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.
On December 15, Minister Tran Duc Thang met with Mr. Iain Frew, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom to Viet Nam. The meeting took place against the backdrop of the two countries officially upgrading their relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership during General Secretary To Lam’s visit to the United Kingdom in October 2025, reflecting growing political trust and a long-term strategic vision between the two nations.
Strengthening climate adaptation and green transition efforts
At the meeting, Minister Tran Duc Thang expressed his appreciation for the timely support provided by the UK Government to Viet Nam in response to the recent floods, while also acknowledging the active coordination of the British Embassy in Viet Nam within the framework of the Disaster Risk Reduction Partnership.
The Minister noted that Viet Nam is among the countries most severely affected by climate change. In the central region, natural disasters have caused serious human and economic losses, with hundreds of fatalities and total damages exceeding VND 100 trillion. In this context, Viet Nam has identified climate change response, emissions reduction, and the development of circular, low-emission agriculture as strategic priorities, which require close cooperation with experienced and capable partners such as the United Kingdom.
The leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment emphasized the growing importance of international cooperation. The meeting provided an opportunity for both sides to exchange information, share perspectives, and explore joint solutions to pressing environmental challenges, while drawing on the United Kingdom’s experience in designing and implementing green policies—from strategic planning and governance to the application of advanced technologies—in ways that can be adapted to Viet Nam’s practical conditions.
Ambassador Iain Frew observed that Viet Nam–UK relations have been steadily strengthened over the past 50 years and are now entering a new phase of development built on a solid political foundation. In the face of increasingly severe natural disasters, including serious flooding, a rising number of storms, and heavy losses caused by extreme weather events, the Ambassador affirmed the UK Government’s strong commitment to supporting Viet Nam in enhancing its capacity for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
According to the Ambassador, bilateral cooperation has expanded significantly in recent years, particularly in green transition programs, sustainable agricultural development, and technical assistance through international organizations such as UNICEF. The United Kingdom values a multilateral, community-centered approach as a critical factor in improving disaster risk reduction and strengthening preparedness for the future.
Mr. Iain Frew reaffirmed the UK’s readiness to work closely with Viet Nam on new initiatives in low-carbon agriculture, contributing to the achievement of net-zero targets while ensuring sustainable livelihoods for local communities.
Boosting bilateral agricultural trade
In the field of trade and economic cooperation, Minister Tran Duc Thang noted the positive progress recorded in agricultural cooperation and trade in agro-forestry-fishery products. The United Kingdom is currently Viet Nam’s third-largest trading partner in Europe. Viet Nam’s exports of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products to the UK market have grown steadily in recent years, demonstrating the country’s strong capacity to meet high standards in quality, safety, and sustainability. The Minister emphasized that the two countries’ goods are largely complementary rather than directly competitive, creating substantial room for expanded cooperation.
Ambassador Frew welcomed the strong growth potential of bilateral agricultural trade and expressed his satisfaction at the increasing presence of Vietnamese products in the UK market. In 2024, bilateral trade turnover reached USD 8.424 billion, representing an 18 percent increase compared to 2023.
Conversely, UK enterprises have gradually expanded their access to the Vietnamese market, particularly in sectors such as seafood, beef, and lamb. Both sides agreed to continue close coordination across multiple areas to facilitate bilateral trade in line with its full potential.
Beyond agriculture, the two sides also showed strong interest in emerging areas of cooperation, including strategic minerals, the marine economy, and renewable energy, which are seen as promising pillars for long-term bilateral partnership. Minister Tran Duc Thang stated that Viet Nam possesses a range of critical mineral resources and has completed surveys and quality assessments of its mineral deposits. The country is ready to cooperate with capable and responsible UK enterprises in efficient extraction and processing, ensuring mutual benefits and sustainable development.
In addition, with a maritime area three times larger than its land area, Viet Nam has significant potential to develop a modern marine economy. Offshore wind power, marine aquaculture, and sustainable exploitation of marine resources have been identified as priority directions. The Minister underscored Viet Nam’s offshore wind potential and expressed his hope that the United Kingdom, with its advanced experience and technologies, would further facilitate connections and introduce enterprises interested in research, investment, and long-term cooperation.
From the UK side, Ambassador Iain Frew noted that British businesses highly value Viet Nam’s reform efforts and development orientations, while emphasizing the importance of a clear and stable legal framework to provide a solid foundation for long-term investment plans. According to the Ambassador, in areas related to the marine economy and offshore renewable energy, the two countries share many similarities and complementary strengths, creating favorable conditions for promoting substantive cooperation amid the global energy transition.
The exchange between the leadership of Viet Nam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom to Viet Nam is expected to further operationalize the Comprehensive Partnership through practical cooperation programs, making meaningful contributions to sustainable development, effective climate change response, and improved livelihoods for the people of both countries.
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.
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 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.
