A legal foundation for green industry growth

On October 21, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), in coordination with the Vietnam Association for Environmental Industry, held a conference to announce the Program for the Development of Vietnam’s Environmental Industry for 2025-2030, approved under Decision No. 1894/QD-TTg dated September 4, 2025. The event was chaired by Deputy Minister Truong Thanh Hoai.

Attending the event were representatives from the Office of the Government, the Ministries of Finance, Science and Technology, Agriculture and Environment, and Construction, as well as leaders from industry associations and enterprises across the country.

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Minister Truong Thanh Hoai highlighted the crucial role of the environmental industry in addressing environmental challenges amid Vietnam’s industrial restructuring and modernization.

He stressed that Decision No. 1894/QD-TTg represents a major shift, providing a comprehensive legal framework to attract investment, mobilize resources, and engage ministries, localities, and the private sector in developing the environmental industry, ensuring environmental protection in a new phase of rapid economic growth.

The Deputy Minister recalled that the Party and the State have long prioritized environmental industry development, reflected in key policies such as Resolution No. 41-NQ/TW (2004) on forming and developing the environmental industry, Resolution No. 55-NQ/TW (2020) on national energy development, and the most recent Resolution No. 70-NQ/TW (2025) on national energy security, which continues to promote environmental industries linked with clean energy.

However, challenges persist, including limited investment resources, difficulties in enterprise financing, high technology costs, and underdeveloped waste treatment and recycling infrastructure. The market and business ecosystem for environmental services remain fragmented.

“The 2025-2030 Program is a milestone that not only creates a solid legal foundation but also injects new momentum into resource mobilization and investment attraction,” Deputy Minister Hoai affirmed. “It concretizes the Party and Government’s policies on green growth and circular economy, while establishing incentives to invest in recycling industrial parks and clusters, support technology transfer, and develop domestic environmental enterprises and markets.”

The Deputy Minister urged ministries, localities, and enterprises to closely coordinate with MoIT to implement the Program effectively and ensure it delivers tangible results.

Strengthening coordination for effective implementation

At the conference, Do Phuong Dung, Deputy Director General of the Department of Industrial Safety and Environment (MoIT), underlined that implementing the Program is a critical step toward improving the institutional framework, mobilizing resources, and drawing greater attention from stakeholders.

She noted that the Program aims to build the environmental industry into a distinct economic sector that plays an essential role in the national economy, ensuring self-reliance in technology, equipment, and environmental solutions, while contributing to green growth, circular economy development, and greenhouse gas reduction targets.

Pham Sinh Thanh, Head of the Environmental Industry Division under the MoIT, said the ministry is preparing an Action Plan to implement Decision No. 1894/QD-TTg, focusing on effective policy execution and active participation by corporations and enterprises across the industrial sector.

Funding sources for the Program will include state environmental funds, science and technology capital, green credit, and socialized investment.

During the event, representatives from associations and enterprises shared practical recommendations to ensure the Program’s effective rollout and alignment with Decision No. 1894/QD-TTg.

Concluding the conference, Pham Tuan Anh, Director General of the Department of Industrial Safety and Environment, affirmed that all feedback gathered would be valuable input for refining implementation plans. The MoIT, he said, will coordinate closely with relevant ministries and agencies to turn the environmental industry into a new growth engine for Vietnam’s sustainable development.

The conference also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on “Cooperation and Support for the Development of Vietnam’s Environmental Industry” among major associations, including the Vietnam Environmental Industry Association, the Vietnam Urban and Industrial Environment Association, the Vietnam Waste Recycling Association, the Vietnam Water and Environment Association, and the Vietnam Water Supply and Sewerage Association.