Hanoi orders schools to restrict outdoor activities, suspend classes during severe air pollution

Deputy chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen signed a directive instructing the municipal education department to notify schools to restrict outdoor activities when the Vietnam Air Quality Index (VN_AQI) reaches “unhealthy” levels.

The directive also orders schools to suspend classes if the index exceeds 301.

The order comes after days of severe pollution in Hanoi, which has prompted health authorities to advise residents, particularly children, the elderly, and those with respiratory conditions, to avoid outdoor exercise and wear masks.

City departments were also told to enforce strict dust control at construction sites, monitor air quality via official stations, and pilot mist-spraying technology in residential areas, parks, and roads to reduce airborne dust.

The directive calls for updating the public on the air pollution conditions via the website moitruongthudo.vn.