild ones alive in Vietnam, with most of them living in Dak Lak, Dong Nai and Nghe An provinces, the Vietnam Administration of Forestry reported.
The Hanoi People’s Court on May 4 sentenced Pham Van Luat, a resident in Hai Phong City, to 12 years in prison for illegally transporting ivory, a type of banned goods.
Customs force at Tan Son Nhat International Airport on May 14 said it has detained a Vietnamese national for illegally transporting wildlife products on a flight from Africa to Vietnam.
Police and market management forces in the central province of Thanh Hoa on July 8 detected a truck transporting nearly 2 tonnes of goods suspected to be ivory without proper documents.
Floodwater levels in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta are high and will continue to rise this month, especially in upstream areas, according to the hydraulic works management and construction department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.
Conservation efforts to restore habitat and boost the population of red-crowned cranes in Tram Chim National Park are finally showing progress, with the cranes and many other rare wild birds coming back to the park.
Torrential rains from the night of July 31 to early August 1 triggered flash floods and landslides across several communes in Dien Bien province, leaving at least two people dead and eight others missing.
Transitioning to a circular economy not only offers a sustainable development path for Ho Chi Minh City but also serves as a pivotal step toward establishing a fully green economy.
An exhibition featuring 100 green, recycled, and circular economy models and products from 50 businesses and educational establishments took place in Ho Chi Minh City on July 31, as part of the local green transition forum and recycle day 2025.
Regional solidarity and cooperation are the key factor for the effective implementation of wildlife protection regulations. Only through sustainable cooperation, innovative approaches, and collective action can biodiversity be safeguarded for the present and future generations, an Vietnamese official has said.
Hanoi has approved a comprehensive plan to restore the environmental quality and develop four major urban rivers – the To Lich, Kim Nguu, Lu, and Set reverine environments.
The Javan pangolin is listed in Vietnam’s Red Book as critically endangered and is protected under Group IB – a category reserved for forest species facing an extremely high risk of extinction and requiring strict conservation measures.
As a key member of the core group of 18 countries, initiated by Vanuatu, Vietnam engaged in advocating for the UN General Assembly’s Resolution N.77/276, requesting for the ICJ’s advisory opinion. Following the resolution's adoption, Vietnam fully participated in all procedural steps for the first time, from submitting written proposals to presenting directly at the court’s hearings.
The wild elephant population in Da Nang includes a full developed herb of mature males, females, and calves. To date, the herd has grown to nine individuals.
Conservation efforts here have become a model, helping to save millions of turtle hatchlings and promoting Con Dao as a member of the Indian Ocean-Southeast Asia Turtle Site Network.
As part of its drive to fulfil its net zero emissions commitment by 2050, Vietnam is fast-tracking the development of a legal corridor to launch a pilot carbon market by the end of 2025, according to the Department of Climate Change.
Under the plan, from 2025 to 2026, the city will complete mechanisms and policies to support businesses in switching to green vehicles, expand the electric and green-energy bus network, and build charging stations. The targeted proportion of green buses is set at 10% in 2025 and 20–23% in 2026.
Storm Comay, the fourth in the East Sea this year, was at around 16.7 degrees North and 118.3 degrees East, in the east of the East Sea's northern waters as of 4am on July 24.
The disaster risk warning level for flash floods, landslides, and ground subsidence due to heavy rains and flows is rated at level 1, except in Nghe An, where it is raised to level 2.
Participants in the campaign launch pose for a photo (Photo: VNA) 
