Viet Nam's progress in green governance

Over the past eight decades, since the establishment of the Ministry of Farming in 1945, Vietnam's agricultural sector has traversed an extraordinary journey, from the wartime duty of "feeding the nation" to the peacetime mission of "nurturing the future." Today, with the inception of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, formed through the consolidation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, a new era of green, sustainable, and inclusive development officially begins.

This is not merely an organizational merger but a convergence of two vital lifelines: the source of life and the living space. Agriculture provides material sustenance, nourishing people with every grain of rice, drop of milk, and catch of fish. The environment secures the spiritual and ecological living space, preserving forests, water, soil, and air, the elements that define the survival essence of the Vietnamese people.

As these two fields intertwine, we are forming a "Green Super-Ministry," a central coordinating body for national development strategy in the new era. It is a place where food security is inextricably linked with ecological security, and where human livelihoods march in step with planetary health.

Amid global climate change, resource depletion, and ecological imbalances, humanity's greatest challenges, Vietnam stands at the forefront of these shifts as an agricultural nation with a long coastline, tropical climate, and large population. Consequently, consolidating agriculture and the environment is not just an administrative choice but a strategic vision of a future-oriented nation.

In the 21st century, development cannot be measured solely by GDP; it must be gauged by the capacity to sustain life, preserve resources, and nurture human happiness. If the national economy is a body, agriculture and the environment are its two green lungs, nourishing, purifying, and regenerating energy for the entire developmental system. From this perspective, the 80th anniversary of the Agriculture and Environment sector is not only a time to reflect on a glorious history but an opportunity to reposition its role in a new era, an era of green development, sustainable growth, and a circular economy.

This is the moment to affirm: "Vietnam seeks not only to be an agricultural powerhouse but also an ecological creator, a place where humanity and nature share a rhythm of prosperous life."

The green pillar of the national economy

Throughout every developmental stage, agriculture has remained the backbone of Vietnam's economy. Transitioning from securing "food" during wartime, agriculture has become a regenerative resource, bridging economic growth and ecological balance.

With over 60% of the population still residing in rural areas, and tens of millions working directly or indirectly in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, every grain of rice, bundle of vegetables, timber product, or aquatic catch represents not just export value but Vietnam's "green credential" in the global market.

Concurrently, the environment, comprising ecosystems of forests, water, soil, and climate, constitutes the natural capital upon which all economic sectors rely. Combining these two fields is a prudent step, allowing Vietnam to transition from an extractive economy to a regenerative one, and from expansive development to harmonious growth between humans and nature.

The front line of non-traditional security

If food security is the foundation of social stability, ecological security is the condition for national survival.

Climate change, droughts, saltwater intrusion, deforestation, and pollution are no longer mere "technical issues" but non-traditional national security challenges. These silent yet persistent threats directly impact the lives of tens of millions. From the Mekong Delta to the Northern Highlands, from the Central Coast to the Red River Delta, every climatic fluctuation triggers a chain reaction across agriculture, energy, demographics, and society.

In this context, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment serves as the command center on the front lines of non-traditional security. It ensures food security while simultaneously guarding resource security, climate security, and water security. This is the ministry of "life governance", where policies aim not only for growth but for protecting the conditions necessary for the long-term continuity of life.

The foundation of climate diplomacy and new international stature

The commitment to reaching Net Zero emissions by 2050 has positioned Vietnam among the pioneer nations in green development.

In this journey, the agriculture and environment sector plays a pivotal role in executing international commitments regarding climate, biodiversity, and sustainable growth. Areas such as low-carbon agriculture, forest carbon credits, bio-agriculture, biomass energy, and ecosystem service markets are opening new spaces for global cooperation.

As the world pivots to a "green economy," Vietnam has the opportunity to become an ASEAN hub for green value production and export, offering agricultural products that meet sustainable, low-carbon, and fully traceable standards. Climate diplomacy is no longer the exclusive domain of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ministry of Industry and Trade; the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment now holds the "green key" to shaping the nation's image in the 21st century.

Farmers: The center of the green development ecosystem

There is no strong agriculture without resilient farmers. With nearly 60% of the population living in rural areas, farmers are the core force preserving the environment and ensuring national ecological security. Today’s farmer is not merely a producer but a resource manager, an ecosystem guardian, and an environmental ambassador at the community level.

Vietnamese farmers are transforming from "agrarians" to "agricultural entrepreneurs," shifting from experience-based farming to governance through knowledge and technology. The new farmer is the archetype of the green era: capable of utilizing climate data, analyzing soil, applying AI in cultivation, utilizing by-products to create renewable energy, and participating in the carbon credit market.

Investing in farmers today is an investment in a sustainable social foundation, protecting forests, water sources, and land. When farmers are happy, the environment is preserved, and agriculture becomes a green knowledge economy that is when Vietnam truly rises to become an ecological powerhouse.

Developing green, low-carbon, and ecological agriculture

The future of Vietnamese agriculture lies not in producing more, but in producing smarter and greener.

Shifting from a mindset of "increasing output" to "increasing value and ecological sustainability" is an inevitable transition. Green agriculture is a model where every unit of land, every drop of water, and every ton of fertilizer is used efficiently, with full traceability and measured carbon emissions. Transitioning to low-carbon agriculture demands a new agricultural value chain where data, biotechnology, renewable energy, and the circular economy operate in unison.

