During the thematic session "Building Circular Business Ecosystem: Lessons Learned from Vietnam and Countries in the Global South" at the World Circular Economy Forum 2026, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lam Giang, Director General of the Department of Science, Technology and Digital Transformation at the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam (MOIT), addressed delegates attending in Gandhinagar (India) and online participants worldwide.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lam Giang, Director General of the Department of Science, Technology and Digital Transformation at the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam
Circular Transition - A Core Pillar for SDGs
Opening her speech, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lam Giang highlighted:
"The transition from a linear to a circular economy is taking place robustly, becoming a key pillar in achieving Sustainable Development Goals. For developing nations, including Vietnam, this journey opens up new opportunities alongside significant challenges, especially in the context of deep international integration."
While acknowledging the proactive efforts of Vietnamese enterprises, she noted that key export-oriented manufacturing sectors still face difficulties in aligning with stringent global circularity and sustainability standards.
Policy Frameworks and International Synergies To empower businesses, the Vietnamese Government and MOIT have established comprehensive policy mechanisms:
Issuance of MOIT’s Action Plan for Circular Economy implementation up to 2035.
Implementation of the National Action Plan on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP 2021-2030), National Energy Efficiency Program (2019-2030), and Smart Manufacturing policies.
Execution of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between MOIT Vietnam, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and UNDP, focusing on: (i) Capacity building; (ii) Developing technical guidelines; (iii) Supporting enterprise-level circular model adoption.
Future Strategic Priorities Moving forward, MOIT prioritizes three main lines of action:
Perfecting regulations and technical standards for the circular economy.
Scaling up circular production practices backed by technological innovation, renewable material markets, and eco-labeling.
Strengthening integrated ecosystem linkages across industrial value chains.
EEI’s Role in Advancing Circular Economy With over 23 years of consulting experience, the Environment and Ecology Institute (EEI) remains a key partner supporting MOIT, UNDP, and international donors. EEI has directly spearheaded projects on developing guidelines, standards, and investable business models for SCP and Circular Economy, directly contributing to Vietnam's sustainable development vision.
Watch the full video recording of Ms. Nguyen Thi Lam Giang's speech below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SI90Ygy9vC_mcxXmEQqa49wRbYH9QCjm/view
Fulfilling its member obligations under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and the Kigali Amendment, Viet Nam is steadily strengthening the lifecycle management of controlled substances, including refrigerants. Alongside this process, the application of digital technologies plays a vital role in enhancing the efficiency of data collection, management, and aggregation to support legal compliance and state governance.
Recently, the Department of Climate Change, in coordination with the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), has been researching and testing an electronic solution to support the tracking, management, and reporting of refrigerants.
The RefNEXT electronic application, designed by the Overseas Environmental Cooperation Center (OECC) under the commission of the CCAC, serves as the pilot tool within the framework of this cooperative initiative.
RefNEXT provides advanced capabilities:
Online tracking and management of controlled substances and equipment containing them.
Assistance for organizations and businesses in systematically compiling information to fulfill mandatory reporting obligations under current regulations.
The Department of Climate Change cordially invites interested organizations and enterprises—particularly entities subject to reporting obligations regarding the use of controlled substances under Decree No. 06/2022/NĐ-CP, as amended and supplemented by Decree No. 119/2025/NĐ-CP and Decree No. 83/2026/NĐ-CP—to register for the pilot program.
Participation Form: Voluntary.
Benefits: Free utilization of the RefNEXT tool for two (02) years from the date of registration, coupled with comprehensive technical support throughout the operational phase.
Target Sectors Encouraged to Join: Production, import, and distribution of refrigerants and equipment; air conditioning and refrigeration sectors; installation, maintenance, and repair services; cold storage and cold chains; commercial buildings and facilities utilizing refrigeration equipment.
Insights and feedback gathered from the pilot phase will provide crucial practical data for regulatory bodies to research and refine digital technology solutions in future refrigerant management.
RefNEXT Pilot Registration and Access: https://refnext-vn.genbanext.com/login
Technical Support and Inquiries:
Department of Climate Change - Ministry of Agriculture and Environment
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Mr. Makoto Kato / Ms. Nobuko Kanno)
Source Citation: Official information provided by the Department of Climate Change in collaboration with technical cooperation documents from the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the Overseas Environmental Cooperation Center (OECC).
Within the framework under the Viet Nam Scaling Up Energy Efficiency Project (VSUEE), the EEI & SIHUB Consulting Consortium successfully organized two international study tours to strengthen the capacity of state energy management agencies.
Field visit to a designated energy-using facility – Century Engineering Company (South Korea)
Speech at Century Engineering Company (South Korea)
The delegation taking a souvenir photo during the field visit to Century Engineering Company (South Korea)
Field visit to Yonwoo Company – A designated energy-using facility (South Korea)
Energy-using equipment system at Yonwoo Company – South Korea
Speech at Yonwoo Company – South Korea
Key engagements with the Korea Energy Agency (KEA), Korea Industrial Complex Corporation (KICOX) and Korea ESCO Association (KAESCO) focused on carbon-neutral industrial complexes, Factory Energy Management Systems (FEMS), Smart Energy Platforms (SEP), and ESCO market development, complemented by site visits to Century Engineering and Yonwoo.
VSUEE delegation and representatives of the Energy Commission of Malaysia (ST) in Putrajaya, Malaysia
VSUEE delegation during a working session with representatives of the Energy Commission of Malaysia (ST) in Putrajaya, Malaysia.
VSUEE delegation during a working session with representatives of the Energy Commission of Malaysia (ST) in Putrajaya, Malaysia.
Field visit to a designated energy-using unit - Ajinomoto Factory (Malaysia)
VSUEE delegation during a field visit to a designated energy-using unit at Ajinomoto Factory in Malaysia, exploring energy efficiency practices in industrial operations
Exploring energy efficiency practices in industrial operations
Working sessions with Suruhanjaya Tenaga (ST), MAESCO and the Malaysia Green Building Council (MGBC) covered the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act (EECA), Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS), market surveillance mechanisms, green building certification and financing models, with technical visits to the Ajinomoto green factory and Novaco.
Practical insights on legal frameworks, designated energy user management, financial instruments and digital energy platforms will support the refinement of Vietnam’s EE policies and the acceleration of the National Programme on Energy Efficiency and Conservation toward the Net-Zero 2050 target. As the consortium lead, EEI was responsible for overall organization, technical coordination and reporting, and continues to provide technical support for policy development and capacity building under the VSUEE Project.
(TBTCO) - Sáng 29/6, Bộ Tài chính phối hợp với Bộ Nông nghiệp và Môi trường cùng các cơ quan, đơn vị liên quan tổ chức Lễ khai trương Sàn giao dịch các-bon trong nước. Sự kiện đánh dấu lần đầu tiên Việt Nam xác định giá các-bon, biến quyền phát thải hoặc kết quả giảm phát thải thành loại hàng hóa có giá trị kinh tế. Sàn giao dịch các-bon trong nước sẽ là nơi trao đổi, giao dịch tập trung các loại hàng hóa này trên nguyên tắc công bằng, công khai, minh bạch.
Thúc đẩy kinh tế tuần hoàn và tiêu dùng bền vững được xem là hướng đi quan trọng giúp Việt Nam sử dụng hiệu quả tài nguyên, đạt mục tiêu tăng trưởng xanh.
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