Institutional reform powers green growth

Environmental control linked to sustainable development

Speaking at the National Forum on Environment and Climate: From Policy to Action, Nguyen Duy Nhat, Deputy Director of the Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Environment, affirmed that the implementation of the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection in Nghe An has produced clear and measurable progress in governance. The province has issued a comprehensive, synchronized policy and legal framework, spanning Party Committee resolutions and People's Council decisions down to specific provincial plans and regulations, translating national directives into locally applicable practice.

Among the most notable achievements is a breakthrough in administrative reform. Processing times for many environmental procedures have been cut dramatically, some by more than 50%, while 100% of case files continue to be handled on time or ahead of schedule. This not only benefits businesses and residents but reflects Nghe An's consistent position: economic growth will not come at the expense of the environment. The province is committed to transparent, effective governance.

Inspection and enforcement activities have also been carried out with focus and resolve, raising awareness of and compliance with environmental law. Strict penalties for violations, combined with a 24/7 hotline, have enabled authorities to detect and address emerging issues promptly, preventing localized problems from escalating into prolonged environmental flashpoints. This represents concrete proof of the province's determination to enforce environmental discipline through decisive action.

On the community engagement front, Nhat noted that public outreach and awareness campaigns have been rolled out broadly, generating widespread social impact. Initiatives such as "Turn Trash Into Cash," "Green Sunday," and "Clean Up the Coast" have helped shift public attitudes and cultivate environmentally responsible habits.

Nghe An also holds a significant ecological advantage: it is home to the Western Nghe An Biosphere Reserve, the largest terrestrial biosphere reserve in Viet Nam. This asset is not only an environmental treasure but also a foundation for future green and ecological economic development.

In emissions and discharge control, the province has achieved notable results; 100% of facilities required to install automated monitoring systems have done so and are transmitting real-time data to regulatory authorities. Chronic pollution sources have largely been addressed and resolved. As a result, overall environmental quality across the province is now essentially under control, biodiversity is being preserved, and the monitoring network has been comprehensively upgraded.

Nevertheless, Nhat acknowledged that Nghe An continues to face significant pressures, particularly in solid waste management, where treatment infrastructure has struggled to keep pace with rapid development. Some urban wastewater treatment systems are underperforming; treatment costs remain high; and pricing mechanisms and policies governing private-sector participation are still riddled with shortcomings.

In response, Nghe An is charting a course toward a circular economy model, treating waste as a resource, gradually phasing out landfill disposal, and scaling up recycling and reuse. The "polluter pays" principle is also being actively promoted to incentivize behavioral change.

Refining the law to clear the bottlenecks

Drawing on on-the-ground experience, the leadership of the Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Environment put forward a set of recommendations to strengthen the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection, making it more grounded, more actionable, and more effective.

The immediate priority is a thorough review and refinement of regulations governing environmental impact assessments, environmental permits, and environmental registration, with a focus on clarity, consistency, and the elimination of divergent interpretations across administrative levels. For Group III projects in particular, responsibilities and procedures must be defined more precisely and transparently to ease the burden on both regulators and investors.

Alongside this, maintaining the criterion of "water sources used for domestic supply" in determining environmentally sensitive factors is essential to safeguarding water security and protecting public health.

On waste management, Nghe An recommends reaffirming the principle of source separation while strengthening controls over industrial waste and hazardous wastewater, a critical foundation for advancing the circular economy and converting waste into a productive resource.

To improve the effectiveness of enforcement, robust mechanisms must be established to attract investment in waste treatment, broaden private-sector participation, and accelerate the adoption of technology and digital transformation in environmental management.

Additionally, ensuring consistency between the Law and its implementing regulations is an urgent necessity to eliminate overlapping requirements and reduce the regulatory burden on local governments, businesses, and residents.

On-the-ground experience also reveals mounting challenges in managing the carrying capacity of water sources. In some areas, restrictions on wastewater discharge have begun to deter investment, even from projects employing advanced treatment technologies. There is therefore a need for more flexible mechanisms that allow consideration of projects with effective treatment solutions, water reuse provisions, or measurable environmental improvements, striking a proper balance between environmental protection and economic development.

On the question of decentralization, reform must be calibrated to the actual capacity of local authorities, avoiding the imposition of responsibilities that outstrip available resources, while still meeting the imperative of administrative streamlining.

The experience of Nghe An makes one thing clear: when institutions are well-designed, governance is effective, and society is aligned, environmental protection is no longer a barrier to growth, it becomes its engine.