Vietnam is facing a rapidly growing volume of construction and demolition waste, raising questions over how much valuable material is being discarded instead of recovered for reuse.

Construction waste now accounts for an estimated 10-12% of total urban solid waste, which stands at around 60,000 tonnes a day. In major cities, the proportion can reach 20-25%.

The figures were presented by Associate Professor Van Viet Thien An, head of the Faculty of Building Materials at Hanoi University of Civil Engineering, at the “Green building materials – a trend for sustainable development” conference organized by Bao Xay dung.

Huge potential remains untapped

The growth over the past 15 years has been striking.

Vietnam generated around 1.9 million tonnes of construction waste in 2010. By 2025, the figure had climbed to nearly 9.6 million tonnes - a fivefold increase.

Concrete, bricks, mortar, soil and sludge make up between 70% and 90% of the waste. Many of these materials have significant recycling potential and could be returned to the construction sector rather than simply discarded.

According to An, making use of waste from demolished buildings is an important way to improve resource efficiency, reduce emissions and support sustainable development.

In practice, however, Vietnam still faces significant obstacles in recycling and reusing construction waste.

One of the biggest is inconsistent quality in recycled materials because there is no effective system for sorting waste at source. Different types of waste are commonly mixed together, complicating treatment and reducing the value of materials that might otherwise be recovered.

Transportation and processing costs are also high, while technical standards and regulations remain fragmented.

Together, these factors have made businesses hesitant to invest and left the market unconvinced about recycled construction materials.

Consumers also continue to favor conventional materials. Production technologies remain limited, effective economic incentives are lacking and coordination among stakeholders is still insufficient.

Green materials become a necessity

As Vietnam confronts climate change, green building materials are increasingly becoming a necessity rather than an alternative.

Their benefits go beyond conserving natural resources. Green materials can also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve buildings’ resilience to changing environmental conditions.

Experts say Vietnam needs to complete its system of standards and technical regulations while introducing incentives that could include tax measures and requirements governing the proportion of recycled materials used in construction projects.

Economic instruments such as natural resource and carbon taxes should also be considered to discourage reliance on conventional materials that consume large quantities of natural resources.

The government, meanwhile, needs to strengthen enforcement, help companies invest in technology and develop sorting systems and supply chains for recycled materials.

Greater adoption of circular economy models and stronger public awareness will also be important.

On the technological side, experts have proposed alternatives including the use of saline sand combined with fly ash, seawater and glass fiber-reinforced polymer, or GFRP, in coastal construction.

Such solutions could reduce the extraction of natural sand while creating another productive use for industrial waste.

Businesses are also beginning to respond to the broader shift toward greener construction.

Duong Ngoc Muoi, head of Sales Department No. 1 at Japan’s Gantan, said climate change is putting increasing pressure on buildings, particularly roofing systems that are directly exposed to environmental conditions.

That pressure, he said, was behind Gantan’s decision to introduce disaster-resistant roofing technology to the Vietnamese market.

Greening the building materials industry is urgent

Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Van Sinh said Vietnam’s transition toward a green, low-carbon growth model means the construction sector itself must undergo a profound and comprehensive transformation.

“Greening the building materials industry is not merely a trend, but an urgent requirement,” he said.

Vietnam has introduced a range of policies in recent years to encourage green materials, including non-fired building products, recycled materials and energy-efficient materials.

The country currently has around 2,900 facilities producing non-fired building materials, with a combined designed capacity equivalent to approximately 12.4 billion standard bricks a year.

Such products reduce the use of clay, conserve natural resources, cut fossil fuel consumption and help limit greenhouse gas emissions.

The reuse of ash, slag and gypsum generated by industrial activities is also contributing to the development of a circular economy.

Yet significant barriers remain.

High investment costs, limited market readiness, incomplete standards and insufficient support mechanisms continue to slow the transition.

Sinh said the Ministry of Construction is working to further improve the relevant legal framework, including a new decree on the management of building materials to replace Decree No. 09/2021 and a circular governing the quality of building material products and goods to replace Circular No. 10/2024.

One significant element of the draft replacement decree is the development of a framework for managing and developing building materials in connection with the green and digital transitions, the circular economy, resource and energy conservation, emissions reductions and more effective state management.

More importantly, Vietnam’s transition to greener construction cannot depend on isolated efforts.

It will require close cooperation among government agencies, scientists, businesses and consumers if millions of tonnes of material currently treated as waste are to become a resource for the construction industry instead.