CCG in Vietnam

Overview

CCG has been working with Vietnam since January 2022, as our fourth partner country. CCG’s academic and coordinating partners are based at the National Economics University (NEU), officially established in February 2023.

Vietnam has an ambitious 2050 net zero emissions target, and the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JET-P) mechanism which aims to mobilise $15.5 billion finance support, is designed to enable this 2050 target. The CCG programme is part of this JET-P portfolio, and as such, much of our work in Vietnam will be to support the planning and capacity building efforts aligned with achieving net zero.

Current Projects

There haven’t yet been any formal Special Interest Groups (SIGs) established. However, proposals and suggestions are under development and should be determined in early 2024.

There is an ongoing collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which is focused on developing a strategic decarbonisation pathway tool to analyse a vision for Vietnam’s low-emission transport sector. The tools being integrated include MAED and OSeMOSYS
A full list of CCG’s Energy Modelling Offer can be found here.

Vietnam CCG Network Activities

In November 2022, CCG team members visited Vietnam to strengthen and build collaborations with Vietnamese partners and better understand the research priorities that will enable Vietnam to realise its various ambitions. During the visit, we met with stakeholders from academia, government, utilities, international groups, and local think-tanks.

CCG with the British Embassy team in Hanoi during the November 2022 mission

In June 2023, members of CCG along with 149 stakeholders from across the energy, transport, and finance sector in Vietnam, gathered to begin collaboration discussions. The event welcomed 149 attendees from across academia, government, industry, and civil society to engage with presentations and group discussions on themes related to energy, transport systems, circular economy, and carbon market. These themes were selected as they overlap with CCG research areas of expertise and are priority areas for Vietnam.

*Some of the delegates of the inception seminar for the Viet Nam CCG Network.*

ANNUAL DIALOGUE OF THE VIETNAM CCG NETWORK – JULY 2024

On 9-10 July, 2024, the Faculty of Environment, Climate Change and Urban Areas at the National Economics University co-organized the Annual Dialogue of the Vietnam CCG Network.

The event was very well attended with more than 120 delegates from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Education and Training, representatives of many enterprises, universities, research institutes, and domestic and international scientists.

We were honoured to be joined by Ms Sara Hamid – Chief Energy Advisor for the Just Energy Transition Partnership in Vietnam (JETP) and Ms Le Thi Bich Ngoc – Energy Attaché from the British Embassy in Hanoi.

CCG was represented by Prof Yacob Mulugetta – Director of Partnerships & Head of CCG International Cooperation Group, with Dr Kirsty Mackinlay, Dr Naomi Tan, and Dr Pu Yang. National Co-ordinators from the Lao CCG Network – Prof Khamphone Nanthavong and Dr Sounthisack Phommachanh – also attended.

For the National Economics University, Associate Professor Dr Nguyen Thanh Hieu – Vice Rector; Professor Dr Do Thi Hai Ha – Rector of the School of Economics and Public Management; Professor Dr Dinh Duc Truong – Head of the Faculty of Environment, Climate Change and Urban Areas attended, alongside representatives of faculties and institutes from the whole university.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hieu paid tribute to the results that the Vietnam CCG Network has achieved so far; a total of five project proposals from Vietnam have been approved and are conducting research activities. A series of seminars, talks, direct and online consultation meetings have taken place to provide input information, connecting domestic and international experts. It is hoped that more research projects will be launched soon to provide evidence with which to support the policy development process in Vietnam. This will accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy, especially in key areas such as energy, transport, industrial processes, circular economy and the development of a carbon market.

Ms Sara Hamid (JETP Chief Energy Advisor) gave a speech expressing her thanks and impressions on her first visit to the National Economics University. She congratulated the CCG network for their achievements in the first year of cooperation. She emphasized that Vietnam’s journey towards net zero by 2050 will be complex, challenging and require long-term planning and investment.

The first day of the event continued with presentations from several colleagues: Dr Sounthisack Phommachanh presented “Opportunities and barriers to Laos’ green growth ambitions”. Mr Pham Nam Hung presented “Current regulations on greenhouse gas inventories, MRV and roadmap for carbon market development in Vietnam”. Dr Nguyen Linh Dan gave an “Update on energy policy in Vietnam and challenges”. Dr Tran Dai Nghia presented “Challenges in low-emission agricultural transition”. Dr Lai Van Manh presented “Green financial market towards net-zero target in Vietnam” and Dr Kirsty Mackinlay updated on the priority topics of the recently opened Flexible Research Fund (FRF) and called for proposals.