Ecological agriculture models in the Mekong Delta, organic livestock farming in the Central Highlands, or circular farming along the Central Coast are paving the way for an agriculture that boosts productivity while protecting land, water, and climate. This is the path for agriculture to serve not only as the "buttress" of the economy but also as the "green energy source" of national development.

Governance of resources and environment via data and digital institutions

If resources are natural capital, data is the tool to manage that capital transparently and intelligently. A strategic task for the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment in the new phase is building a National Integrated Data System on soil, water, forests, climate, and biology.

Based on this platform, the Government can operate a National Resource and Environment Dashboard, enabling real-time monitoring of forest status, climate fluctuations, water quality, carbon emissions, and soil fertility.

When data is open, when legal documents become "machine-readable laws," and when environmental permits are digitized, we achieve three simultaneous goals: reducing administrative costs, preventing resource fraud, and creating a foundation for evidence-based policy governance.

This represents a leap from "management" to "smart governance," from human surveillance to data-driven operations.

Promoting circular economy and green growth in rural areas

Sustainable development is impossible if rural areas remain "depressions" of productivity and income. Rural development in the new phase is not just about poverty reduction but about creating green, livable, and prosperous living spaces.

The "Green Village – Digital Village" model must be replicated: every village and cooperative should become a circular unit where waste is recycled into energy, agricultural by-products become inputs for new production, and data becomes a community asset. In this scenario, farmers sell not only produce but also ecological services, carbon credits, experiential agricultural tourism, and indigenous cultural products.

The rural circular economy will be the new energy source helping farmers prosper through knowledge and creativity, not just physical labor.

International integration in agriculture and climate

On the global map, Vietnam is shifting from an "agricultural production nation" to a "green value provider." As the world pivots toward ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) standards, Vietnamese agricultural products can achieve breakthroughs by standardizing and defining their green value. Furthermore, Vietnam can proactively export green agricultural solutions, from climate-adaptive farming models to community forest management and carbon credit markets.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, therefore, does not only implement domestic policy but also defines Vietnam's international standing in climate diplomacy, in ASEAN cooperation on Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA), and in global forums on sustainable development.

Collectively, these four strategic directions create a closed development loop: From Green Agriculture → Data Governance → Circular Economy → Green Value Integration. This is not only a roadmap for reforming the agriculture-environment sector but also a new development model for Vietnam: development based on nature, reliant on knowledge, and oriented toward human happiness.

To shoulder the role of a pillar for sustainable development, the Agriculture-Environment sector requires a new mindset, one of "creation" where every policy manages the present while paving the way for the future.

From "management" to "creation"

In today's volatile world, "management", understood as control, licensing, and sanctioning, is no longer sufficient. What the country needs is a Ministry that creates a green development ecosystem, where policy becomes a tool to encourage innovation, investment, and collaboration between communities and businesses to preserve resources.

Instead of "managing farmers," we must empower and trust them to become partners in creating green value. Instead of "managing the environment" through inspection and monitoring, we need to create systems that incentivize emission reductions and nature regeneration. A "Ministry of Creation" is one that knows how to nurture positive change, turning responsibility into opportunity and obligation into development momentum.

From "task dispersion" to "strategic integration"

For many years, agriculture and the environment were often operated separately, with each field possessing its own strategies, planning, and mechanisms. However, nature knows no administrative boundaries; a river, a forest, or a plot of land contains the intertwined values of both agriculture and the environment.

Therefore, the new mindset must be one of strategic integration: all planning, from land use to emission reduction, from rural development to nature conservation, must be unified under a national ecological vision. This vision places humans at the center, nature as the foundation, and technology as the tool.

Such an integrated institution will enable Vietnam to optimize all resources from natural capital to social capital and avoid policy conflicts or resource waste inherent in multi-sector management.

From "stopgap measures" to "generational solutions"

The 21st century poses problems that cannot be solved within a single term or a five-year plan: climate change, resource scarcity, and biodiversity loss all demand long-term thinking and investment for future generations. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment must become the "keeper of the nation's ecological memory", where every decision made today is weighed against the measure of the future: Will our children and grandchildren inherit a greener, cleaner, and more livable country?

Investing in genetic resources, soil, water, forests, and climate is not a cost, but an investment in the nation's longevity. A hectare of forest preserved means millions of tons of carbon absorbed; a river restored means thousands of livelihoods regenerated. That is "future profit", a profit that does not appear in financial reports but decides the long-term vitality of the country.

Toward green governance and national ecological culture

Sustainable development cannot rely solely on technology or laws; it must become a living culture. When citizens sort waste, plant trees, and save water; when businesses commit to low emissions; when authorities act based on data and transparency that is when an ecological culture is formed.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment needs to lead in building green governance from decision-making processes and investment standards to policy evaluation mechanisms. Only when "green" becomes the metric for all behavior, from planning to execution, will the country truly enter the era of sustainable development.

From good earth to a green future

The 80-year history of the Agriculture and Environment sector is an 80-year journey alongside the nation in search of prosperity in harmony with nature.

From the rice grains of the Red River Delta to the Ca Mau mangroves, from the rice-planting farmer to the carbon research scientist, from the green river to the clear sky, all are part of the Vietnamese identity: loving the earth, respecting the water, and living in harmony with nature.

Agriculture and the environment do not merely feed people; they nurture the soul of the country. When the land is good, the water clean, the forests green, and the air fresh, Vietnam will truly rise to become a happy, prosperous, and sustainable nation. That is the vision and responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment in the new era, the architect of a green future for the Fatherland.