Hanoi promotes urban decorations for Tet

The Hanoi Department of Natural Resources and Environment has taken proactive measures to ensure environmental hygiene during the upcoming Lunar New Year, in keeping with the city's "Bright—Green—Clean—Beautiful" movement.

As a result, the local authorities are tasked with improving waste collection by using cameras and GPS. 

A rural road in the Dan Phuong District on the outskirts of Hanoi. Photo: Thien Quang/The Hanoi Times

In December, the city issued a plan to improve the quality of environmental sanitation, collection, and transportation of household solid waste in four inner-city districts (Hoan Kiem, Hai Ba Trung, Ba Dinh, and Dong Da), emphasizing the use of technology for collection.

Nguyen Thanh Son, Deputy General Director of the Hanoi Urban Environment Corporation (Urenco), said the company has invested in new garbage trucks. "Urenco has committed that as of January 1, 2025, there will be no outdated garbage trucks in the inner-city neighborhoods."

Specifically, the unit purchased 1,000 new vehicles to replace old garbage trucks and 1,000 garbage bins to be placed in historic downtown areas.

"During the Lunar New Year period, especially during the peak period leading up to New Year's Eve, 100% of the staff and workers, as well as the vehicles, will redouble their services. The amount of waste collected during these days is expected to be 2.5 times higher than normal," Son added.

The last day of the 12th lunar calendar will be the day with the highest amount of garbage, expected to hit 9,000 tons, up 20% from normal days, according to the Hanoi Center for Natural Resources and Environment.

"The amount of waste during the Lunar New Year period in Hanoi will increase by an average of 40% compared to normal days, with a particularly sharp increase from the 23rd to the New Year's Eve of 2025," the center said.

Launching the "Bright - Green - Clean - Beautiful" movement in mid-December, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh called on citizens, organizations, and businesses to protect the environment and work together to make Hanoi a livable city.  

As more people realize that landscape restoration is primarily done to improve their quality of life, the movement is a new force behind the push to increase environmental and landscape protection awareness in Hanoi.