Viet Nam’s Urban Cooling Milestone
Extreme heat is intensifying across the globe, but in Southeast Asia, the collision of rapid urbanisation and high humidity has turned heat stress into a daily systemic challenge. In Viet Nam, urban heat islands are already pushing land surface temperatures in city centres up to 5°C higher than surrounding areas, a trend with deep implications for health, energy use, and economic resilience.
Against this backdrop, Viet Nam’s Department of Climate Change (DCC) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Cool Coalition, and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) concluded a multi-year partnership with the release of a new Urban Cooling Action Plan (UCAP) package for pilot cities. The culmination of this work was marked by a national event in Hanoi on 28 August 2025, attended by nearly 80 stakeholders from ministries, local governments, technical institutions, and the financial sector. The event served as a bridge between policy and practice, reinforcing Viet Nam’s climate ambitions, while laying the groundwork for scalable, investment-ready cooling solutions.
Translating plans into city practice
In the event’s opening session, Le Ngoc Tuan, Deputy Director of the Department of Climate Change, positioned urban cooling within Viet Nam’s evolving climate policy framework and regulatory milestones. Benjamin Hickman, UNEP Cool Coalition Senior Programme Manager, underlined the country’s national targets under the Global Cooling Pledge, and the role cities will play in delivering on them. 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 on ozone protection and sustainable cooling, particularly its integration across buildings, health, and urban planning. 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.
City practice anchored the technical sessions. UNEP Senior Technical Experts Zhuolun Chen and Ngo Hoang Ngoc Dung presented insights from the UCAP pilots in Can Tho and Tam Ky. These action plans combine data and design, recommending solutions such as passive cooling strategies, cool roofing, and high-efficiency ventilation to reduce heat exposure, while cutting emissions.
Building on these presentations, city representatives followed with practical reflections. 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, while Phan Xuan Hao, Deputy Director of the Quang Tri Department of Agriculture and Environment, emphasised the value of knowledge transfer between cities. Finally, Nguyen Hoang Yen of Da Nang DAE explained how UCAP recommendations are being woven into new projects, even as administrative boundaries evolve.
Laying the groundwork for investment
The final session connected solutions to finance, with UNEP Technical Advisor Trinh Quoc Dung introducing a shortlist of cooling projects in Can Tho and Tam Ky now ready for investment. Echoing these insights, Dao Thi Mai Hoa, Sustainable Investment Officer at GGGI, detailed blended finance mechanisms and public–private models capable of bringing those projects to market.
To close the event, developer Ngo Thi Thanh Truc of NANOEN introduced an investable concept for Can Tho’s New Urban Area and Centralised IT Park. Ha Quang Anh, Acting Director of the Centre for Climate Change Adaptation and Carbon Neutrality, followed with a residential cooling project now under development in Da Nang’s Quang Phu Ward. Together, these presentations demonstrated how UCAPs are generating pipeline-ready opportunities for climate-aligned investment.
A Model for scalable urban cooling
UCAPs turn high-level climate goals into actionable roadmaps that help cities reduce heat risk, cut energy use, protect health, and mobilise finance. The newly published Urban Cooling Action Plan for Can Tho exemplifies this approach, using granular heat mapping, design guidance, regulatory integration, and project development strategies to support climate-resilient urban planning. This outcome adds to the UNEP Cool Coalition’s broader efforts across Southeast Asia to accelerate uptake of sustainable cooling, ensuring that national pledges translate into measurable urban action.
More information on the Sustainable Urban Cooling in Viet Nam’s Cities event is available here.
The Urban Cooling Action Plan for Can Tho city is available in English and in Vietnamese.