A bridge between Vietnamese and German youth

11 Vietnamese youth ambassadors had the opportunity to participate in the study tour “Youth for Just Energy Transition: A global exchange”, which took place in Berlin from June 3 to June 10 alongside German youth leaders.

The study tour is part of the Green Youth Labs (GYL) project, a training programme for innovation and a socially just energy transition. Funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI), the representatives of GYL youth initiatives went on the study tour to learn about the models, actors, and processes behind the German energy transition.

During the study tour in Germany, the participants gained practical knowledge about the global energy transition process through lectures and field trips. They had the opportunity to engage with representatives from the Vietnamese Embassy in Germany, learn about the work of the German Bundestag’s Committee on the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, and exchange with experts from the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and Agora Energiewende. In addition to the professional exchange, the youth ambassadors interactively immersed themselves in the work of the grid operator TenneT, and learned about the multidimensional challenges of the energy transition. They also visited the self-sufficient energy village of Feldheim and EUREF Campus Berlin to see for themselves how a forward-looking energy concept can ensure climate neutrality.

Open letter of the Vietnamese youth on policies and solutions for a just energy transition

The week-long study tour in Germany is a crucial activity for drafting an open letter to be presented at COP 29. The letter will summarise the Vietnamese youth’s recommendations on policies and solutions to promote a just energy transition. Participants will translate their personal experiences into policy recommendations. They also had the opportunity to discuss the content of the open letter with more than 20 youth leaders from all over Germany, receiving specific feedback and guidance on how to finalise their letter.

“I was very impressed with the wind power model at the self-sufficient energy village of Feldheim. The information shared by the experts there was incredibly useful and eye-opening. I was thrilled to learn more about the energy transition model in a developed country like Germany. In addition, seeing the positive results achieved by German youth gave me extra motivation. I am now even more confident that what we are doing, even if it hasn’t had a widespread impact yet, is definitely not meaningless.”

Thanh Tam Dao, the founder of the Kiến Eco project (HCMC), the aim of which is to sensitize architecture students about the energy transition and sustainable architectural practices to create energy-efficient buildings and greener urban areas.

“I gained a lot of knowledge from the significant historical milestones, context, and current policies in the German energy transition process. This allowed me to compare the potential for clean energy development in Vietnam and increased my confidence in this process.”

Kha Tu Vuong, the founder of a community project in the Mekong region to raise local people’s awareness of energy efficiency, waste treatment and sustainable tourism.

In August, the draft of the open letter was shared with key stakeholders, including representatives from government agencies, universities and the private sector at the closing event of Green Youth Labs, the Young Energy Summit in Da Nang. Also, the open letter has contributed to the youth voices of the COP 29 conference in Baku, Azerbaijan in November.

To learn more about GreenYOU project’s activities through its publications and deliverables, please visit: IKI Document Library Archives – International Climate Initiative (IKI) in Viet Nam

For more information about the project, please visit: Green Youth labs: Training program for innovation and a socially equitable energy transition (GreenYOU) | Internationale Klimaschutzinitiative (IKI)