On the second day at the plenary sessions, the delegates heard presentations and updates from four projects implemented in Vietnam: “Low Carbon Economic Transition in Vietnam: Macroeconomic Impacts”; “Financial Model for Urban Electric Buses in Vietnam”; “Sustainable Cooling in Net Zero Emission Buildings in Vietnam”; “Material Flow Analysis in the Packaging Industry in Vietnam”. CCG experts also shared relevant research results: Dr Naomi Tan on “Modelling tools and roadmaps to facilitate decarbonization in Vietnam’s transport sector”; Dr Pu Yang on “Unlocking values beyond profit: Social returns when investing in the energy transition in Vietnam”. Representing the CCG Network Vietnam, Professor Dinh Duc Truong shared the topic “Theory of change and how to evaluate project impact”.

The event concluded with four parallel discussion sessions covering management agencies, enterprises, universities and research institutes, and non-governmental organizations and the public. In these sessions, delegates proposed potential projects in line with the priority topics of the Flexible Research Fund which was due to open later in the month.

Towards the end of 2024, CCG will have its first Energy Modelling Platform – Asian Pacific (EMP-APAC 2024) in Vietnam. The event will be hosted in collaboration with the Hanoi University of Science and Technology. Each year, CCG runs ‘Summer Schools’ to build practical knowledge of how to use various Energy Modelling tools that CCG offers such as OSeMOSYS, MAED and IRENA’s FlexTool.

The Vietnam CCG Team

Vietnam-based (National Economics University, Hanoi)

Assoc Prof Dinh Duc Truong is Dean of the Faculty of Environment, Climate Change and Urban Studies, NEU. Dr. Truong has 20+ years of teaching and research experience in the fields of Environmental and Climate Change Economics and Policy in Southeast Asian countries. Dr. Truong graduated with an MSc in Australia and has participated in academic exchange programs in Germany, the United States, the Netherlands and Korea. Currently, he is a member of the Technical Advisory Board on Climate Change of the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Vietnam.

Dr Nguyen Hoang Nam is a lecturer and a senior policy advisor, his research interests range across areas of judgment & decision making, ecosystem valuation, cost-benefit analysis, carbon markets and circular economy. Dr Nam provides related trainings to government officials and currently work as a policy advisor for the National Action Plan for Circular Economy Implementation. He has worked with projects funded by international agencies such as Australian Award, Asian Development Bank, USAID, the United Nations Development Programme and the International Foundation for Science. Dr. Nam also acts as coordinator for several national and international projects in Vietnam and in the Philippines.

Dr. Le Huy Huan graduated with a Ph.D. in Economic Management from National Economics University, Vietnam and is now a lecturer. Dr. Huan has more than 10 years of experience in key research areas including sustainable development, natural resources & environment management, agriculture and rural development, regional planning, and circular economy. He has also participated in many projects funded by international organizations such as UNDP, GIZ, FAO, and SNV.

Assoc Prof Nguyen Thanh Hieu has 25+ years of teaching experience at NEU, and many years in management positions such as Dean of Faculty of Business Administration (2013 – 2021) and Institute Head of International Training Institute (2021 – 2023). Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hieu is a member of the Party Committee and a member of the School Council. Assoc. He is an alumnus of Business Administration at National Economics University. He graduated in 2010 with a doctorate from East University. Anglia – UK, and has a master’s degree from UTCC Thailand in 2003

UK-based (Centre for Global Equality):
Dr Beth Tennyson elizabeth.tennyson@centreforglobalequality.org
Dr Kirsty Mackinlay kirsty.mackinlay@centreforglobalequality.org
Dr Lara Allen [profile]

Research

The research for Vietnam can be found on the CCG Research Index here.

Publications

https://zenodo.org/records/12799895 Modelling Transport Decarbonisation Pathways in Vietnam: Synergies and Trade-offs in Supporting the Energy Transition

Useful Links

The website for the National Economics University, Hanoi (NEU).

A YouTube Video giving a brief trailer for the Inception Seminar for the Vietnam CCG Network

A Facebook page hosted by the NEU for the Network