Using up his annual leave, the 35-year-old took his family out of the capital and headed to the central province of Nghe An in search of cleaner air.
Over the past month, he has been reluctant to step outside. Even a short 15-minute motorbike ride leaves his face coated in black grime, despite wearing a tightly fitted mask. “If I wipe my skin with a wet towel, it comes away stained gray-black,” he says.
Having lived in Giang Vo Ward for 15 years, Huy says Hanoi’s winters have grown increasingly choked with smog. Tall buildings often disappear behind a thick, gray haze, a daily reminder of the city’s polluted air.
The dust aggravates his sinusitis, causing prolonged sneezing and severe nasal congestion that disrupts his sleep. His daughter, meanwhile, suffers from irritated skin and red rashes whenever she goes outdoors.
Hanoi’s Nguyen Trai Street blanketed by thick smog on Dec. 9, 2025. Photo by Hoang Giang |
The family sealed their apartment for weeks and ran air purifiers at full power, but warning indicators remained red. Eventually, they decided they could not endure it any longer.
An initial plan to visit his wife’s hometown in Hung Yen fell through after pollution readings there exceeded 200, a level classified as very unhealthy, from late November. They ultimately chose Nghe An, exhausting their leave and requesting a three-week school absence for their child.
“Leaving the capital wasn’t something we wanted to do,” Huy says. “But at least my family can breathe properly here.”
Others have made similar decisions. Anh, 28, who lives in Tay Ho Ward, also found herself searching for an escape. Despite residing near the lake in a relatively open area, she could not avoid headaches and breathlessness caused by fine dust.
After checking the AirVisual app and seeing nearby provinces such as Thai Nguyen and Bac Ninh marked in purple, indicating very unhealthy air, she booked a flight to the Central Highlands city of Da Lat on Dec. 7.
“Flights and hotels booked at the last minute are costly,” she says. “But if I stay in Hanoi, most of what I earn could end up going toward treating respiratory problems.”
For Anh, the trip is also a trial run for a longer-term plan to leave the capital if air quality fails to improve over the next year or two.
Their choices reflect a growing pattern of residents temporarily fleeing Hanoi during severe pollution episodes. The topic has gained traction on social media, where groups exchanging tips on destinations with cleaner air are drawing thousands of interactions.
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Thuy Anh travels to Da Lat on Dec. 8, 2025 to get away from fine dust pollution. Photo courtesy of Anh |
These short-term relocations are most common among freelancers, people with remaining leave, and families with very young children not yet constrained by school schedules. Mountainous regions and areas with better air quality indexes are especially popular.
In Da Lat, homestay owner Tran Kim, 35, said bookings surged sharply over the past two weeks after a slow November. More than 50 regular customers from Hanoi have reserved long-term stays to work remotely while, as she puts it, “cleansing their lungs.”
“Whenever the city’s air turns bad, they all come here,” she says.
Similarly, Quan, 50, who operates two lodging facilities in Ta Xua, Son La Province, reported that nearly 100 guests filled his properties over the weekend of Dec. 6–7, most of them families with young children.
“The first thing they talk about when they arrive is how suffocating and dusty Hanoi has become,” he says.
On the morning of Dec. 9, air-quality monitor IQAir ranked Hanoi as the ninth most polluted city in the world. Multiple monitoring stations in inner districts such as Tay Ho, Tran Vu and Hoang Quoc Viet recorded pollution levels classified as “very unhealthy.” Surrounding provinces including Hung Yen, Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen were also blanketed in thick haze.
According to Hoang Duong Tung, president of the Vietnam Clean Air Network, such pollution spikes are common in winter. Calm winds and temperature inversions trap pollutants close to the ground, while emissions from traffic, construction and nearby industrial zones accumulate rather than disperse.
In response, authorities have begun rolling out measures aimed at curbing air pollution in the capital. These include plans to establish low-emission zones and pilot restrictions on gasoline-powered motorbikes in nine inner districts during certain hours or entirely, starting in July 2026, with the goal of banning motorbikes from the inner city by 2030.
Other initiatives include tightening emission controls on older vehicles through pilot inspections and phasing out those that fail to meet standards, as well as expanding green transport by promoting electric buses, electric taxis and greater use of public transportation.
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