Vietnam Adopts Action Program for Environmental Protection and Climate Resilience

The Vietnamese government has adopted an action program to strengthen environmental protection and enhance climate change resilience. This initiative aims to translate the Party's orientations into concrete policies and actions, improve the effectiveness of environmental governance, bolster climate resilience, and accelerate the transition toward a green, circular, and low-carbon economy. The program will serve as the basis for ministries, sectors, and localities to formulate their implementation plans for the 2026-2030 period, with a vision extending to 2045. It outlines nine key tasks, including raising public awareness and mobilizing society-wide participation in environmental protection and climate adaptation; improving institutions, policies, and legislation while strengthening enforcement; mobilizing and effectively utilizing resources; addressing pressing environmental challenges; conserving biodiversity and promoting the sustainable use of natural resources; enhancing climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction; accelerating the green transition and the development of a circular and low-carbon economy; strengthening greenhouse gas emissions management; advancing science, technology, innovation, digital transformation, and human resource development; and expanding international cooperation. Priority is given to improving air quality management, with a specific focus on tackling air pollution in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and other major urban areas. The program also calls for intensified efforts to address water pollution in priority river basins, canals, lakes, and other heavily polluted water bodies. It advocates for accelerated investment in wastewater collection and treatment systems for urban areas, industrial clusters, and traditional craft villages. The government will tighten controls over pollutant discharges in environmentally sensitive areas to ensure they remain within the environment's carrying capacity. Furthermore, the program seeks to enhance the effectiveness of household solid waste segregation to support the development of a circular economy. It promotes synchronized investment in waste collection, transportation, reuse, recycling, and treatment integrated with energy recovery, while reducing reliance on direct landfilling. In addition, the government will promote the effective implementation of extended producer responsibility (EPR) by manufacturers and importers and foster the development of secondary materials markets. Proactive management of new waste streams generated during the green transition and tighter control over the import of obsolete, resource-intensive technologies and equipment posing environmental risks are also called for. Pollution control in traditional craft villages, coupled with the development of rural industries in a green, circular, and sustainable manner, will receive priority. Other focus areas include mining and mineral processing sites, areas contaminated by chemicals and pesticides, and other environmental pollution hotspots. The action program also requires the review and improvement of standards, technical regulations, and techno-economic norms for construction projects to better incorporate climate change adaptation requirements, alongside strengthened monitoring and evaluation of adaptation activities. Priority will be given to investing in resilient infrastructure capable of withstanding storms, floods, urban inundation, drought, saltwater intrusion, and other impacts associated with climate change and sea-level rise. The government will also promote the development of climate-resilient cities, with particular emphasis on addressing flooding caused by extreme rainfall and high tides in major urban centers. In the agricultural sector, the program encourages the adoption of climate-smart farming models that reduce greenhouse gas emissions while enhancing resilience to climate change. It also calls for strengthening disaster response capacity through investment in emergency response forces and equipment to ensure timely response and recovery following natural disasters. Region-specific adaptation measures based on nature, ecosystems, and local communities will be implemented in high-risk areas, including the Northern Midlands and Mountainous Region, the Central Coastal Region, and the Mekong Delta. The program also calls for the reorganization of residential areas and the relocation of people from disaster-prone locations, while ensuring sustainable livelihoods and improving healthcare services for affected communities.