Vietnam, RoK step up cooperation in energy investment and green growth

The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), held a workshop to review the project on promoting the energy-saving and efficiency investment market under Vietnam’s green growth action plan in Hanoi on September 25.

The event gathered about 100 delegates from the MoIT, Ministry of Finance, KOICA, Korea Energy Agency (KEA), industry, international organizations, and experts in green energy.

Addressing the event, Nguyen Thi Lam Giang, Director General of the Department of Innovation, Green Transition and Industry Promotion (MoIT), stressed that the KOICA-funded project demonstrates the effective partnership between the Governments of Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK).

After more than three years of implementation, the project has fostered investment in industrial energy-saving solutions toward green growth targets and strengthened the capacity of regulators, businesses, and financial institutions in project appraisal and execution.

The initiative, running from 2021 to 2025 nationwide, focuses on reducing energy intensity, ensuring energy security for socio-economic development, and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The Ministry of Finance (MOF) oversees components related to green growth, reported VNA.

Delegates at the forum (Photo: baochinhphu.vn)

Key components include energy-saving investment planning, enforcement of energy consumption standards and technical guidelines, industrial energy efficiency, and green growth action plans. Additionally, these efforts involve provincial-level research and planning, as well as communication on energy efficiency and green growth.

Lee Byung Hwa, KOICA Country Director in Vietnam, noted that the project has strengthened bilateral cooperation in industrial energy efficiency, green finance, and sustainable development. It developed and revised energy consumption benchmarks for key industries such as steel, cement, paper, and textiles, and organised capacity-building programs that shared the RoK’s expertise with Vietnamese stakeholders.

The project also supported feasibility studies, provincial green growth planning, and climate investment research, providing a foundation for practical investments and policy frameworks to encourage broader participation from financial institutions and private businesses.

Le Viet Anh, Deputy Director General of the Department of Sectoral Economy and Finance under the MOF, said the project has helped 10 provinces finalise green growth action plans and advanced institutional frameworks for green investment. He reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to continued coordination with partners to mobilise resources and improve the legal environment for green finance.

The workshop featured seven presentations by Vietnamese and Korean experts, covering project achievements, sectoral energy efficiency regulations, climate investment classification, and lessons from pilot projects. Lively discussions followed, with practical recommendations from enterprises, local authorities, and international organizations.

Vietnam, WIPO look to stronger cooperation in innovation and intellectual property

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted a reception in Hano on September 25 for Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and his delegation on their working visit to Vietnam.

Expressing his pleasure at meeting Daren Tang again, PM Chinh noted this was their third direct exchange in the past two years, showing the deepening cooperation between Vietnam and WIPO, and between Vietnam and the United Nations at large.

The Government leader appreciated WIPO’s support for Vietnam in building and integrating into the global innovation and intellectual property system, which has contributed to motivating and inspiring Vietnam’s scientific and technological development and innovation efforts.

He proposed that WIPO enhance consultation, support, and cooperation to strengthen Vietnam’s capacity in science, technology, innovation, and intellectual property; promote commercialization of research and development results; develop industrial-service-urban-high-tech clusters; and foster cultural and creative industries.

He accentuated the importance of inspiring and raising public awareness, especially among youth about the role of science, technology, innovation, and intellectual property.

PM Chinh assigned the Ministry of Science and Technology as the lead agency for regular dialogue with WIPO, to organize forums, and implement specific cooperative activities, cited VOV.

Photo: VOV

Congratulating Vietnam on successfully organizing the 80th National Day celebrations on September 2, Director General Daren Tang affirmed that Vietnam has become a close partner of WIPO. He commended Vietnam’s approach and strong political commitment to developing science, technology, and innovation, considering Vietnam a model for innovation and technological advancement and for raising public capability.

Tang pledged to strengthen support for Vietnam in improving legal frameworks, mechanisms, and policies; carrying out Resolution 57 of the Party Central Committee; developing tools and indicators to assess contributions of science, technology, and innovation; promoting effective commercialization of research results; assisting enterprises in developing, promoting, and protecting brands; and advancing cultural industries, the creative economy, and the digital economy, including in film and fashion, as well as climate change response.

Daren Tang expressed confidence that Vietnam will continue to be a model of innovation among emerging economies for WIPO to share with other nations in the world.

Typhoon Ragasa weakens before landfall, Bualoi on course to hit East Sea

Typhoon Ragasa, the ninth storm to hit the East Sea in 2025, weakened into a tropical depression around 40 km off the coast of Mong Cai (Quang Ninh) on the morning of September 25.

Meanwhile, Typhoon Bualoi is expected to enter the East Sea by the night of September 26, becoming the 10th storm of the year.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, as of 10 a.m. on September 25, Typhoon Ragasa had weakened into a tropical depression about 40 km east of Mong Cai (Quang Ninh), with wind speeds of level 7 (50 - 61 km/h) and gusts reaching level 9. The depression is expected to continue weakening rapidly into a low-pressure zone within the next few hours.

This marks a steep decline from its previous status as a super typhoon with maximum strength of level 17 when it entered the East Sea on the night of September 22.

Experts attribute the sharp weakening of Ragasa to a cold, dry air mass from the north moving toward Vietnam. This air mass had relatively low humidity, around 30-40%, and when the northern part of Ragasa’s circulation interacted with it near Guangdong (China), it caused the storm to lose strength.

Additionally, Ragasa’s path over Guangdong Province and the Leizhou Peninsula (China) exposed it to terrain friction, which disrupted the storm’s structure and reduced the energy it could draw from the ocean. These combined factors led to its rapid weakening as it approached Vietnam’s coastline, VNN reported.

Photo: VNN

Although now just a tropical depression, the storm's circulation still causes widespread rainfall from the Northern region to Thanh Hoa and Nghe An provinces from the morning of September 25 until the night of September 26. Rainfall is expected to reach 100-200mm, with some areas seeing over 300mm. Residents are advised to stay alert for potential flash floods, landslides, and urban flooding in low-lying areas due to the intense downpours.

Typhoon Ragasa originally formed as a tropical depression off the coast of the Philippines on September 18 and escalated dramatically into a super typhoon within three days. Upon entering the East Sea on the night of September 22, Ragasa reached a peak intensity of level 17, surpassing Typhoon Yagi of 2024 to become the most powerful storm recorded in the East Sea in the past 70 years.

Updates on Typhoon Bualoi: storm number 10 approaching

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, as of 7 a.m. on September 25, Typhoon Bualoi was located near 10.8°N latitude and 129°E longitude, over the eastern waters of the Philippines. The storm's strongest winds near the center were at level 12 (118-133 km/h), with gusts up to level 15. It was moving northwest at 15-20 km/h.

Bualoi is forecast to enter the eastern part of the central East Sea by the night of September 26, becoming the 10th storm in the region for 2025.

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