The other day we went to the Old Quarter (to see the famous train street) and I thought I would take my Atmotube Pro, a portable air quality monitor. Below are my results (please note these are shown using the Atmo AQI, which is a bit confusing as it can be quite lenient).
As you can see, on this particular evening, the air quality was actually quite okay. While the PM2.5 concentration was still above the EPA 24-hour exposure guidelines, it was a much better day to be out and about than the days I’ve previously discussed here. While there were a few drops in air quality during our exploration, these were usually due to passing street vendors or busy streets where, as expected, the PM concentrations were higher.
While these levels were still not fantastic, I wanted to share them as they show that the air quality in Hanoi is not always terrible. As per the AQICN historical data, we should continue to see the air quality get better as we head into the summer months.
Unfortunately, today, the air quality is far from great again. However, it’s important to note that this is a much bigger issue in the winter and spring months and that air quality does improve towards summer.