HCM City’s zoo makes eco-friendly paper from elephant dung
The Sai Gon Zoo and Botanical Garden’s staff and a group of students at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH) are making eco-friendly paper from elephant dung every weekend.
Two students from the HCM City University of Technology (HUTECH) show their paper sheets made from elephant dung at the Sai Gon Zoo and Botanical Garden in HCM City. (Photo: tuoitrenews.vn)
HCM City (VNS/VNA) 🎀— The Sai Gon Zoo and Botanical Garden’s staffand a group of students at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH) are making eco-friendly paper from elephant dung every weekend.
Mai Khac Trung Truc, director of the zoo, said transformingelephant dung into paper has been done in many countries, but it is a new ideain Vietnam. In the past, the dung was discarded or used as manure. Now, itgets recycled into paper. Five adult elephants at the zoo have not only served visitors butalso helped produce eco-friendly paper. “The elephants eat mostly grass, sugar cane and vegetables, sotheir dung is not too smelly, has a lot of fiber and can be used to makepaper,” he said. The zoo has been recycling elephant dung since February, and thefirst elephant dung paper was produced in April. “The recycling will help raise awareness about wildlife protectionand teach children to save natural resources and protect the environment,” hesaid. The process of paper-making is done manuallywithout any industrial chemicals. The zoo’s employees collect around 800kg of dungfrom the elephants every day in their enclosure, but only five kilos are beingused to make paper every weekend. The collected dung is washed at least seventimes to remove impurities, leaving only the fiber left for recycling. Thefiber is boiled at 200 degrees Celsius for two hours to kill bacteria andremove odor. "This is still experimental and nomachinery is used, so we only make several dozen paper sheets at a time,"Truc said. The boiled fibres are then dried under the sun.The dried fibres are pureed into powder, and then mixed with water, tapiocastarch and some paper pulp. The mixture is finally poured into A3 and A4paper-size molds and dried for another eight hours to get the final product. Located on Nguyen Binh Khiem Street in District 1, the Sai Gon Zoois one of the world's oldest zoos and the country's largest zoo and botanicalgarden.
It is home to thousands of plant and animal species, both endemicand foreign./.
Artisans in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue’s 300-years-old Thanh Tien craft village are busy with making paper lotus flowers, as the Lunar New Year Festival approaches.
Thanh Tien village in Phu Mau commune, Phu Vang district in Thua Thien-Hue province is located on the southern bank of the Huong River and is famous for making paper flower offerings, especially lotus flowers.
Famous for its hundred-year-old rice paper-making tradition, Tuy Loan craft village is a perfect place to keep intact good values left by previous generations.
Mariam Sherman, World Bank Country Director for Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, said the World Bank remains committed to working with the Vietnamese government to develop the next phase of climate resilience and transformation for the Mekong Delta.
Under the directive, the PM instructed relevant agencies to regularly inspect, supervise and proactively implement disaster prevention, response and rescue measures in line with their assigned roles and mandates, ensuring readiness, avoiding passivity or delays, and maintaining operational continuity amid ongoing political and administrative restructuring at levels.
According to Dr. Vu Anh Tuan, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Space Centre and head of the project, this is the first study in Vietnam to simultaneously employ Sentinel-2 satellite data, advanced machine learning algorithms, and the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud computing platform to model and monitor key seawater quality parameters.
The Deposit Return System is seen as a potential instrument for effectively advancing Vietnam’s vision of a circular economy, as outlined in Article 142 of the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection.
The figures were highlighted in a Pre-Feasibility Study on a DRS tailored for single-use beverage packaging in Vietnam, conducted by Eunomia Research & Consulting.
Young people should not view AI as salvation but rather as a tool under human control. Young creators should focus on learning and accumulating practical knowledge, using AI as a tool to carry out artistic projects in the most effective and cost-efficient manner.
Saigon Hi-Tech Park’s ambitious 50% renewable energy goal far exceeds the city’s 15% target, positioning the park as a trailblazing “living lab” for sustainable energy solutions.
Vietnam's economic losses from natural disasters are estimated to account for 1 to 1.5% of GDP annually - a steep price that will continue to rise unless the country takes strong action.
Wutip, the first storm in the East Sea so far this year, has wreaked havoc across central Vietnam, claiming lives, displacing residents, and causing widespread damage to houses, crops, and infrastructure, the Department of Dyke Management and Disaster Prevention and Control reported as of 6:30 pm on June 13.
The tremor occurred at 7:39:46 am (Hanoi time), with the epicentre located at latitude 14.924°N and longitude 108.236°E, at a depth of approximately 8.1 kilometres. The natural disaster risk level was classified as 0 – the lowest on the scale.
Addressing a session on “Accelerating Financing for Resilience: Tailored Solutions for Disaster Risk Reduction,” Deputy Minister Hiep emphasised Vietnam's proposal in building sustainable financing in response to natural disasters, which aligns with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction's goals.
Vietnam has demonstrated its strong commitments by participating in global sustainable development forums, signing multiple free trade agreements, and attracting support from international partners for the implementation of the SDGs.
The fight against plastic pollution could not succeed through isolated efforts, but it must be a collective endeavour involving the entire political system, businesses, citizens, and the international community, said Minister of Agriculture and Environment Do Duc Duy.
Lang Son Global Geopark, with its outstanding geological values, cultural heritage, and unique natural landscapes, represents a valuable addition to UNESCO’s global geoparks system.
In 2019, Quang Ninh became one of the first localities in Vietnam to launch a province-wide campaign against plastic waste, mobilising the participation of the political system, the business sector, and the general public. Other localities—such as Hai Phong, Da Nang, Binh Duong, and Ho Chi Minh City—have also effectively implemented waste-sorting initiatives at source, along with models for plastic-free markets and urban areas.
This year’s World Oceans Day on June 8 is themed 'Wonderful Oceans: Sustaining What Sustains Us', while World Environment Day is on June 5 with the theme: 'Beat Plastic Pollution'.
According to Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment Le Huu Toan, a fire prevention and control plan has been in place since the dry season began, including round-the-clock patrols and rapid-response teams to snuff out fires before they could spread.
Renowned artists including Ha Anh Tuan, Den Vau, and Phan Manh Quynh, along with many directors and attendees, took part in planting hundreds of rare tree species such as mun (Diospyros mun) and cho chi (Parashorea chinensis) in the Thung Bong area of the Cuc Phuong National Park, contributing to forest ecosystem restoration.
Two students from the HCM City University of Technology (HUTECH) show their paper sheets made from elephant dung at the Sai Gon Zoo and Botanical Garden in HCM City. (Photo: tuoitrenews.vn) 
