Vietnam has abided by the ‘ Montreal Protocol on Substances thatDeplete the Ozone Layer’ since the nation ratified it in January 1994,stated an official from the Ministry for Natural Resources andEnvironment (MoNRE).

The Deputy Head of MoNRE’s Hydrometeorology and Climate ChangeDepartment (HCCD), Nguyen Khac Hieu, said this on ‘World Day for thePreservation of the Ozone Layer’ themed ‘Ozone layer protection:governance and compliance at its best’ in Hanoi on September 16.

Vietnam has issued policies and measures to strictly control theimport-export of all substances that deplete the ozone layer and hasprohibited equipment that uses chloro-fluoro-carbons (CFC), saidHieu, adding that the nation has eradicated 500 tonnes of CFC’s and 3.8tonnes of Halon, which are substances that deplete the ozone layer,since January 1, 2010.


The World Bank (WB) and the HCCDhave forecast that Vietnam needs about 20 million USD to completelystop the use of hydro-chloro-fluoro-carbons (HCFCs) over the next 15 to20 years.
In Vietnam , these substances are mostly used in cooling systems, air-conditioning and seafood processing.

The HCCD has worked with the WB to draw up a HCFC nationaleradication plan under which the nation can reduce the use of thissubstance by 10 percent by 2015.

In themeantime, the MoNRE will propose a number of measures to the Governmentto ensure that Vietnam meets the Montreal Protocol’s deadlines foreliminating HCFCs.

The Montreal Protocol stipulates that CFC’s and Halon had to be eradicated by January 2010 and HCFCs by 2040./.