Hanoi experienced severe air pollution on Monday (April 10) as the air quality index (AQI) in the Vietnamese capital climbed to 161, breaching the “unhealthy” level.

“Even with this nice and cool weather, taking a walk in this condition makes me feel unsafe,” said 32-year-old Hanoi resident Nguyen Anh But, as he passed by the popular Hoan Kiem Lake in central Hanoi visibly shrouded in smog.

The PM2.5 concentration in Hanoi is currently 17 times the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) annual air quality guideline value.

According to IQAir, a Swiss pollution technology company, Hanoi’s poor air quality is largely a result of emissions from motor vehicles – of which there are over 8 million in the city – as well as crop burning.

By Reuters