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Ha Noi has a lot of environmental challenges.

The biggest is based on historical grounds: during the American War in VietNam, as is usual with their invasions, kindly upgraded the infrastructure which means  many of the basic essentials were fat better than Ha Noi.

The worst by any measure is the high naturally occurring arsenic content in the water. Even some of the water sold in bottles has arsenic.

Of course Ha Noi has cool winters - barely cold enough to kill off bugs; there is a high incidence of Cholera - an acute bacterial disease transmitted through food or water contaminated with human faeces. SaiGon incidents are far lower for some reason.

The HCM Health Department is far more proactive than that of Ha Noi.Ìý HCM introduced vendor health and safety checks, the enforce restaurant Red Card closures by posting Cong An outside to ensure they stay closed.

Pollution, be it water or air borne, is higher in Ha Noi. The severe annual flooding doesn't do much for hygiene either.

Heating is a big problem, too. There are many properties in the older parts of Ha Noi that lack modern heating where, even today, floors have shared community facilities - ablutions and cooking - and they use charcoal for heating the shared area and for cooking.

SaiGon has banned charcoal briquettes and they are hard to locate.

But Ha Noi has one good thing - modern highways to get out of the city!

Jaitch wrote:

Ha Noi has a lot of environmental challenges.

The biggest is based on historical grounds: during the American War in VietNam, as is usual with their invasions, kindly upgraded the infrastructure which means  many of the basic essentials were fat better than Ha Noi.

The worst by any measure is the high naturally occurring arsenic content in the water. Even some of the water sold in bottles has arsenic.

Of course Ha Noi has cool winters - barely cold enough to kill off bugs; there is a high incidence of Cholera - an acute bacterial disease transmitted through food or water contaminated with human faeces. SaiGon incidents are far lower for some reason.

The HCM Health Department is far more proactive than that of Ha Noi.Ìý HCM introduced vendor health and safety checks, the enforce restaurant Red Card closures by posting Cong An outside to ensure they stay closed.

Pollution, be it water or air borne, is higher in Ha Noi. The severe annual flooding doesn't do much for hygiene either.

Heating is a big problem, too. There are many properties in the older parts of Ha Noi that lack modern heating where, even today, floors have shared community facilities - ablutions and cooking - and they use charcoal for heating the shared area and for cooking.

SaiGon has banned charcoal briquettes and they are hard to locate.

But Ha Noi has one good thing - modern highways to get out of the city!

Thank you so much for that detailed explanation!

I find the air quality in Sai Gon makes me sick...its one reason I am moving outside of the main city so I can have better air quality and just come into Sai Gon when I need to. I can't compare it to Ha Noi....as I have not been there yet.

msnowdon wrote:

I find the air quality in Sai Gon makes me sick...its one reason I am moving outside of the main city so I can have better air quality and just come into Sai Gon when I need to. I can't compare it to Ha Noi....as I have not been there yet.

I think the air quality of both are undoubtedly horrible, and for now, I am accepting of that. I guess I am just trying to figure out if one city vs the other would cause me to be more ill more often if that makes sense.