Vietnam Sustainable Urban Development Forum 2023 hosted by Ministry of Construction was organized on 8th of November in Hanoi, on the occasion of Vietnam Urban Day. With the theme “Sustainable urban management and development in Vietnam to 2023, with a vision to 2045”, the event features a plenary session and three conference sessions.

The plenary session is an openned and multi-aspect one, brought about the updated trend of smart city development worldwide and in Vietnam, also resolve the bottlenecks to reinforce the role of private sector in smart urban construction and encourage the application of innovations, high technology in urban development.

Three conference sessions focus on topics: Urban planning towards sustainable urban development; digital transformation in urban development management Vietnam; and sustainable, environmentally friendly and climate-resilient urban development 

“Vietnam Sustainable Urban Development Forum 2023 is an opportunity for provincial leaders, managers, experts, concerned organizations, and communities to share important practical lessons to make proposals, orientations and practices to realize prioritized tasks of the Resolution 06-NQ/TW and Resolution 148 of the Government’ Program of Action for implementing Resolution No. 06-NQ/TW for development of Vietnamese in the new period” - said Minister of Construction Nguyen Thanh Nghi.

Mr. Hervé Conan, Country Director of the French Development Agency (AFD) in Vietnam, affirmed continued support and dialogue with the Central Economic Committee and the Ministry of Construction in implementing the Political Bureau’s Resolution 06-NQ/TW, at the same time, provides technical support to the Urban Development Agency (Ministry of Construction) on tools to measure urban resilience, urban recovery and green growth. This is state management work to evaluate the implementation of urban areas in enhancing resilience and green growth. These two strategic areas serving the future of urban areas will likely be mentioned in the amended Law on Urban Planning currently being prepared by the Ministry of Construction.

Mr. Hervé Conan, Country Director of the French Development Agency (AFD) in Vietnam spoke at the plenary session of the Vietnam Sustainable Urban Development Forum 2023

At the conference session “Sustainable, environmentally friendly and climate-resilient urban development”, Ms Kristina Buende, Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam re-affirmed that climate change adaptation of cities in Vietnam is a complex and urgent task that requires collective action, integrated urban perspectives, and tailored solutions. “The challenges ahead are significant, but rest assure we will remain committed to support Vietnam along this journey to pave the way forward towards sustainable, prosperous, and climate-resilient cities. Let us work together to address these challenges and secure a better future for all.”

Ms Kristina Buende, Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam delivered a remark at the conference session “Sustainable, environmentally friendly and climate-resilient urban development”

Ms. Kristina further shared: To support Vietnam's ecological transformation and fight against climate change, the EU has created a facility called the WARM facility (Water and Natural Resources Management). Through this facility, EU together with the AFD, in coordination with Vietnamese authorities, mobilize grant and loan funding to support the preparation and implementation of strategic infrastructure investment projects to enhance Vietnam's resilience to climate change. The projects carried out through the WARM facility as well as Climate-Resilient Urban Infrastructure project in north-centre Vietnam (CRUIV) provide valuable insights into urban development practices and their evolution in response to climate change. Sharing these experiences and lessons learned contributes to discussions on climate, environment, and resource management in Vietnam. This exchange of knowledge allows us to identify innovations and best practices that can be implemented to enhance Vietnam's response to climate change.

Mr. Hervé Conan, Country Director of AFD, Ms Kristina Buende, Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the EU to Vietnam, Mr. Nguyen Duc Hien, Deputy head of the Central Economic Commission

The Central Economic Commission, in coordination with the Ministry of Construction and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), has organized a series of seminars on urban planning and development. The first national seminar was held on 07 th of March 2023 in Hanoi and was followed by three workshops in Son La, Quang Tri and Hau Giang respectively on July 11th, 14th and 18th 2023. Those three workshops have focused on specific climate risks for provinces in the northern mountainous regions, the central coast and the Mekong Delta, and integrating disaster risks and climate change impact considerations into urban planning and development.

The series of seminar brought together participants coming from more than 40 People’s Committees and local public servants participating in the workshops were provided with tools and guidance to better understand the link between disaster risk management, climate change response and urban planning in the context of rapid economic growth; as well as European case studies and good practices.

Recommendations based on the results of the series of seminars on Sustainable Urban Planning and Development co-organized by the Central Economic Commission, in coordination with the Ministry of Construction and the AFD, as well as AFD’s experience in implementing projects in various Vietnamese cities since 1994 are: Adjust general national policy approaches to resilience to climate change; Make risk and vulnerability assessments with consideration of climate change impacts mandatory; Strengthen capacity of local departments in climate change adaptation; Update technical standards and regulations related to urban infrastructures and disaster management infrastructures; Entrust local development public operators with implementing complex and integrated projects; Improve coordination within and between Ministries; Developing measurement and progress follow-up tools.

A series of seminars on Sustainable Urban Planning and Development co-organized by the Central Economic Commission in Hanoi, Son La, Quang Tri and Hau Giang from March to July 2023, attracted 40 People’s Committees from provinces in the northern mountainous regions, the central coast and the Mekong Delta