Hanoi’s Minh Khai Street is engulfed by haze. — VNS Photo Khoa Thu

As of 1.30pm on Friday, Hanoi’s air quality index was recorded at 293 by tracking app AirVisual, meaning all people, regardless their age and physical conditions, can be affected.

Hanoi’s public environmental tracking portal has reported similar results with Ly Thai To in Hoan Kiem District, De La Thanh, O Cho Dua in Dong Da District and Nguyen Che Nghia in Thanh Xuan District among most polluted areas.

Meanwhile, due to extended school closures, many university students have not yet come back to Hà Nội, leading to the low traffic flow.

The soaring number of private vehicles and temperature inversion are, according to local authorities, a major factor for poor air quality in Hanoi. However, many environmental experts have started raising doubts, saying there must be other pollutants.

Other Northern provinces like Hai Duong, Nam Dinh and Bac Ninh have also chocked in filthy air with AQI recorded at hazardous levels of above 300. — VNS

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Hanoi’s air quality worsens once again

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