Japan’s green brush to paint eco picture

Building a green economy is now Vietnam’s top priority

Co-organised by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Business Council for Sustainable Development and Japan Economic Times, the “Global environment business - Environment Technology Cooperation between Vietnam and Japan” centred a range of big Japanese enterprises.

Those firms are operating in Vietnam in fields related to environment protection and sustainable development.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said climate change was one of the top global priorities, especially for Vietnam, which was among the most vulnerable countries to climate change.

“Vietnam has gained remarkable economic development achievements, however urbanisation and modernisation are challenging the environment,” Hai said.

The deputy premier highlighted environment impacts made by energy development projects and said the participation of Japanese investors in building a nuclear power plant in Vietnam was an important step toward reducing waste emissions.

Japanese ambassador to Vietnam Tanizaki Yasuaki believed that there was a lot of room for cooperation between Vietnam and Japan in promoting and transferring green and environment friendly technologies.

“I am sure that Vietnam could learn from Japan because we have cutting-edge energy saving and alternative-energy technologies which play an important role in sustainable development and environment protection,” Yasuaki said.

Japanese enterprises, Yasuaki added, would actively cooperate with Vietnamese enterprises in curbing climate change in different aspects such as transferring technologies and know-hows, human resource training and financial support.

According to Mizobuchi Hiroaki, chief director of New Business Promotion in Sumitomo Corporation, in the next 10 years the trend to build a less carbon society would dominate.

This change, Hiroaki said, would create much more opportunity in doing business for enterprises.

Sumitomo is one of the leading environmental oriented enterprises in Vietnam, with outstanding projects being the Phu My 2.2 power plant, Thang Long Industrial Park and Thang Long Industrial Park II.