As the global economy moves deeper into the Net Zero era, Viet Nam is emerging as one of Southeast Asia’s most ambitious countries in developing a large-scale carbon market. Beyond reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the strategy reflects a broader effort to restructure the economy toward a greener and more sustainable growth model while strengthening the country’s competitiveness in an era when carbon is increasingly becoming a new measure of value in international trade.

As the impacts of climate change become increasingly evident, extreme weather events are directly affecting livelihoods and agricultural production. In response, the Nghe An Provincial Agricultural Extension Center has implemented a range of measures to support farmers, strengthen adaptive capacity, and promote more sustainable agricultural production.

From low-emission rice farming to carbon finance, Quang Tri province is cultivating a new ecosystem in which rice becomes a green asset, contributing to Vietnam’s green growth strategy and its adaptation to climate change. Rice is not only a staple crop ensuring national food security but also a key driver of Vietnam’s strategy for green growth and climate resilience. Quang Tri is now piloting a project on rice-field carbon credits with promising early outcomes.

On October 15-16, a training course on “Enhancing press and media capacity for carbon neutrality” was held in Nghe An Province, gathering policymakers, experts, enterprises, and journalists. The event focused on sharing experiences, solutions, and strategies for Vietnam’s Net Zero commitments. Contributions from managers, specialists, and business representatives highlighted that achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 requires coordinated action across policy, agriculture, business, and media sectors.

Producing low-emission rice to generate carbon credits is not only an inevitable trend but also an opportunity for Thanh Hoa farmers to enhance the value of rice grains, increase their income, and contribute to Vietnam’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 under COP26. Recognizing this, Thanh Hoa Province has identified low-emission rice production and carbon credit generation as both a strategic necessity and a valuable opportunity — to raise the economic value of rice, improve farmers’ livelihoods, and advance the national net-zero target.

The Emission Reductions Payment Agreement (ERPA) for the North Central Region marks a major step in piloting and scaling forest carbon finance in Viet Nam. Beyond contributing to national emission-reduction goals, ERPA delivers socio-economic benefits to local people—especially communities whose livelihoods depend on forests.

With initial achievements from sustainable cooling cooperation in several pilot cities, Vietnam now has an important opportunity to mobilize green finance, reduce energy costs, and protect public health against increasingly severe heatwaves. At the meeting on “Reviewing cooperation on climate-friendly, energy-efficient cooling solutions to address extreme heat in urban areas of Vietnam,” held on 28 August by the Department of Climate Change (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), experts, policymakers, and development partners shared a wide range of practical perspectives. The discussions not only identified challenges but also offered policy, financial, and partnership options to help scale up sustainable cooling solutions nationwide.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is accelerating the finalization of the “2025-2030 low-emission crop production plan” to operationalize Vietnam’s roadmap toward achieving Net-Zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. The Plan focuses on transforming production models to reduce emissions, enhance resource efficiency, and improve the competitiveness of Vietnamese agricultural products in an increasingly green-conscious global market.

On May 19 in Hanoi, the international workshop “Assessing the role and potential of low-emission rice production systems in Vietnam” marked a significant milestone in the country’s efforts to promote sustainable rice production that aligns with climate adaptation and national emission reduction commitments. The event gathered leading experts, government officials, businesses, cooperatives, and development partners to foster multi-stakeholder collaboration and share solutions for a greener, more efficient rice industry.

On October 31, the 9th meeting of the Joint Committee for implementing the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) between Vietnam and Japan was held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE). Deputy Minister of MONRE Le Cong Thanh and Deputy Ambassador of Japan to Vietnam, Ishikawa Isamu, co-chaired the meeting.

On September 13, 2024, the Viet Nam Association For Safe Water and Environmental and the Magazine of Environment and Life, with the support of TH Group Joint Stock Company, organized the forum: "Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in livestock farming: Challenges and opportunities."

In an effort to understand the dynamics of the circular economy and the role of green finance in supporting sustainable business practices, we sat down with Richard Hoang Quan, a distinguished financial expert. As the Founder & Chairman of Aplus Fund and Amber Green Fund, Mr. Richard Hoang Quan has been at the forefront of advocating for sustainable and inclusive financial strategies. Below are the insights gathered from our comprehensive interview with him.

The World Bank has approved a $107 million loan to enhance the safety and efficiency of Vietnam's inland waterways, with a significant focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainable development. This funding aligns with Vietnam's broader goals of achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and integrating climate resilience into its infrastructure planning.

Recent reports have highlighted a significant rise in nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions, posing a substantial threat to global climate efforts. Nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO₂), is increasingly being emitted due to human activities, particularly in agriculture.

The European Union has officially approved a new law aimed at significantly reducing CO2 emissions from heavy-duty vehicles, including trucks and buses on May 13th.

Iceland has achieved a significant milestone in combating climate change with the inauguration of Mammoth, the world's largest carbon capture facility. Operated by Climeworks, the Swiss-based company known for its innovative carbon capture technology, Mammoth extracts carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and transforms it into stone, representing a monumental step forward in global efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the latest report from Ember, in 2023, strong growth in wind and solar energy drove the share of renewables in the global electricity mix above 30%, with total clean generation nearing 40%. As a result, the carbon intensity of the world’s electricity reached a new record low. However, clean sources were unable to meet all of the rise in demand. A record fall in hydropower exacerbated the shortfall, prompting an increase in fossil generation to bridge the gap. Consequently, total power sector emissions rose to a new record high.