Vietnam’s Commitment to Green Transition: Emphasizing Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development

On the morning of April 17, during the ministerial discussion themed “Breakthrough Technologies for Achieving Green Transformation and Sustainable Development in the Smart Era” at the fourth Global Green Goals Partnership 2030 Summit (P4G), Vietnam’s Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung emphasized Vietnam’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. He noted that Vietnam is among the first countries to formulate and implement a national action plan for the 2030 Agenda, actively transitioning from traditional growth models to green growth and a digital economy.

Minister Hung pointed out that these strong commitments help stimulate Vietnam’s intelligence and seek global innovative solutions to address the challenges of green development faced by Vietnam and humanity as a whole. He stressed that green and sustainable development must be built on the foundations of technology, innovation, and digital transformation, with the ultimate goal of achieving sustainable outcomes.

Vietnam has unified these three areas under a single national management body, viewing innovation and digital transformation as strategic priorities. In terms of prioritizing the application and development of new technologies, Minister Hung stated that the Vietnamese government considers hydrogen energy, next-generation batteries, low-carbon technologies, circular technologies, and new digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and semiconductor chips as strategic technologies for development.

Vietnam sees AI as a core technology of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The country is currently progressing towards an “AI transformation,” with a focus on enhancing human capabilities rather than replacing them. Discussing green and digital transformation, Minister Hung expressed that “green” and “digital” are intertwined; to achieve green outcomes, digital transformation must be advanced. Vietnam is promoting digital transformation in a comprehensive, cross-sector manner.

Data centers are expected to become the largest consumers of electricity in the future, thus, digital transformation must utilize green power and achieve energy efficiency. Minister Hung called for global action to enhance multilateral cooperation, innovate collaborative models, share experiences and technologies, and support developing countries in their green transformation efforts. He suggested establishing a website for P4G member countries and companies to quickly access information on green transformation technologies and experiences. Additionally, he proposed creating an “open innovation model” among P4G member countries to bridge technology and solution providers with companies and organizations that need green transformation.

Minister Hung hoped that the insights shared during the discussion could open new paths for green development and create opportunities for global cooperation, emphasizing that “only global cooperation can solve the challenges of green development.”

Kenya’s Minister of Defense, Rosaline Soipan Tuya, stated that investment in AI infrastructure should be increased to build an AI ecosystem, expand related innovations, and provide reliable high-speed internet connectivity. Furthermore, the development of low-cost data systems should be prioritized to facilitate easier access to cloud computing, thereby helping startups and researchers reduce costs, promote local AI solutions, and decrease reliance on foreign servers while encouraging the growth of local sustainable data centers.

Representatives at the meeting engaged in in-depth discussions on three main themes: the application of digital trends and AI in emissions reduction and resource optimization; promoting public-private partnerships to maximize innovation potential in the green transition; and addressing barriers related to technology, infrastructure, and data security to facilitate technology application.