A task force has been established to protect twelve swans taken out of Hoan Kiem Lake to Thien Quang Lake following public concerns over their safety. The swans are moved from Hoan Kiem Lake to Thien Quang Lake on February 5 According to Hanoi Sewerage and Drainage Limited Company, the 10-member team have been divided into three three working shifts, including two daytime shifts, to prevent the swans on Thien Quang Lake from being stolen. A worker from the team said people on the night shift have to use torches to check the swans to timely detect possible problems. According to Vo Tien Hung, director of Hanoi Sewerage and Drainage Limited Company, this is only the firm’s temporary solution to protect the swans. In the long term, the workers may combine the rubbish collection and the swan protection at the lake during the daytime. Earlier, on the evening of February 5, the swans imported from Belgium were removed from Hoan Kiem Lake after just a day there. Hung said that the company was forced to remove the swans as they didn’t have permission and superstitious people claimed that lake was associated with now deceased turtles and should remain empty of wildlife. The company has not yet considered releasing the swans into Hoan Kiem Lake again. Meanwhile, Truong Minh Tien, deputy director of the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that earlier the department had not yet received any proposal from Hanoi Sewerage and Drainage Limited Company to raise… [Read full story]
About 76 tons of dead fish have been collected from the lake and destroyed. Authorities in Hanoi have called for the city’s lakes to be checked after tons of fish were found dead in West Lake. In a directive released on Monday, Mayor Nguyen Duc Chung asked heads of the city’s related departments, districts and urban environment and sewage firms to increase the monitoring and management of all the lakes in the capital. They were instructed to act promptly if any abnormalities were found, Vietnamplus reported on Monday. Authorities were also asked to raise local awareness about protecting the environment,…... [read more]
A giant soft-shell turtle rescued from Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi for treatment three months ago was released back into the lake Tuesday. The Tuoi Tre newspaper cited Le Xuan Rao, director of Hanoi Department of Science and Technology, as saying the urtle has fully recovered and her external injuries well treated. Before releasing the turtle back into the lake, veterinarians pumped lake water into a small holding tank - the makeshift hospital in the lake - so that the animal could adapt to its former environment, Rao said. He said tests showed that the lake water was now safe…... [read more]
The 35m long ceramic dragons, which were registered for the Vietnam Book of Records, were moved and set up on West Lake, Hanoi, on January 3 to celebrate the Lunar New Year Festival. The dragons, made by craftsmen from Bat Trang Ceramic Village, had been displayed at the Bach Thao botanical gardens to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi. According to cultural researchers, dragons should be located at solemn places close to water and historical relics and West Lake is the most suitable area. They will be erected on the water by the Lac Long Quan flower garden and…... [read more]
Vietnam Airlines set to finish Hanoi-Dong Hoi route transfer to Vasco Le Anh HCMC – Vietnam Airlines said on March 20 it would complete the transfer of the Hanoi-Dong Hoi route to the Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO), a subsidiary of the national flag carrier, on March 26. On this short-haul route Vasco will take over three more flights a week after Vietnam Airlines handed over four flights. VASCO will operate seven flights a week on the Hanoi-Dong Hoi using ATR-72 turbo-prop airplanes with 68 seats. Flights depart from Hanoi at 7:45 a.m. and from Dong Hoi, Quang Binh Province…... [read more]
Ammonia, for example, was found at levels 7.8-32 times higher than regulated, while nitric dioxide was present in quantities up to 113 times higher than allowed, he said. He added that the agency and other related agencies had fined the local restaurants for wastewater treatment violations several times in the past. On March 20-22, thousands of fish, mostly small chubs, were found dead in Truc Bach, which is next to West Lake in Ba Dinh District. Authorities were slow to collect the dead fish, which made the neighborhood smell putrid for several days, driving away tourists and diners from popular…... [read more]
