august, 2025
Event Details
Background
Viet Nam is among the countries most severely affected by climate change, facing rising temperatures and increasingly frequent, intense, and prolonged heatwaves. These conditions strain public health, reduce labour productivity, and threaten socio-economic stability. In 2023, Viet Nam recorded its highest-ever temperature of 44.2°C, while 2024 was officially the hottest year on record—underscoring the urgency of enhancing urban resilience to extreme heat.
Preliminary analysis from Viet Nam’s National Cooling Action Plan (NCAP) projects a 34% increase in cooling demand by 2030 compared to 2020 levels. By 2081–2100, heatwave durations could reach 120–180 days annually. Productivity losses from heat stress are predicted to peak at 47%, while heat-related hospitalisations could rise by 14%. Furthermore, urban heat islands are already driving land surface temperatures up to 5°C higher in city centres compared to surrounding rural areas.
In response, the Government of Viet Nam has proactively integrated sustainable cooling into its legal framework, national policies, and development planning, aligning with broader climate commitments, including its updated Nationally Determined Contributions and the Global Cooling Pledge.
On 11 June 2024, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 496/QD-TTg, approving the National Plan for the Management and Phase-out of Ozone-Depleting Substances and Controlled Greenhouse Gases. The Plan outlines a comprehensive roadmap to advance sustainable cooling nationwide, including the following key measures:
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Enhancing Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) to improve cooling equipment efficiency by 50% by 2030
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Promoting passive cooling strategies in buildings—such as natural ventilation, shading, insulation, energy-efficient and reflective materials—and nature-based solutions at the urban scale, such as urban greening
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Piloting and scaling up low-carbon cooling technologies and phasing out ozone-depleting substances using innovative approaches like Cooling-as-a-Service
These coordinated actions are expected to cut 11.2 million tons of CO₂-equivalent by 2045. Viet Nam has also institutionalised “sustainable cooling” through Decree No. 119/2025/NĐ-CP, integrating it into national climate policy and legal frameworks to support its goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
Complementing these domestic policy achievements, international cooperation plays a crucial role in accelerating Viet Nam’s transition to efficient, low-carbon cooling solutions. The Department of Climate Change (DCC), under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (formerly part of MONRE prior to government restructuring), collaborates closely with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) on the project Sustainable Urban Cooling in Viet Nam’s Cities.
This project supported the pilot cities of Can Tho and Tam Ky in developing and formally adopting comprehensive Urban Cooling Action Plans (UCAPs), integrating sustainable cooling and extreme heat solutions into municipal planning frameworks. It also catalysed significant financing for sustainable urban cooling interventions—spurring investments in pilot projects and cooling activities through the Viet Nam Environment Protection Fund (VEPF).
Against this backdrop, the “Final Meeting on Sustainable Urban Cooling in Viet Nam’s Cities”, co-hosted by DCC, UNEP, and GGGI within the framework of the Cool Coalition, served as a strategic platform to consolidate key project achievements, disseminate practical lessons learned, and explore actionable pathways for scaling up sustainable urban cooling nationwide.
Objectives
- Update the national legal frameworks for ozone protection and sustainable cooling.
- Discuss the outcomes of the cooperation on sustainable urban cooling to meet the Global Cooling Pledge commitments.
- Discuss lessons learned, technical and policy recommendations from pilot cities.
- Share the list of potential investment projects in Can Tho and Tam Ky and discuss experience from pilot cities.
- Explore financial mechanisms to advance sustainable cooling.
- Facilitate dialogue on future cooperation and policy improvement for sustainable urban cooling in Viet Nam.
Agenda
08:00 – 08:15
Registration
08:15 – 08:20
Introduction of Delegation
08:20 – 08:50
Opening Remarks
Le Ngoc Tuan, Deputy Director General, Department of Climate Change, MAE
Welcome Remarks
• Benjamin Hickman, Senior Programme Manager, Cool Coalition, UNEP
• Maria Cecilia Paña, Deputy Country Representative, GGGI
08:50 – 08:55
Group Photo
08:55 – 09:20
Policy and Legal Update on Sustainable Cooling
Nguyen Dang Thu Cuc, Deputy Head, GHG Emission Management and Ozone Layer Protection Division, DCC
09:20 – 09:45
Global Cooling Pledge Implementation and Project Outcomes
Manjeet Singh, Senior Project Specialist, UNEP
09:45 – 10:25
Urban Cooling in Practice: UCAP Insights from Can Tho and Tam Ky
• Zhuolun Chen & Ngo Hoang Ngoc Dung, Technical Experts, UNEP
• City Representatives from Can Tho and Tam Ky
10:25 – 10:35
Coffee Break
10:35 – 10:50
Identification of Sustainable Cooling Projects in Pilot Cities
Trinh Quoc Dung, Technical Advisor, UNEP
10:50 – 11:20
Pre-Feasibility Studies and Financing Options
• Dao Thi Mai Hoa, Sustainable Investment Officer, GGGI
• Ngo Thi Thanh Truc, NANOEN – Can Tho Project Presentation
• Ha Quang Anh, Centre for Climate Change Adaptation and Carbon Neutrality – Tam Ky Project Presentation
11:20 – 11:50
Discussion
11:50 – 12:00
Closing Remarks
Le Ngoc Tuan, Deputy Director General, Department of Climate Change, MAE
12:00
Lunch
