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The Star
6 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Plastics remain top choice for Hanoi food and beverage shops
HANOI (VNExpress): Most Hanoi coffee shops continue to use plastic to serve customers, not wanting to spend extra money on environmentally friendly materials. Within 30 minutes in the morning at a busy coffee shop on Pham Van Bach Street, around 100 drinks were served, almost all in plastic cups. The practice is common at most food and beverage businesses, who use plastic straws, cups and bags. These contribute to the 1,400 tons of plastic waste discharged in Hanoi daily, 60% of it single-use items, according to the city government. Plastic bags, meanwhile, are typically not recycled because they get contaminated easily and offer little profit for scrap collectors, who can earn more from a single shampoo bottle than dozens of bags. Plastic pollution poses a significant challenge for Vietnam and other countries. Leaked plastic waste contaminates the soil, air, water, and sediments in lakes, rivers, and seas, eventually entering the human food chain. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh wants to turn the situation around. In a recent directive, he ordered Hanoi to trial a ban on single-use plastics in eateries, hotels, beverage outlets, and within Ring Road 1, which goes around the Sword Lake and West Lake to encircle a core area of the city. The initiative will begin in the fourth quarter this year and be expanded in subsequent years. Before the directive some food and beverage businesses had already begun transitioning to eco-friendly alternatives. Hoang Tung, chairman of F&B Investment, which operates six Pizza Home and Com Ga 68 (chicken rice) outlets, said their takeout packaging includes cups, lids, straws, boxes, plastic bags, and utensils. Paper boxes and wooden spoons and forks have replaced plastic items, but scaling up the initiative is challenging since wooden spoons and forks cost four times more. A 360ml biodegradable plastic cup with lid costs over VND2,000 (7 U.S. cents), seven times that of the popular plastic polypropylene (PP). Cheaper plastic items flood the market thanks to their dirt-cheap prices. Environment-friendly items have also proven to be less popular with customers. Tung said paper straws often soften or clog if used too long, and paper bags lack the durability plastic provides, especially for distant deliveries. These issues have plagued businesses like One Kitchen and the Ka coffee chain. Despite using paper boxes, cups and bags, One Kitchen still relies on plastic bags for most deliveries and takeaways. Vu Truong Giang, founder of Ka, said: "We haven't found a viable alternative to plastic bags for takeout, though switching to paper cups was easier." Plastic manufacturer Hunufa's management acknowledged that fully biodegradable plastic bags, unlike those mixed with petroleum-based plastics, do not match the durability of non-degradable plastics despite costing five to seven times more. The company has halted production of these bags due to low demand, only making them now in case of specific orders. "We're researching ways to reduce costs and improve the functionality of eco-friendly products to better compete with plastics," Nguyen Hong Vu, its CEO, said. But transitions require time, he said. "Alternative solutions will only gain traction when they address cost and convenience sustainably." - VNExpress
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Foreign Office issues travel warning for Vietnam as tropical storm approaches
Travellers to Vietnam have been warned to 'expect travel disruption' as a tropical storm approaches tourist hotspots on its northern coast. Storm Wipha is forecast to bring heavy rain, strong winds and flooding when it makes landfall on Tuesday. The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) advised in an update on Monday (21 July): 'Storm Wipha is approaching northern Vietnam, with landfall forecast for Tuesday 22 July. Areas including Ha Long Bay, Ha Noi and Ninh Binh are forecast to be affected.' It added that travellers should expect 'heavy rainfall, strong winds, flooding, and mudslides' in affected areas following the storm's landfall. 'You should expect travel disruption and should follow advice from local authorities,' said the FCDO. According to local outlet VN Express, as of 7am on Monday, Wipha was travelling with maximum sustained winds measured at 55mph and gusts of up to 73mph. Airlines including Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, Vietjet Air and regional airline VASCO have cancelled some flights on Monday and Tuesday as Wipha approaches. Vietnam's National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said: 'There are scattered showers and thunderstorms, especially in the Northwest. There is a possibility of tornadoes during thunderstorms.' It added that in the northwest, wind gusts could reach level 10 with rough seas and a wave height up to five metres. The typhoon is expected to weaken into a 'tropical depression over Laos' by Wednesday, reported VN Express. The national disaster risk level is set at Level 3 with Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính issuing an emergency directive for local authorities to prepare for the storm, the outlet added. Wipha is the third tropical storm to affect Vietnam this year. On Sunday, the storm swept southern China with strong winds and heavy rain after crossing the Philippines and Taiwan. At least 35 people died after a tourist boat capsized in Vietnam on Saturday as rescue workers raced to find survivors ahead of the arrival of the tropical storm. The vessel with an estimated 49 people on board capsized in a sudden thunderstorm during a tour of Ha Long Bay, in one of the worst accidents in the popular tourist area in recent years.
