HCM City (VNA) – France is ready to work with Vietnam to promote cooperative activities in the field of green development and reducing net emissions by providing advanced technical solutions, French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet said on June 6.
Brochet made the statement at a workshop entitled "Toward Vietnam net-zero goal" held in Ho Chi Minh City by Business France, a commerce and investment promotion agency at the French Embassy in Vietnam.
The diplomat highlighted the significance of carbon emission reduction amid Vietnam's strong economic development and the context that it is one of the countries most affected by climate change.
Vietnam has made a strong commitment to "achieve net zero emissions by 2050", and integrated environmental protection solutions into the country's economic development programmes, he said.
The workshop was an opportunity for the two countries to explore the potential for cooperation in the field of green development and combating climate change, Brochet said, adding that it is expected to lay a foundation for collaboration in transition towards a green and sustainable economy and create momentum for the development of the bilateral cooperation in the future.
In his remarks at the workshop, Vice Chairman of municipal People’s Committee Vo Van Hoan said HCM City is a major hub for economy, finance, commerce, culture, science-technology, innovation, and education-training in the southern key economic region and the whole country.
To maintain its role as the economic locomotive of the nation and gradually become an economic centre of Southeast Asia, the city is focusing on improving growth quality, enhancing the application of scientific and technological advances and gradually transforming the economy towards "digital" and "green" models, he added.
Hoan emphasised that building a green economy and a circular economy is an inevitable choice to meet growth requirements while ensuring a healthy and sustainable living environment for the city's residents.
To this end, HCM City has approved a plan for the implementation of the national strategy for green growth for the 2021-2030 period, and a plan for circular economic development for the 2022-2025 period, with a vision until 2030, he said, elaborating that these are important legal foundations for transforming current production and service activities towards low carbon emissions and environmentally-friendly manner.
However, the official said the model of a green and circular economy in Vietnam in general and HCM City in particular is at the initial stage of development.
The city looks forward to receiving valuable opinions, good practices, breakthrough solutions, and effective policies relating to developing the green economy and reducing carbon emissions in HCM City, thus joining hands with the country to achieve the goal of net zero emissions by 2050./.
