Launch of Viet Nam’s Updated National Adaptation Plan

Viet Nam used the opportunity of COP29 in Baku to launch its updated National Adaptation Plan (NAP) on 19 November 2024, the same day the document was signed by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha (Decision No. 1422/QD-TTg). It covers the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050. 

In his opening remarks, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) Le Cong Thanh emphasized: “The priority tasks identified in the Updated Plan are all inter-sectoral and inter-regional; requiring huge technical and financial resources for effective implementation. Therefore, Viet Nam calls for cooperation and support from countries, international organizations, and businesses to transfer advanced technology and access preferential capital sources; especially the implementation of specific measures to enhance resilience to the impacts of climate change for vulnerable communities and sectors in Viet Nam.” 

The Law on Environmental Protection (LEP) stipulates an update of the NAP every 5 years. However, this NAP represents an update of the previous NAP from 2020 which covered the same period to take into account changes from the updated NCCS and the updated NDC from 2022 after the Prime Minister’s net-zero pledge at COP26 in 2021. 

The overall objectives are to mitigate vulnerability and risks from the negative impacts of climate change by strengthening the resilience and adaptation capacity of natural, economic, and social systems, minimise climate change-induced losses and damages caused by increasing natural disasters, climate extremes, and sea level rise due to CC and promote the integration of adaptation into strategies and plans.  

For this, 162 tasks have been developed in the areas of water and land resources, climate-resilient and smart agriculture, forests and ecosystems, infrastructure, medical and health care systems, social security and gender equality, forecasts and early warning, natural disaster prevention, loss and damage, institutions and policies, public engagement, human resources, research and development, resource mobilisation and international cooperation. 

The NAP encourages ecosystem-based and nature-based approaches, especially in the areas of natural resource management, agriculture and forestry. For example, the government plans to implement integrated river basin plans which identify areas that require strict protection, develop organic, ecological, low-GHG emission and environmental-friendly agriculture, protect existing natural forests, enhance the protective capacity of watershed forests, restore and develop coastal mangroves, large timber forests and forest landscapes, manage forest resources, ecosystems and biodiversity sustainably and develop nature-based, ecosystem-based and community-based adaptation models. 

Furthermore, the NAP aims to ensure social security and gender equality by developing sustainable, nature-based, ecosystem-based and community-based livelihood models focusing on training, job change, technology support and access to preferential capital and risk insurance services for vulnerable groups and enhancing the involvement of women and youth in implementing policies and participating in programmes and activities for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. 

MONRE, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and Ministry of Finance (MOF) have the overall responsibility for the implementation of the plan, with line ministries such as Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT), Ministry of Construction (MOC), Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Transport (MOT) and Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) in charge of individual task as well as the contribution to the national M&E system, managed by the Department of Climate Change (DCC) under MONRE.  

Financial resources needed for the implementation of the NAP in the period from 2021 to 2030 are estimated to be 55-92 billion USD, representing 3-5% of GDP. The government is currently planning to spend about half of that from its own budget. However, additional 28-64 billion USD are still needed to meet the adaptation needs.  

As Vice Minister Le Cong Thanh rightly said: “Climate change adaptation is an important part of the global effort to respond to climate change to protect people, livelihoods and ecosystems, especially in developing countries.”