On the occasion of the Vietnamese Revolution Press Day on 21/6/2007, Vietnam Environmental Protection Agency (VEPA) in collaboration with Swiss-Vietnamese Clean Air Program (SVCAP) held a seminar entitled "Journalists and ambient air environment: needs and approaches" with the participation of environment journalists, environment management authorities, environment scientists and experts on 22, 23/6/2007 in Dai Lai, Vnh Phuc. The purposes of the seminar were to provide knowledge and information on urban ambient air in Vietnam, discuss and learn more about the needs of journalists as well as give approach directions in awareness raising of air pollution problems.

In the seminar, reporters delivered presentations including: development of a decree on air pollution charges; air pollution status in Hanoi, solutions to improve air quality in Hanoi; EURO 2 emission standard; motorbike emission control and regional experiences in motorbike emission control; research results and pilot models for Hanoi which had been done with the support of SVCAP.

Especially, the journalists had a chance to discuss and exchange experiences in environment articles writing with Mr. Thomas Fuller, who is working for International Herald Tribune, in Bangkok (Thailand). Within his more than 10 years of practical experiences in South East Asia, he highly appreciated the roles and approaches of the press and the public in fighting for air pollution problems solving in Thailand and Indonesia.

Source: Environment Protection Magazine, June 2007.