Ho Chi Minh City blanketed in polluted air, smog these days

People in Ho Chi Minh City have been breathing unhealthy air over the past three days due to a huge amount of dust, dirt, and smoke in the atmosphere. A thick blanket of smog has shrouded the entire city from morning to afternoon. Smog and soot are putting the city on high alert for air pollution, said Le Thi Xuan Lan, a former official at the southern hydro-meteorological station. Air quality tests conducted by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Natural Resources and Environment at the end of 2023 revealed that the levels of total suspended particulate and fine particulate matter exceeded the standard safe quality indices. Dwellers in Ho Chi Minh City have been breathing unhealthy air these days.