​Yok Don National Park is located in Ea Bung and Chu M'Lanh communes, Ea Sup district, Krong Na commune, Buon Don district, and Ea Po commune, Cu Jut district, in western Dak Lak province. The national park is situated on the flat plain that extends from eastern Cambodia into northern Dak Lak and southern Gia Lai provinces in Viet Nam. The topography of most of the site is flat, at an elevation of c.200 m. There are, however, several ranges of low hills within the national park, the highest point of which is the eponymous Mount Yok Don at 482 m in the south-eastern range.

Water level in the Hong River, which flows through the provinces of Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc and the capital city of Hanoi has dropped to its lowest level in a hundred years, as recorded on January 25 ( third day of new lunar year ) by the National Centre for Hydro Meteorological Forecasting.

An extremely severe cold front is set to slam into Northern Vietnam from January 21 or the 28th day of the 12th lunar month, bringing with it chilling winds and freezing temperatures in the Northern Provinces during the main Tet New Year days​

The water level in the upstream parts of the Hong (Red) River passing through Lao Cai Province recorded a small surge, submerging parts of residents' farms and construction sites on the two sides of the river

​The past 20 years in Vietnam have been remarkable. The economy has expanded by an average of 7 percent annually since the mid-1990s and according to the Vietnam Development Report 2011, “poverty has fallen drastically from 60 percent in 1993 to 14 percent in 2008”. In 2009, Vietnam was reclassified as a “lower-middle-income country”. But much of the economic expansion and inertia has been fueled by the use of domestic natural resources.

​Poorly paid and protected, 25 workers of a garbage collection team on Ho Chi Minh City canals nevertheless are keen and happy to clear 15 tons every day. “Today we collect a little, tomorrow a little more, and all will be cleared someday,” says a member of the team, which spends most of the day on the black, stinky canals.

Millions tons of sludge every year are discharged directly to rivers, canals and unused land areas without any treatment, which has caused serious pollution to Hanoi and become a big headache of Hanoians.