Viet Nam seeks to expand cooperation with IISD on climate change response

On the sidelines of the COP30 in Belém, Brazil, a technical delegation from Viet Nam, led by Mr. Le Ngoc Tuan, Deputy Director General of the Department of Climate Change (under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), held a bilateral meeting with Ms. Patricia Fuller, President and CEO of the IISD. The discussion focused on the progress of implementing the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), the deployment of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), and the direction of future cooperation between the two parties.

Addressing challenges

An IISD representative expressed interest in the level of coordination between the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and other ministries and agencies, particularly the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which plays a crucial role in reducing emissions from the energy and industrial sectors.

Mr. Le Ngoc Tuan stated that while Viet Nam is maintaining progress on the NDC implementation, the process still faces significant challenges, especially in ensuring synchronized participation from all ministries and agencies. The reason, he explained, is that any step to increase emission reduction ambitions entails a greater capital requirement. For instance, transitioning energy infrastructure to clean technology or improving energy efficiency in industry demands high initial investment costs. This complicates the process of aligning national goals and allocating resources.

Regarding the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), Mr. Tuan noted that Viet Nam is consistently implementing the planned tasks and has no immediate plans to update the NAP. The appropriate time to consider adjustments may be after 2030. The Department of Climate Change will continue to monitor and evaluate the implementation process to determine any necessary adjustments to climate adaptation activities.

Ms. Patricia Fuller commended Viet Nam for evaluating and monitoring the NAP’s implementation for the 2021-2025 period. International practice, she noted, shows that many countries do not perform this task regularly, as adaptation measures (such as upgrading disaster-resilient infrastructure, climate-appropriate land-use planning, and strengthening early warning systems) require a sufficiently long time to measure effectiveness.

Adding further information, Mr. Luong Quang Huy from the Department of Climate Change mentioned that Viet Nam has recently completed an institutional reorganization at both the central and local levels. This has had a certain impact on the pace of allocating climate tasks. Mr. Huy stressed that while the NDC is developed at the national level, effective implementation requires each ministry, sector, and locality to translate it into specific targets and solutions suitable for local real-world conditions.

On this matter, the IISD representative shared experience from Ghana, which adopted a "district-led" model: selecting a pioneering locality to implement NDC tasks and subsequently replicating the lessons learned in other areas. This approach helps increase local initiative, reduces reliance on central coordination, and creates a widespread momentum.

Future cooperation direction

Viet Nam is currently accelerating several emission reduction actions, such as carbon pricing to prepare for the operation of a domestic carbon market, the "one million hectares of low-carbon rice" model aimed at reducing methane emissions in agricultural production, and other low-emission, environmentally friendly farming models. These are the areas where Viet Nam hopes to continue receiving technical assistance, policy experience sharing, and expert connection from the IISD.

Mr. Le Ngoc Tuan indicated that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Department of Climate Change and IISD has been revised to suit the current context. Going forward, Viet Nam seeks to expand cooperation into other key areas, including climate change adaptation, sustainable trade, and carbon market development.

Both sides expressed their commitment to strengthening international cooperation to advance emission reduction goals and enhance climate resilience. Technical support, experience, and networking from organizations like the IISD are expected to help Viet Nam move faster on its path to achieving climate commitments by 2030 and beyond.

Ms. Patricia Fuller praised the long-standing cooperation between the IISD and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. She highlighted that the IISD has supported Vietnam through the Global NAP Network over the past five years, helping the country develop its adaptation plan and access international resources. She expressed her desire to continue a deeper dialogue on mutually relevant areas, from updating the NDC and implementing the NAP to supporting the design of a national carbon mechanism.