Vietnam turns climate change challenge into opportunity by 4.0 tech

Vietnam to switch challenge about climate change into opportunity thanks to 4.0 industrial revolution

This was announced by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the conference on evaluating the implementation of Resolution No.120/NQ-CP on the Sustainable and Climate Resilient Development of the Mekong Delta organised in Ho Chi Minh City on June 18.

According to the prime minister, the consequences of climate change are not as serious as the lack of awareness among the general populace as well as the inactivity of enterprises to deal with the problem.

Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta play an important role in linking southern Vietnamese regions while simultaneously contributing to 60 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the whole country. Thus, the country’s growth will be heavily impacted if the impacts of climate change are not mitigated.

However, the prime minister also said, “The life of 20 million residents in the Mekong Delta are threatened by climate change. However, if they manage to overcome this challenge, it will open opportunities for strong growth.”

In order to adapt to climate change, PM Phuc set the motto “The government promotes, enterprises implement, people respond”. Accordingly, the government will be in charge of training human resources, enterprises will join the implementation of specific investment projects to spread awareness among the people.

In the framework of the conference, delegations also discussed the management of water resources, flooding, saltwater intrusion, and response to landslides in the Mekong Delta region, and looked for solutions to restructure the agricultural sector in response to climate change in the region.

Another important mission raised at the conference was the development of the transport system, infrastructure, and housing in favour of sustainable growth.

Furthermore, the prime minister discussed the planning work, regional co-ordination mechanism, and investment attraction in the Mekong Delta Region presided by the Ministry of Planning and Investment in co-operation with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, other ministries, some localities, and development partners.

The prime minister assigned Ho Chi Minh City as the leader in connecting cities and provinces in the Mekong Delta region to implement solutions together.

The government issued Resolution No.120/NQ-CP dated November 17, 2017 on Sustainable and Climate Resilient Development of the Mekong Delta in response to climate change.