The USD 2 million emergency grant underscores ADB’s commitment to supporting Viet Nam in disaster response and assisting central provinces hit hard by recent storms and floods in overcoming difficulties.
On December 5 in Ha Noi, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep received Mr. Shantanu Chakraborty, ADB Country Director for Viet Nam.
During the meeting, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep received ADB’s official letter confirming the emergency assistance. The grant is financed through the Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund (APDRF) to help restore the livelihoods of communities severely affected by floods in central Viet Nam.
Speaking at the meeting, the Ministry’s leadership expressed appreciation for ADB’s timely support, emphasizing that this emergency assistance is particularly significant as it will help disaster-affected communities recover and stabilize their lives more quickly.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep affirmed that Viet Nam has recorded estimated damages totaling VND 99.1 trillion this year—placing 2025 among the years most severely impacted by storms and floods. The Government is making a concerted effort to address disaster consequences, with the aim of fully repairing all damaged or unroofed houses and restoring heavily collapsed homes.
The grant is expected to be used to construct and repair houses for families whose homes collapsed or were severely damaged by natural disasters, in line with the spirit of the Government’s rapidly deployed “Quang Trung rapid action campaign.”
In response, Mr. Shantanu Chakraborty, ADB Country Director for Viet Nam, extended his deepest condolences to communities affected by recent disasters. He affirmed that the emergency support from the APDRF reflects ADB’s strong and continued partnership with Viet Nam in disaster response and post-flood recovery.
“ADB looks forward to working with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to ensure that this year’s assistance will deliver results comparable to—or even greater than—the support provided after Typhoon Yagi. Previously, aid for Typhoon Yagi reached nearly 15,000 people, helping stabilize their lives,” Mr. Chakraborty said.
ADB reiterated its desire not only to provide emergency relief but also to participate in livelihood recovery programs and investments in disaster-resilient infrastructure.
In the coming period, necessary procedures for approving the assistance will be completed between the relevant Vietnamese agencies and ADB. The implementation period for the grant will be six months from the date of signing.
The Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund (APDRF) provides rapid-disbursement grants to developing member countries to support affected populations immediately after major natural disasters.
As the Viet Nam–United Kingdom Comprehensive Partnership continues to be strengthened, cooperation in climate change response, green transition, and sustainable development has been identified by both sides as a key priority, contributing to the shared goals of Net-Zero emissions and sustainable growth.
At a working session with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland to Viet Nam on December 15, the Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang expressed appreciation for the Swiss Government’s proposal on cooperation in carbon credit exchange under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. He emphasized that international carbon credit exchange would support countries in fulfilling their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) while working toward the shared goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
On December 12, during a meeting with Mr. Tsutomu Takebe, Special Advisor to the Japan–Viet Nam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance and former Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang affirmed that high-quality human resource development is a key pillar for elevating agricultural cooperation between Viet Nam and Japan. In a context where the two countries demonstrate clear complementarities in labor and technology, cooperation in education and training linked with practical experience and entrepreneurship has been identified as a strategic direction.
On December 9, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep received Mr. Lee Choong Yun, Vice Chairman of S-TEC SYSTEM Co., Ltd., to officially receive a donation of VND 2 billion to support residents of Dak Lak province in recovering from recent natural disasters. This contribution represents timely and heartfelt solidarity from the enterprise towards the affected communities.
On November 26 in Hanoi, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Le Cong Thanh met with a delegation from the EU–ASEAN Business Council (EU-ABC) and the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham). The dialogue took place as Vietnam accelerates its green transition and strengthens its legal framework for sustainable development—creating new space for European businesses to expand cooperation in circular economy initiatives, carbon markets, recycling, and smart agriculture.
