This study from Vietnam shows that the paper-making industry in Vietnam is the cause of significant environmental pollution that affects the country's wildlife and the health and livelihoods of its people. It finds that there is a general lack of awareness about the environmental impact of the paper-making industry. It also finds that there are many paper-making plants that do not comply with the country's environmental regulations and do not have the necessary pollution clean-up technology. The study assesses the paper-making plants in Phong Khe Commune of Bac Ninh Province, which is one of the centres of paper production in Vietnam. It recommends a number of key steps that must be taken to improve the environmental performance of the paper-making plants in the area. These include securing the necessary resources to set up pollution treatment systems that can be shared by groups of plants and strengthening the monitoring and enforcement of environmental legislation. It also recommends that more be done to raise awareness of environmental protection among the general population and the plant owners in the province.