VietNamNet Bridge – Urbanisation in Viet Nam reached 15 per cent growth – a double increase over past two decades, making a 75 per share of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but it needs a big change in earning ‘green growth’ over the next period.

A corner of Tam Ky City in Quang Nam Province. The city was recognised as a second class urban area in the central region. VNS Photo Cong Thanh

Deputy minister of construction, Phan Thi My Linh said this at the opening ceremony of Viet Nam Forum on Urban Planning and Development toward Green Growth on Climate Change Resilience in the central province on Tuesday.

Linh said urban areas should give top priority and efforts to ‘green targets’, which requires capacity improvement of ‘green gas house’ reduction.

“The national urban system in Viet Nam has seen positive changes over the past 20 years with 800 urban areas. The rapid urbanisation has created new challenges in land use and planning, infrastructure, competitiveness and service among urban areas,” Linh said as she opened the conference.

“Viet Nam is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change and this is worsening the situation and creating new challenges for urbanisation,” said the deputy minister, who chairs the Co-ordination Committee of the Viet Nam Urban Forum.

"Urbanisation in Viet Nam needs to target ‘green growth’, and it asks for changes to the leadership’s awareness on low carbon industries and urban services as well as planning," she said.

Viet Nam encourages investment from the private sector in urban infrastructure and housing that meets ‘green growth’ standards.

The conference sent Viet Nam’s message in the Paris Agreement’s implementation that the country made global commitment and signed agreements in terms of sustainable development, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change resilience at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Paris.

The United Nations Human Settlements Development Programme Manager, UN-Habitat Viet Nam, Nguyen Quang said urban sustainable development had seen remarkable development in 2016.

He said the conference would be an opportunity for participants to share experiences, lessons and skills in developing urban areas in a sustainable way.

He said the two-day conference would approve Viet Nam’s 2016 urban development initiative – Tam Ky Initiative.

Senior official of the World Bank, Dang Duc Cuong said the World Bank would grant an average fund of US$2 billion for Viet Nam’s annual growth development.

The conference, which was organised in collaboration with UN-Habitat, Ministry of Construction and Quang Nam Province, aimed to promote local initiatives towards the implementation of sustainable cities and communities under sustainable development goals, and contribute to the discussion of New Urban Agenda during Habitat III as well as strengthening implementation of the Paris Agreement.

It also helped introduce key green growth and climate change resilience principles, guidance in urban planning and development and sharing international good practices of green cities for local application.

The conference, which drew the participation of 150 deputies, closed yesterday.

As scheduled, Viet Nam will take part in the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (or Habitat III) in Quito, Ecuador this October, and the country will publish its Habitat III Country report in order to measure achievements, and identify new challenges and strengthen political commitments in term of sustainable urban development.

On the occasion, Tam Ky City, the capital of Quang Nam Province, was recognised as the second class urban area in the central region.

The province’s green-growth strategy has been added into the national strategy for green development until 2020, with strong emphasis on climate change adaptation, social welfare and full development of local economic potential.

The province is the only location in Viet Nam with two UNESCO- recognised world heritage sites, Hoi An ancient town and the My Son Sanctuary, as well as the world biosphere reserve of the Cham Islands.

A survey showed that 27 per cent of international tourists visited the province to learn about the culture and history of Hoi An, My Son and Cham Islands.

Hoi An was chosen for the 2013 Townscape Award by the UN-Habitat Regional Office in Asia.

VNS