I breathe in smoke every day in Hanoi because everywhere I go, I see things being burned

We should not put all the blame for air pollution on motorbikes, cars and factories when people still casually burn trash and votive paper.

In my experience, Hanoi rarely has truly fresh air — an issue I consider as important as traffic and housing. What saddens me is that, amid all the talk of green development, smart cities and improving quality of life, I still see people openly burning trash every day.

On many sidewalks, street-side tea vendors sweep up fallen leaves, scrap paper and even plastic waste, pile it up and set it on fire. On vacant lots and abandoned project sites, vendors and residents often dispose of unwanted waste in the simplest way possible: by burning it.

Even in the residential complex where I live, a densely populated resettlement area, trash is sometimes burned in the children's playground. Smoke, the smell of burning plastic and ash fill a space that should be safe for children.

During seasonal transitions and after harvests, smoke from burning rice straw in Hanoi's suburbs and neighboring provinces can blanket the city. On some days, I look out the window to see nothing but a hazy, murky sky — a haze that everyone knows is not natural fog.

Burning trash is not the only problem. I see little sign that the burning of votive paper is declining. On the first and 15th days of the lunar month, many families burn large quantities of it, particularly around the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, the peak of the Ghost Month. In the two weeks leading up to the festival, smoke from burning votive paper seems to be everywhere, from narrow alleys to crowded residential neighborhoods.

What strikes me is how normal these activities have become. People who burn trash or votive paper may not see themselves as polluters, while those nearby have become so accustomed to smoke and dust that they barely react.

Yet when thousands of people engage in these practices every day, their cumulative impact on air quality and public health can be significant.

Many people blame air pollution primarily on motorbikes, cars and factories. These sources certainly matter, but seemingly minor activities — burning trash, leaves, rice straw and votive paper — also add to the problem, particularly in residential areas where people are directly exposed to the smoke.

If Hanoi is to become a truly livable city, it cannot focus only on roads, metro lines and modern urban developments. A livable city also needs clean air — air that allows residents to open their windows, walk outdoors and let their children play without breathing smoke.

Reducing air pollution is not solely the responsibility of authorities or large-scale projects. It also begins with everyday habits: not burning trash, leaves or votive paper, and ending the indiscriminate burning of rice straw.

If these practices continue, Hanoi's efforts to improve air quality will struggle to produce the desired results. Ultimately, the cost will be more than hazy skies. It will be paid in residents' health and quality of life.