The Independent
21-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Foreign Office issue travel warning for Vietnam as tropical storm approaches
Travellers to Vietnam have been warned to 'expect travel disruption' as a tropical storm approaches tourist hotspots on its northern coast. Storm Wipha is forecast to bring heavy rain, strong winds and flooding when it makes landfall on Tuesday. The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) advised in an update on Monday (21 July): 'Storm Wipha is approaching northern Vietnam, with landfall forecast for Tuesday 22 July. Areas including Ha Long Bay, Ha Noi and Ninh Binh are forecast to be affected.' It added that travellers should expect 'heavy rainfall, strong winds, flooding, and mudslides' in affected areas following the storm's landfall. 'You should expect travel disruption and should follow advice from local authorities,' said the FCDO. According to local outlet VN Express, as of 7am on Monday, Wipha was travelling with maximum sustained winds measured at 55mph and gusts of up to 73mph. Airlines including Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, Vietjet Air and regional airline VASCO have cancelled some flights on Monday and Tuesday as Wipha approaches. Vietnam's National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said: 'There are scattered showers and thunderstorms, especially in the Northwest. There is a possibility of tornadoes during thunderstorms.' It added that in the northwest, wind gusts could reach level 10 with rough seas and a wave height up to five metres. The typhoon is expected to weaken into a 'tropical depression over Laos' by Wednesday, reported VN Express. The national disaster risk level is set at Level 3 with Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính issuing an emergency directive for local authorities to prepare for the storm, the outlet added. Wipha is the third tropical storm to affect Vietnam this year. On Sunday, the storm swept southern China with strong winds and heavy rain after crossing the Philippines and Taiwan. At least 35 people died after a tourist boat capsized in Vietnam on Saturday as rescue workers raced to find survivors ahead of the arrival of the tropical storm. The vessel with an estimated 49 people on board capsized in a sudden thunderstorm during a tour of Ha Long Bay, in one of the worst accidents in the popular tourist area in recent years.
STV News
21-07-2025
- Climate
- STV News
Tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam killing at least 37
At least 37 people have been killed after a boat carrying tourists capsized during a sudden thunderstorm in Vietnam, the country's media has reported. Five people remain missing and 11 were rescued, according to the VNExpress newspaper. The Wonder Sea boat was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members during the tour of Ha Long Bay, a popular destination for visitors, according to the reports. The boat turned upside down because of strong winds, the newspaper said. A 14-year-old boy was among the survivors, and he was rescued four hours after being trapped in the overturned hull. The newspaper said that most of the passengers were tourists, including about 20 children, from Hanoi, the country's capital. A tropical storm is also moving toward the area. A national weather forecast said that Storm Wipha is expected to hit Vietnam's northern region, including Ha Long Bay's coast next week. File photo of tourist boats in Ha Long Bay in Vietnam. / Credit: AP Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Daily Express
21-07-2025
- Daily Express
Holiday turned tragic with over 35 dead
Published on: Monday, July 21, 2025 Published on: Mon, Jul 21, 2025 By: AFP Text Size: Rescue workers searching for victims after the boat capsized, in this screencap. — AP pic. VIETNAM: Rescuers searched desperately yesterday for four people still missing after at least 35 were killed when a boat capsized at one of Vietnam's most popular tourist destinations. The tourist boat ferrying families around Vietnam's famed Ha Long Bay was lashed by a sudden storm Saturday in one of the deadliest disasters at the Unesco World Heritage site. Advertisement The vessel Wonder Sea was carrying 46 passengers and three crew when it capsized because of sudden heavy rain, according to a provincial police report seen by AFP. The capsized vessel was later righted by the authorities before being towed away for investigation. Previous state media reports had said that 53 people were on board and 37 people had died, but the figures were later revised by police. Tran Trong Hung, a resident in the Ha Long Bay area, said: 'The sky turned dark.' There were 'hailstones as big as toes with torrential rain, thunderstorms and lightning', he added. Most of those on board were families visiting from the capital, Hanoi, with more than 20 children among the passengers, state media outlet VNExpress said Thirty-five bodies had been recovered yesterday and 10 people rescued, police said, with four people still missing. One of the rescued, a 10-year-old boy, told state media outlet VietnamNet: 'I took a deep breath, swam through a gap, dived then swam up, I even shouted for help, then I was pulled up by a boat with soldiers on board.' Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent his condolences on Saturday to relatives of those killed and called on the defence and public security ministries to conduct urgent search and rescue. Authorities would 'investigate and clarify the cause of the incident and strictly handle violations', a government statement said. Torrential rain also lashed northern Hanoi, Thai Nguyen and Bac Ninh provinces on Saturday. Several trees were knocked down in the capital by strong winds. The storm followed three days of intense heat, with the mercury hitting 37°C in some areas. Mai Van Khiem, director of the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, was quoted in VNExpress as saying that the thunderstorms in northern Vietnam were not caused by the influence of Tropical Storm Wipha in the South China Sea. Wipha entered the South China Sea yesterday gaining strength, and is on course to make landfall in Vietnam early this week. Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam's most popular tourist destinations, with millions of people visiting its blue-green waters and rainforest-topped limestone islands each year. Last year, 30 vessels sank at boat lock areas in coastal Quang Ninh province along Ha Long Bay after Typhoon Yagi brought strong wind and waves. And this month, a ferry sank off the popular Indonesian resort island of Bali, killing at least 18 people. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
