At the ceremony, participants made their commitment to reducing threats to sea turtles and strengthening international co-operation in conserving their habitats.

According to the World Conservation Union (IUCN), Vietnam is home to five of the planet's seven species of sea turtles. They are the green, hawksbill, loggerhead, Olive Ridley and leatherback turtles. However, the sea pollution, particularly the disappearance of coral reefs and the appearance of garbage and oil spills, are major threats to marine turtles in the country.

The city also held a number of activities to mark World Environment Day, such as cleaning the streets, collecting garbage, planting trees and concretising canals.

*** On the occasion, southern Binh Duong provincial authorities organised a meeting in Thuan An district, which is home to a large number of businesses and industrial zones. After the meeting, local people participated in a march to promote environmental protection day and encourage local people in cleaning streets, dredging canals and planting trees.

*** Northern Thai Nguyen province celebrated the day by distributing information on the environment to all social sections and asking them to engage in environmental protection programmes.

***  Meanwhile, in Quang Ngai, Ha Tay, Hoa Binh, and Quang Tri provinces, many activities such as planting trees and improving impoverished soil were also held.