Strategy for Vietnam to achieve Net Zero emission by 2050

In his presentation at the training program "Enhancing media capacity on carbon neutrality" on the afternoon of October 15, Mr. Hoang Anh Dung, General Director of Intraco Company, detailed key concepts related to carbon emissions and outlined strategies for Vietnam to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Understanding carbon neutrality and Net-Zero emission

According to Mr. Hoang Anh Dung, carbon neutrality refers to the balance between the amount of carbon emitted and the amount absorbed from the atmosphere. To achieve carbon neutrality, companies have two options: either reduce their carbon emissions to zero or minimize them as much as possible and offset the remaining emissions by purchasing carbon credits.

Meanwhile, Net Zero means achieving an overall balance between the amount of greenhouse gases emitted and the amount removed from the atmosphere. There is also the concept of negative emissions, which refers to emitting less than the level required for carbon neutrality.

One key difference between carbon neutrality and net-zero emissions lies in the type of carbon credits used for offsetting. In carbon neutrality, credits may include reduction, avoidance, and removal credits. In contrast, achieving net-zero emissions requires the use of removal credits only.

Strategies to achieve Net-Zero emission

To achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, Mr. Hoang Anh Dung emphasized that Vietnam must first increase the share of renewable energy to over 90%. Secondly, the country should expand its annual forest plantation area to 1.71 million hectares.

The third strategy he mentioned is to eliminate or minimize the use of industrial gases such as HFCs, PFCs, SF₆, and N₂O. At the same time, it is essential to recover more than 90% of methane emissions from landfills and livestock waste.

In agriculture, another strategy is to apply AWD method on over 90% of rice-growing areas. Additionally, more than 90% of agricultural by-products should be utilized for energy generation and soil improvement.

Further measures include accelerating projects on carbon capture and storage and carbon removal, and promoting the use of green hydrogen and biofuels for over 90% of combustion systems and transport vehicles.

According to the General Director of Intraco, to achieve net-zero emissions, businesses must reduce actual emissions across their entire value chain, adopt cleaner technologies, make substantial investments, and transform their operating models while supporting carbon removal projects.

"This is a long-term process that requires significant financial, technical, and managerial resources," Mr. Hoang Anh Dung stressed.

In practice, many global companies begin their journey with carbon neutrality by measuring emissions, offsetting them through carbon credits, and subsequently investing in emission reduction projects. According to Mr. Dung, carbon neutrality provides the foundational data and emission management capacity necessary to prepare for the transition toward net-zero emissions.

In Vietnam, TH Group is among the few enterprises certified as carbon neutral under the international PAS 2060:2014 standard, applied to its TH True Milk fresh milk and TH True Water products. Intraco, led by Mr. Hoang Anh Dung, is the consulting partner supporting TH on its journey toward net-zero emissions.

In TH Group’s case, the emission scope includes both direct and indirect emissions from energy use. The total emissions are neutralized through internal reductions and compensation measures such as technological innovation and the adoption of clean energy.

Currently, TH Group has committed to maintaining carbon neutrality at two of its member units until 2028 under the PAS 2060 standard, before transitioning to ISO 14068 certification. In the long term, TH Group aligns with and supports the Vietnamese Government’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

On October 15-16, Vietnam Agriculture&Nature Newspaper, in collaboration with TH Group, organized a training course titled "Enhancing media capacity on carbon neutrality” in Nghe An Province.

Attending the opening session were Mr. Nguyen Nhu Khoi, Vice Chairman of the Nghe An Provincial People’s Council; Mr. Nguyen Tuan Quang, Deputy Director General of the Department of Climate Change; Mr. Nguyen Danh Hung, Deputy Director of the Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Environment; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mai Van Trinh, Director of the Institute of Agricultural Environment; Mr. Phan Van Thang, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Nghe An Newspaper and Radio & Television Station; representatives of TH Group; along with distinguished guests, speakers, and 40 journalists, reporters, and editors from central and local press agencies.