What is the policy, vision, or objective of the town? Please specify the actual goal and its metrics, if applicable.

Hai Phong set out a vision for sustainable development as an environmentally-advanced “Green Port City”. The target year is envisioned to be 2050, which is the same as the target year for the GGS.

Brief outline of the low carbon town development plan

The Government of Viet Nam formulated the “Green Growth Strategy” in 2012 in order to achieve the common goal shared by all of humanity, which is the protection of the environment, including global warming. The “National Action Plan on Green Growth” was approved by the Prime Minister in 2014 to put the national Green Growth Strategy into effect. The City of Hai Phong, the third largest city in Viet Nam (population of approximately 1.9 million people), has evolved as the largest naval port in Viet Nam and the largest trading port in the northern region of Viet Nam. Hai Phong plays an important role in supporting the social and economic development of northern Viet Nam, which includes the capital city of Hanoi. In recent years, in particular, both domestic and foreign companies have established production bases in Hai Phong, which has led to the remarkable industrialization of the city. However, Hai Phong is facing various environmental problems, including issues with waste, air pollution, pollution of public waters, and traffic congestion, and needs to execute policies and measures that are both environmentally-friendly and allow socio-economic development.

The Green Growth Strategy Action Plan of Hai Phong was formulated in July 2014 based on the following strategies and plans: National Green Growth Strategy approved by the Prime Minister in September 2012, Green Growth Action Plan approved by the Prime Minister in March 2014, and the Green Port City strategy of the Communist Party Politburo for the development and improvement of Hai Phong in period of national industrialization and modernization. This action plan has been developed based on the master plans for each sector and the contents of other major plans of Hai Phong.

Basic policies have been set in each sector to achieve the vision described in the previous section.

Waste Sector: Proper treatment of waste and development of resource recycling society
・Development of a social system in which waste is properly treated and resources are reused, and new recycling businesses are created.
・Achievement of lifestyle and industrial activities in which lower amounts of waste are generated, and creation of a society in which the impact on the environment and GHG emissions from waste are low.

Energy Sector: Promotion of efficient energy management and clean decentralized energy systems
・Active promotion of the efficient use of energy and energy savings in the energy sector, where GHG emissions are the highest, in order to achieve significant reductions in GHG emissions.
・Introduction and application of new technologies to achieve significant reductions in GHG emissions and the launch of new projects related to the use of renewable energies, such as solar power, wind power, and biomass, in order to create a framework in which the economy and environment are compatible.

Transportation Sector: Introduction of low-carbon public transportation systems and modal shift to mass transit
・Improvement of public transport systems that support economic activities through the introduction of low-polluting vehicles, development of land and sea routes for the efficient transport of large amounts of goods, and shift to transportation systems in which convenience and reduced environmental impacts are compatible.

Cat Ba Island: Promotion of environmental protection and eco-tourism on the entire island
・Comprehensive activities to control GHG emissions and reduce the impact on the environment in multiple areas, including waste management, energy, wastewater treatment, transportation, and industrial activities, in order to promote the protection and restoration of the valuable ecosystem of Cat Ba Island.
・Contributes to stimulating the island economy by developing eco-tourism, making use of the local resources on Cat Ba Island, which is blessed with a rich, natural environment.

Water, sewage & storm water drainage sector: Promotion of safe and secure water supply, sewage, and storm water measures that are in line with regional characteristics ・Water supply is the most important infrastructure to support socio-economic activities and the lives of people. In the future, Hai Phong will supply safe and secure water in response to increased demand, and strive to improve energy savings and leakage rates in the water purification and distribution processes.
・Wastewater treatment facilities for domestic sewage and industrial wastewater are necessary to secure social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Hai Phong will promote the development and improvement of local decentralized treatment facilities and large-scale sewage facilities based on the features of urban and rural areas.
・In response to the increase of heavy rains due to global warming and the increase of the occurrence of flooding and inundation due to rising sea levels, the development and improvement of effective infrastructure, including storm water drainage, will be promoted to carry out stable and ongoing economic activities, such as industrial and commercial activities to help city residents live safer lives.

Environmental conservation sector: Ensure high quality living environment and conserve rich, natural environments
・Strive to reduce environmental pollution that has a significant impact on the lives of the city’s residents, such as waste gas and wastewater emitted from various industrial activities, waste emissions from traffic, such as vehicles and motorbikes, and noise. The systematic and comprehensive implementation of measures to improve the quality of life of the city’s residents will be promoted.
・Efforts will be carried out to conserve the natural environment, such as Cat Ba Island and existing forests and green areas, and to maintain and restore biodiversity, and contribute to the development of sustainable industry (agriculture, fisheries, forestry, etc.)

Green production: Promotion of low-carbon development through improvement of productivity and technological innovation
・Introduction of industrial processes (cleaner production) that effectively use raw materials and energy, and production of environmentally-friendly products to increase product value and productivity.
・Environmentally-friendly agriculture that strongly discourages the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, water industries, such as cultivation and seafood processing that controls the emission of organic materials and reduces marine pollution, as well as sustainable forestry for the proper management and use of forests, will be carried out in order to promote sustainable economic activities.
・Promote the development of new industries and new technologies that have low environmental impacts in cooperation with higher educational institutes, such as universities.