The Ministry of Environment (Minister Han Wha-jin) announced that, on November 1, during the 15th Annual Korea-Vietnam Environmental Ministers' Meeting* held in Hanoi, Vietnam, for the first time in five years, the Ministry significantly expanded the cooperative system for entering the green industry in Vietnam.

* The Annual Korea-Vietnam Environmental Ministers' Meeting started in the year 2000 as a ministerial-level regular meeting, and its 14th edition was held in Seoul in 2018. 

On November 1, Minister Han Wha-jin of the Ministry of Environment, along with Nguyen Thanh Nghi, the Minister of Construction of Vietnam, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on environmental infrastructure cooperation for green transformation at the Ministry of Construction building in Hanoi, Vietnam. 

Both countries agreed to cooperate on the development of subordinate regulations under Vietnam's water law, and the Ministry of Environment plans to propose these regulations to Vietnam based on South Korea's environmental management experience. 

It is expected that the inclusion of South Korea's environmental management system, including emission standards, administrative procedures, and facility installation regulations, in the local subordinate regulations will greatly assist Korean companies entering Vietnam in pursuing their business activities. 

In addition, they discussed support measures for South Korean companies involved in projects such as the 709-billion-won Ho Chi Minh sewage treatment facility and the Thai Nguyen incineration and power generation project. They also talked about personnel exchanges and educational cooperation with Vietnamese government officials. 

Alongside this, on November 1, the Ministry of Environment held a 'Korea-Vietnam Green Industry Technology Briefing' jointly organized by the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment at the JW Marriott Hotel in Hanoi. 

This event witnessed the participation of 20 South Korean companies looking to enter the Vietnamese market. Through one-on-one consultations with local Vietnamese clients and buyers, it resulted in 103 consultations, amounting in approximately $174.76 million (roughly KRW 237.3 billion) in transactions. Notably, the briefing session on eight technologies* in high demand in Vietnam, including combustion gas analyzers and internal combustion engine aftertreatment devices, drew a significant audience and proved to be highly successful.

* Combustion gas analyzers, internal combustion engine aftertreatment devices, next-generation X-ray generator-based sterilization/purification devices, adsorbents, dissolved ozone flotation method, multi-parameter integrated water quality measurement system, Internet of Things-based water supply leakage monitoring system, vortex-type pressurized flotation device

On October 30, in preparation for the technology briefing event, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Vietnam held a meeting at the Hanoi Intercontinental Hotel with Korean companies and participating companies who visited for the event. They discussed support for overseas expansion of these companies. Ambassador Choi Young-sam pledged, "We will actively support the strengthening of cooperation in the environmental sector between our two countries, comprehensive strategic partners, and the entry of our companies into Vietnam."

Following the opening ceremony of the technology briefing event, Minister Han Wha-jin attended the commercial operation ceremony of the Phu Lang Waste Incineration and Power Generation Facility in Bac Ninh Province in the northeastern part of Hanoi. This waste incineration and power generation facility is the first private joint venture project in the waste sector between a South Korean environmental company (Chosun Refractories ENG. Co., LTD.) and a Vietnamese state-owned enterprise (Green Star). It processes household waste (100 tons/day) and industrial waste (80 tons/day) and produces 6.1 MW of electricity per day.

On the same day, Nguyen Huong Giang, the Chairman of Bac Ninh People's Committee, who also attended the operation ceremony, expressed her hope that artificial intelligence (AI solutions) applied at this facility from next year would be expanded to benefit all of Vietnam, and she requested active cooperation. Given the upcoming follow-up projects in the circular economy sector, such as the acquisition and merger of local integrated waste facilities and the installation of waste incineration and power generation facilities in Vinh Phuc Province, it is expected that cooperation in the circular economy sector between the two countries will accelerate.

Meanwhile, Minister Han Wha-jin, on the evening of November 1, during the bilateral meeting with Dang Quoc Khanh, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Vietnam, held at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment building in Hanoi, agreed to support the development of subordinate regulations under local water resources laws and enhance cooperation in expanding international greenhouse gas reduction projects and green technology exchange.

Minister Han Wha-jin of the Ministry of Environment stated, "Vietnam is not only a long-standing friend but also a very important partner in environmental cooperation," and added, "In line with the global trend of expanding green markets, we will establish a stepping stone for entering the Southeast Asian green market." 

Contact: Kim Won-bin, Deputy Director

Green Transition Policy Bureau / +82-(0)44-201-7562