​On October 29 in Ha Noi, Minister of Industry and Trade Le Manh Hung and Minister of Agriculture and Environment Trinh Viet Hung co-chaired a conference to discuss coordination in state management.

Representing the Ministry of Industry and Trade were Le Manh Hung, Member of the Party Central Committee and Minister of Industry and Trade; Deputy Ministers Truong Thanh Hoai and Nguyen Viet Son; and leaders of the Ministry’s units, including the Electricity Authority of Viet Nam, the Industrial Safety Techniques and Environment Agency, the Viet Nam Department of Geology and Minerals, the Department of Oil, Gas and Coal, the Agency of Foreign Trade, the Ministry’s Office, Viet Nam Electricity (EVN) and the National Power System and Market Operator (NSMO).

Representing the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment were Trinh Viet Hung, Member of the Party Central Committee and Minister of Agriculture and Environment; Deputy Ministers Le Trong Yen, Vo Van Hung and Nguyen Hoang Hiep; and representatives of specialized units, including the Department of Environment, the Department of Water Resources, the Viet Nam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority, the Viet Nam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration, the Viet Nam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority, the Ministry’s Office and other relevant agencies.ư

Proposed areas of coordination between the two ministries

In his opening remarks, Minister of Industry and Trade Le Manh Hung emphasized that the two ministries have closely interconnected responsibilities across various areas of the economy. The conference provided an opportunity for the two ministers to reach agreement on key policy directions, creating a basis for their specialized agencies and operational units to coordinate in carrying out state management responsibilities.

The Minister outlined three key areas for discussion: first, the energy sector; second, state management of environmental issues; and third, coordination in import-export activities and foreign trade management. He also expressed his appreciation for the close and effective cooperation provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment in recent years.

“I am confident that, with this spirit of cooperation, the two ministries will continue to maintain close coordination and a unified approach in fulfilling their assigned responsibilities,” Minister Le Manh Hung said.

At the meeting, leaders of relevant units under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment also discussed and clarified the issues raised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

In particular, representatives of NSMO presented an overview of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s proposals, which focused on three groups of issues.

The first concerned the electricity sector, including the regulation of interconnected reservoirs, water supply requirements for downstream areas, and the maintenance of minimum water flows in connection with electricity supply security. It also covered regulations on the temperature of cooling wastewater and the roadmap for upgrading emissions treatment equipment at power plants.

The second involved plans to rearrange and handle office premises and land assets belonging to geological and mineral agencies in Ho Chi Minh City.

The third concerned import-export management, including rice exports, the administration of tariff quotas for sugar and salt, and a review of the list of scrap materials permitted for import as production inputs.

Directions from the two ministers

Speaking at the meeting, Minister of Agriculture and Environment Trinh Viet Hung emphasized that many of the issues raised by the two ministries were “not difficult” and could be resolved soon. He called on the two sides to coordinate closely and reach agreement on solutions to outstanding issues.

Concluding the meeting, Minister of Industry and Trade Le Manh Hung expressed broad agreement with the proposals put forward by Minister Trinh Viet Hung.

The two ministries agreed in principle to strengthen coordination and assign relevant departments, agencies and units to serve as focal points for exchanging information and addressing the issues raised.