Deputy Director Lê Ngọc Tuấn of the DCC opened the session, positioning urban cooling within Viet Nam’s evolving climate policy framework, and noting the country’s strong commitment alongside the international community.
Viet Nam joined the Global Cooling Pledge in 2023 with a target to reduce cooling-related emissions by at least 68% by 2050 (against 2022 levels), and has since introduced key policies to enable this transition. In 2024, the Prime Minister issued a National Plan on managing and phasing out ozone-depleting substances and controlled greenhouse gases (Decision 496/QĐ-TTg), which set priorities like raising minimum energy performance standards for cooling equipment and promoting climate-friendly refrigerants. Most notably, 2025 marked the first time the concept of sustainable cooling was institutionalized in Viet Nam’s regulations through a new government decree that paves the way for long-term cooling strategies.
In the same opening session, Benjamin Hickman, UNEP Cool Coalition Senior Programme Manager, spoke on the critical role cities will play in delivering on Viet Nam’s cooling commitments under the Global Cooling Pledge. He warned of the current vicious cycle in which inefficient cooling devices consume excessive energy and exacerbate urban heat, stressing that access to cooling is now an essential public need rather than a luxury.
Bringing the investment lens, Maria Cecilia Pana, Deputy Country Representative at GGGI Viet Nam, underscored the importance of risk mitigation and cross-sector partnerships to accelerate the transition from planning to bankability.
From the national to the local level, Nguyen Dang Thu Cuc, Deputy Head of the Greenhouse Gas Emission Management and Ozone Layer Protection Division at DCC, shared regulatory progress in incorporating sustainable cooling across sectors–from building design and urban planning to health and ozone protection programs.
Meanwhile, Manjeet Singh, Senior Project Specialist at the UNEP Cool Coalition, outlined the outcomes of the DCC–UNEP–GGGI partnership, drawing out technical and institutional lessons that can inform a national scale-up.
The event’s technical sessions drew upon insights from the pilot cities, showcasing practical applications of urban cooling strategies at the local level. UNEP Senior Technical Experts Zhuolun Chen and Ngo Hoang Ngoc Dung presented insights from the UCAP pilots in Can Tho and Tam Ky, demonstrating how data-driven urban design interventions can mitigate extreme heat. They recommended measures such as passive cooling through urban greenery and natural ventilation, reflective “cool” roofing, and high-efficiency cooling systems to reduce heat exposure, while cutting emissions. These city case studies illustrated that combining passive strategies (like urban trees, water features, and airflow-oriented design) with efficient cooling technologies can help cities adapt to rising temperatures without driving up emissions.
City representatives then offered practical reflections on translating plans into action. Nguyen Thi Thuy Nhi, Deputy Director of the Can Tho Department of Agriculture and Environment (DAE), explained how UCAP guidance is already shaping development planning. Nguyen Hoang Yen of Da Nang DAE explained how UCAP recommendations are being woven into new projects, even as administrative boundaries evolve. She noted that a pilot concept initially developed for Tam Ky’s Phu Binh area is now being implemented in Quang Phu Ward, an area recently incorporated into Da Nang.
