Vietnam, Netherlands seek nature-based measures for sustainable development
Vietnamese and Dutch experts shared experience in policy building, nature-based and technical solutions and mobilisation of financial resources for sustainable development, at a workshop held in Hanoi on March 19.
Vietnam has favourable conditions to develop nature-based economic sectors, according to Dutch experts. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese and Dutch experts shared experience inpolicy building, nature-based and technical solutions and mobilisation offinancial resources for sustainable development, at a workshop held in Hanoi onMarch 19.
At the event, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and EnvironmentLe Cong Thanh and Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management MarkHarbers held that both nations have similar natural environments and been hardhit by climate change, with Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region experiencing landerosion, saline intrusion and sand depletion, and 25% of the Netherlands’ areasbelow the sea level.
According to Thanh, Vietnam has carried out climate mitigation measures overthe past 15 years while nature-based solutions have been undertaken in the recent10 years.
The Netherlands, who found out thenature-based development models, have run a lot of projects in Vietnam, helpingthe country handle challenges in food security, water resources security,natural disasters’ risks, and greenhouse gas emissions reduction, he said,adding Vietnam has strengthened resilience and adaptive capacity in several areas,including forest preservation, restoration of the natural ecosystem, and developmentof the low-carbon agriculture.
Dutch experts said that investing in nature-based measures is fordevelopment that benefits biodiversity and natural ecosystem, stressing as oneof the most biodiverse countries in the world, Vietnam has favourableconditions to develop nature-based economic sectors.
However, the measures must be suitable tothe country’s environment, climate, soil, and financial capacity of enterprisesand local people, they added.
Also present at the workshop, specialists from the World Bank and AsiaDevelopment Bank affirmed to continue supporting and accompanying the VietnameseGovernment in developing nature-based solutions towards realising the sustainable developmentgoals./.
VNA
Related News
As one of the countries with high biodiversity in the world, Vietnam has many guidelines and policies to protect, preserve and promote biodiversity.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s biggest economic hub, is working to lure both domestic and foreign green investments, towards sustainable development.
The concept of a circular economy, which remains relatively new in Vietnam, is rapidly gaining strength as a trend, and is also seen as a key measure for the country to innovate sustainable growth paradigms and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Canada is committed to supporting and promoting sustainable development and resilience in the region and Vietnam, said its Climate Change Ambassador Catherine Stewart.
The elongated tortoise is one of the most beautiful and rare terrestrial tortoise species, listed in both the Vietnam Red Data Book and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. It typically inhabits tropical and subtropical forests and plays an important role in maintaining ecological balance. However, due to illegal trade and habitat loss, its wild population has been declining sharply.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded technical cooperation project on drainage management for climate resilience in Can Tho aims to improve planning capacity for wastewater collection, enhance operations and management of existing treatment plants, and the city’s ability to run public awareness campaigns.
A series of environmental and marine-related events to held in the central province of Nghe An from June 4-6 will generate a broad social impact, helping transform awareness into action and commitments into concrete results, and contributing to Vietnam’s goals of green growth, circular economy development, net-zero emissions and harmonious coexistence between people and nature.
According to marine experts, the repeated appearance of dolphins near the shore of Cai Chien Island is a positive sign that the local marine environment is well protected.
According to the Department of Forestry and Forest Protection, as of May 12, more than 1,350 communes and wards nationwide were under the highest forest fire warning of Level 5, while 294 others at Level 4.
To support conservation efforts, the national park has invested in a comprehensive system of breeding enclosures, quarantine areas, reproductive research facilities, wastewater treatment systems and surveillance cameras.
The climate resilience and sustainable infrastructure project in Lang Son consists of two main components, focusing on sustainable infrastructure and environmental improvement; and technical assistance and capacity building, with AFD experts expected to train project management officials and local agencies in disaster response and climate adaptation.
Beyond helping Hai Phong tackle environmental issues, Eco Hopia's primary objective is to transfer advanced technologies to Vietnam, enabling local partners to master them and contribute to the sustainable development of the country's agricultural sector.
The number and activity of tropical cyclones and depressions over the East Sea, internationally known as the South China Sea, and their direct impacts on mainland Vietnam are expected to be comparable to the multi-year average. The long-term average over the East Sea is 5.2 typhoons, with 1.9 making landfall.
Launched in 2021 with funding from the Norwegian people through WWF-Norway and WWF-Vietnam, the “Hue – Plastic Smart City in Central Vietnam” project aims to help Hue protect rivers, wetlands and coastal ecosystems from plastic pollution while building the city into a model plastic-reduced urban area in central Vietnam.
The Bac Lieu Forest Protection Unit under the provincial Forest Protection Sub-Department said that it had completed procedures to transfer and release the animal into its natural habitat.
Initiatives on biodiversity finance, carbon credits, public – private partnerships, nature-based tourism, and private sector investment are creating more opportunities to increase resources for ecosystem conservation and restoration, said an official.
Vietnam has established a network of 180 terrestrial and marine nature reserve covering more than 2.67 million hectares. These sites are being further strengthened to improve ecological connectivity, restore habitats and conserve endangered species. Forest cover remains stable at over 42%, contributing to water protection, climate adaptation and carbon absorption.
The animals included two masked palm civets, four stump-tailed macaques, and seven rhesus macaques. All belong to Group IIB under Circular No. 85/2025/TT-BNNMT issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment on the management of endangered, precious and rare species, as well as the implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The animal was identified as a clouded monitor (Varanus nebulosus), weighing approximately two kilograms and measuring around 70 centimetres in length. The species belongs to Group IB — a category of endangered and rare forest wildlife species given the highest level of protection in Vietnam, with all forms of commercial exploitation and use strictly prohibited.
The stump-tailed macaque, scientifically known as Macaca arctoides, is classified as a rare and endangered species under Group IIB in Vietnam’s regulations on endangered wildlife management.
Ho Chi Minh City aims to push urban green coverage above 1 sq.m per person by 2030, while stepping up greenhouse gas reduction initiatives on the way to Net Zero by 2050.
Designed to process 2,000 tonnes of waste per day and generate 45MW of electricity for the national grid, the project is the first high-tech waste-to-energy plant in southwestern Hanoi, where large-scale solid waste treatment facilities have long been lacking.
The figure includes losses of 6.7 billion VND in Cao Bang province and 3.5 billion VND in Dak Lak province, while Quang Ninh and Thanh Hoa provinces have yet to report estimated damages.
The three turtles, each weighing around 1.5 kilogrammes with shells measuring about 25 centimetres long and 20 centimetres wide, are green sea turtles. They were accidentally caught in fishing nets and found drifting at sea near Con Co waters on May 16 by fisherman Bui Dinh Thuy in Cua Viet commune during a fishing trip.