Vietnam towards green development, green economy

Green economy, as many experts see it, is a transition that Vietnam must undergo to ensure sustainable economic development and cope with climate change, and is also a “must-do” to demonstrate Vietnam’s seriousness in implementing international commitments for the global good. However, to stay on this new path, commitment and determination alone are not enough.

1. In the newspapers in recent days, there is a very beautiful image: In the pleasant autumn weather of Hanoi, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh leisurely cycled through some streets of the capital. Not only is it a diplomatic act, the image of the two Prime Ministers cycling also sends a great message to the public, that is, the trend of green growth and green economy has become a prominent trend in the world, chosen by many countries in the context of the fight against climate change taking place fiercely on a global scale.

Speaking at the Green Economy Forum 2023 with the theme "Europe-Vietnam cooperation promotes green initiatives", Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's companion, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, said that not only he but for many years, Dutch people have chosen bicycles as their main means of transportation, that in the Netherlands, the entire system encourages people to use a very healthy alternative, which is bicycles.

But beyond the story of choosing a means of transport, it is a story of moving towards green development, a green economy. “ We are here at this forum because we believe that green growth is our future and together, we can turn our aspirations into reality, so that Vietnam is worthy of the name of the land of the “rising dragon”, the land of opportunities. We can cooperate so that Vietnam and the Netherlands can become “green dragons”, taking advantage of all the new opportunities that are happening before our eyes ” - the Prime Minister of the Netherlands shared at the Forum.

Also at the Forum, EU leaders and the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham) highly appreciated Vietnam's development achievements and great potential, especially in new areas such as green economy, circular economy, and high technology.

According to delegates, the world is changing unpredictably, geopolitical conflicts are fierce, the crisis caused by climate change and depletion of natural resources are posing many challenges, but at the same time opening up new opportunities for socio-economic development of each country. In that context, green and sustainable economic development is the key and mandatory direction for countries around the world.

A green economy is simply an economy with low emissions, efficient and economical use of natural resources, ensuring social equity. In a green economy, growth in income and employment through public and private investment in the economy reduces carbon emissions, reduces environmental pollution, uses energy and resources efficiently, and prevents the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

2. Agreeing with this view, at the Forum, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized: “ Developing a green economy, digital economy, circular economy, sharing economy, and knowledge economy is a trend, movement, and strategic choice, a top priority of Vietnam ”. In fact, not outside of that trend, in recent years, Vietnam has promoted the implementation of plans and strategies for green economic development.

Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW dated November 17, 2022 of the 13th Party Central Committee on continuing to promote the country's industrialization and modernization to 2030, with a vision to 2045, has identified the core content of the industrialization and modernization process in the 2021-2030 period as promoting digital transformation and green transformation in industries and fields.

Resolution 24-NQ/TW dated June 3, 2013 of the 11th Politburo on proactively responding to climate change, strengthening resource management and environmental protection also identified the goal of promoting growth model transformation associated with economic restructuring towards green growth and sustainable development.

However, the results achieved so far are still limited. Many opinions say that in Vietnam, the green economic development trend is only at the starting point. At the Green Economic Forum 2023, the head of the Vietnamese Government also said that as a developing country in the process of transformation, Vietnam still faces difficulties in implementing green development solutions. "We still have a lot of work to do in the coming time"; "We need sharing and help so that we can win together" - the Prime Minister pointed out.

3. Among the many things that we still have to do as pointed out by the Head of Government, there is the story of mechanisms and policies for green development. Speaking at the Vietnam Socio-Economic Forum 2023 held on September 19 in Hanoi, with the theme "Strengthening endogenous capacity, creating momentum for growth and sustainable development" - Dr. Ha Huy Ngoc, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, proposed the need to develop policies on mobilizing capital for rapid and sustainable development such as: Developing a market for exchanging emission rights according to market mechanisms in Vietnam; building and perfecting tax tools for activities towards rapid and sustainable growth; building and applying a policy framework on investment incentives and incentives, mechanisms and financial tools to unlock social resources, effectively mobilizing financial resources of the business sector to respond to climate change.

At the Forum “Green Growth - Journey towards zero emissions” on September 15 in Ho Chi Minh City, Deputy Head of the Central Economic Commission Nguyen Duc Hien affirmed: Vietnam has policies and orientations to promote the transition process towards green growth, digital economy development, and circular economy. To promote green growth, one of the important tasks is to promote the strong application of science, technology and innovation.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte ride bicycles on the streets of Hanoi. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac.

Dr. Le Xuan Nghia said that the application and integration of the Green Growth Strategy into socio-economic development plans and programs of some localities is facing many challenges, due to the lack of specific groups of solutions and their lack of feasibility in the specific circumstances of the locality.

Therefore, in order to achieve the development goals and orientations set forth by the “National Strategy on Green Growth for the period 2021 - 2030, vision 2050”, it is necessary to soon issue a set of indicators to measure Vietnam's national green growth. Accordingly, it is necessary to add a number of green growth indicators to the system of socio-economic development indicators. Prepare to complete and apply the set of green growth indicators in the development of the 5-year socio-economic development plan (2021 - 2025).

Obviously, as Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha said: “ The goals and commitments on green growth are clear, but we need to find a way to do it that is suitable for Vietnam's socio-economic conditions. Without specific solutions, the green growth goal will only be on paper .” And that must be the work that needs to be done immediately, done decisively, because green economy and green development are the open and inevitable path that the world has been taking, and Vietnam, in order to develop quickly and sustainably, must also continue steadily on that new journey.

Nguyen Ha

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/viet-nam-huong-toi-phat-trien-xanh-kinh-te-xanh-duong-moi-phai-di-post271681.html