Thanh Hoa activates carbon resources

A major advantage for entering the carbon market

The province has a natural area of more than 1.11 million hectares, of which agricultural land accounts for over 913 thousand hectares and forested land exceeds 647 thousand hectares. The forest cover rate in 2024 reaches 53.91%. This is a fundamental advantage that enables Thanh Hoa to participate more deeply in both domestic and international carbon markets.

In the rice sector alone, Thanh Hoa currently has 138,000 hectares, with more than 6,000 hectares registered for pilot production of carbon credits through the AWD technique. This method not only saves water and improves farming efficiency but also significantly reduces methane emissions, a greenhouse gas with a warming potential 28-34 times greater than CO2.

During 2023 - 2025, as Viet Nam pilots the ERPA in the North Central region, Thanh Hoa has identified more than 365,000 hectares of natural forest eligible for participation. The province has received over 198 billion VND from the Viet Nam Forest Protection and Development Fund to distribute to more than 25,000 forest owners and forest management organizations. This revenue helps improve the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities while strengthening responsibility for sustainable forest protection and development.

In parallel, Thanh Hoa has consistently led international cooperation projects on emissions reduction. A typical example is the carbon reduction project in the Lam Son sugarcane material zone, implemented by Lam Son Sugarcane Joint Stock Corporation (Lasuco) in partnership with two Japanese companies, Idemitsu Kosan and Sagri, starting in 2025. The first phase covers 500 hectares, expanding to 8,000 hectares in 2026, with the expectation of generating a significant volume of carbon credits from sugarcane. Lasuco is currently linked with more than 130,000 farming households, creating a strong pathway to enter the voluntary carbon market.

The low-emission rice production sector has also seen notable results. In 2024, a 100-hectare pilot model in former Yen Dinh district achieved a reduction of 4.84 tons of CO₂ equivalent per hectare, equal to 4.84 carbon credits per hectare. In 2025, the experimental scale expands substantially: Japan’s Faeger Company will implement 200 hectares, aiming to reach 50,000 hectares by 2030; Green Carbon Company, in collaboration with the province, will undertake over 5,600 hectares across both cropping seasons.

Beyond relying on strengths in forestry and agriculture, Thanh Hoa is also testing the use of high-tech tools for monitoring, measuring, and calculating emissions. AI-based sustainable agricultural production models in the former Hoang Hoa and Ha Trung districts are helping to build a technical foundation to meet transparency requirements in carbon credit verification.

Policy improvement and scaling up low-emission production

Despite its great potential, Thanh Hoa faces several challenges in entering the carbon market. The regulatory framework is still being finalized, creating obstacles to project development and to registering carbon credits under international standards. Emission data collection and statistics have not been fully synchronized across the province, complicating the process of determining emission quotas for specific sectors and enterprises.

In preparation for the domestic carbon market that will operate from 2028, Thanh Hoa has aligned with national policies such as Decree 06/2022/NĐ-CP, Decree 107/2022/NĐ-CP, and Decision 232/QĐ-TTg approving the national carbon market development scheme. To date, 28 facilities in the province have conducted greenhouse gas inventories as required.

To maximize existing advantages, Thanh Hoa’s Department of Agriculture and Environment has set a core objective for 2025 - 2030: accelerating low-carbon agricultural production. Provincial targets for 2030 include expanding 100,000 hectares of AWD and SRI low-emission rice; developing 15,000 hectares of sugarcane using low-carbon cultivation practices; and strengthening the management, protection, and development of over 647,000 hectares of forest to enhance forest carbon stocks.

To achieve these goals, Thanh Hoa is implementing five key solution groups. First, the rapid implementation of policies for green, organic, and circular agriculture, and the development of mechanisms to incentivize carbon credit generation in agriculture. The province continues to standardize technical procedures as guided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, particularly AWD and SRI, to ensure transparency and carbon credit certification. It also applies digital technologies, satellite systems, and monitoring platforms for international-standard emission reporting; establishes fair benefit-sharing mechanisms for farmers; and prioritizes stronger cooperation with enterprises, academic institutions, and international organizations to mobilize resources, transfer technology, and connect to global carbon markets.

According to Thanh Hoa’s Department of Agriculture and Environment, the carbon market is not only an economic opportunity but also a driver of comprehensive transformation in the agricultural sector. The province will prioritize completing emission databases, expanding large-scale low-emission production models, and working closely with enterprises and farmers to ensure Thanh Hoa’s carbon credits meet international standards.