Viet Nam, Finland step up next phase of meteorological monitoring project

On May 29, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Hoang Trung paid a courtesy reception to Finnish Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Jarno Syrjälä.

Deputy Minister highly appreciated achievements in bilateral cooperation, particularly in the context of both countries promoting a strategic partnership model toward sustainable development.

At the meeting, Deputy Minister Hoang Trung emphasized that Viet Nam has always attached importance to its traditional friendship and effective cooperation with Finland, which has been reflected through various programs and projects in agriculture, forestry, and water resources management.

The two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in environment, biodiversity, and climate change in 2025, as well as an MoU on agricultural cooperation signed in 2022. These documents are considered important foundations for promoting increasingly systematic, effective, and in-depth cooperation between the two ministries in the coming period.

In particular, the Deputy Minister noted that the project on enhancing upper-air meteorological monitoring capacity for disaster prevention and socio-economic development in Viet Nam has helped improve forecasting and early warning capabilities as the country is frequently and severely affected by natural disasters, storms, and floods. The Ministry will continue coordinating with relevant agencies to accelerate the project’s implementation.

In addition, during the 2020-2025 period, the project on promoting the modernization of the monitoring system and air quality management in major cities of Viet Nam has delivered positive results in strengthening equipment capacity, building air quality monitoring databases, and improving forecasting and early warning of air quality.

Viet Nam proposed that Finland continue to support system operation, share experience in groundwater resource management, and promote environmental data transformation as well as the development of a more effective early warning system, a leader of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment stated.

In the field of economy and trade, Deputy Minister Hoang Trung suggested that the two sides continue to enhance technology transfer and expand investment cooperation. At the same time, Viet Nam expressed its desire for Finland to support businesses in meeting international technical standards, such as the EUDR, and to play an active role in helping to remove the IUU yellow card.

Finnish Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Jarno Syrjälä affirmed that Viet Nam is one of Finland’s most important and closest partners in Asia, with cooperation across multiple research and development areas. He also expressed his wish to accelerate the next phase of meteorology and hydrology projects, following the successful implementation of the first component.

Deputy Minister Jarno Syrjälä stated that the two sides have achieved many positive results in areas such as meteorology, water resources, and forestry. He also expressed hope that more advanced technological tools would be jointly applied, particularly in environmental monitoring and data analysis.

The Finnish side also highly appreciated the shared orientation toward promoting a circular economy, considering it an important foundation for generating positive impacts on the environment and sustainable economic growth.

In the power plant sector, Wärtsilä company can operate flexibly using a variety of fuels such as oil, natural gas, or hydrogen. This solution is to enable the effective integration of renewable energy sources, while also supporting the transition toward a more sustainable energy system. In terms of emissions reduction in the power sector, Wärtsilä’s technology has long been applied globally but remains relatively new in Viet Nam. The company wishes to work and engage with MAE to update Viet Nam’s technical standards related to industrial emissions for the power plant.

Deputy Minister Jarno Syrjälä emphasized that Viet Nam-Finland relations were upgraded to a Strategic Partnership at the end of 2020, creating an important basis for realizing concrete action plans in the coming period. He affirmed that the two countries still have substantial room to expand cooperation, especially in innovation, high-tech applications, and enhancing resilience to climate change.

Deputy Minister Hoang Trung affirmed that, with the increasingly strengthened Viet Nam–Finland Strategic Partnership and the great potential for cooperation across multiple sectors, the two countries will continue to translate their commitments into practical action programs, thereby promoting green growth, innovation, and greater resilience for the sustainable development of both nations.