Vietnam announces seven environmental records

The Vietnam Record Book Center has recognized the first environmental records of Vietnam, on the occasion of the World Environmental Day (5/6).

The Center for Rescue of Endangered Primates of the Cuc Phuong National Park in the northern province of Ninh Binh is the first wildlife rescue center in Vietnam and Indochina. The center also has the highest number of primates among similar centers in Southeast Asia. The center now takes care of 150 primates of 15 endangered species of Vietnam and Indochina. All of them are listed in Vietnam’s and international red books. At this center, 13 species of primates are facilitated to reproduce in captivity.

Ba Be Lake in the northern province of Bac Kan is recognized as the most unique natural fresh-water lake in Vietnam. It is the largest natural lake in Vietnam. Having been formed approximately 200 million years ago, the lake is surrounded by limestone cliffs, which in turn are covered by primary forests. Ba Be Lake is a featured geographical science and is a biodiversity reservoir. It is a part of the Ba Be National Park. In late 2004, the Ba Be National Park was recognized as the ASEAN heritage garden. In 2011, it was recognized as the 1938th Ramsar site of the world and the third of Vietnam. The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, and has continued to provide a national framework for wetland preservation ever since.

The Oceanography Institute is the place where maintains and preserve the largest number of samples of aquatic animals in Vietnam. The institute was founded in the central province of Khanh Hoa in 1932. It currently preserves around 20,000 samples of 5,000 species of marine animals in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

The first plastic waste processing plant in Vietnam is the Khanh Son factory in the central city of Da nang. In the first phase of operation, the factory is specialized in processing plastic waste into oil. In the second phase, it will process waste into unburned bricks and biological coal. The first phase completed on April 20, 2012, processing plastic waste into industrial oil. This factory receives 650 tons of rubbish a day, including 8 percent of plastic bags.

The Intel Products Vietnam Co., Ltd in the HCM City Hi-tech Park has put into operational the largest solar energy system in Vietnam on April 23, 2012. Intel Vietnam invested around $1.1 million in this system. This is the largest of its kind in Vietnam and the first solar energy system of Intel in Asia. This system covers 3,270sq.m, with 1,092 solar battery panels.

Thac Ba reservoir is the largest artificial lake in Vietnam. It is situated in the northern province of Yen Bai, 180km from Hanoi. This is the reservoir of the Thac Ba Hydro-power Plant. The reservoir is 240sq.m in area, containing 2.9 trillion cubic meters of water. There are more than 1,300 islands in the reservoir, which used to be hills. The reservoir is compared to a Ha Long bay on land. It is recognized as a national relic in 1996.

The largest wind power plant in Vietnam is located in the central province of Binh Thuan. The construction of this work began in 2008 and it was completed in 2011, at the cost of VND2 trillion ($100 million). This is the first win power plant that is operating in Vietnam. It is also the largest wind power plant in Southeast Asia. This plant contributed more than 90 million Kwh of power to the national power grid and helps reduce 50,000 tons of CO2/year.