Vietnam's updated NAP: Progress in climate action

Vietnam on November 19 presented its updated National Adaptation Plan (NAP) for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050 during the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. 

Vietnam joins the 59 developing countries that have submitted their NAPs to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), reaffirming its commitment to strengthening the resilience of its natural systems, economy, society, and communities to climate change.

The launch, hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), brought together leaders, experts, international funds and development partners.

Updated NAP: Integrating new adaptation commitments

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Le Cong Thanh underscored that climate adaptation is a cornerstone of global efforts to protect people, livelihoods, and ecosystems, especially in developing countries.

To counter the effects of climate change, Vietnam has taken proactive measures, as evidenced by the NAP 2020 and a framework for monitoring and evaluating adaptation efforts.

The updated NAP builds on implementation experience from 2020 to 2023 and integrates Vietnam's new climate commitments, involving ministries, sectors, local authorities, research institutions, non-governmental organizations, and international partners.

Key priorities

The updated NAP identifies three main objectives supported by 162 priority tasks, including (1) enhancing the resilience and adaptive capacity of natural, economic, and social systems to ensure sustainable livelihoods (76 tasks); (2) reducing risks and damages from natural disasters and extreme climate events and addressing climate-related losses and damages (33 tasks); and (3) strengthening institutional frameworks and mobilizing national potential and resources for effective adaptation (53 tasks).

The plan emphasizes sustainable development models that focus on nature, ecosystems, and communities while encouraging private sector engagement and investment.

Rohini Kohli, Senior Advisor at UNDP, speaks at the event.

More international collaboration expected

Although Vietnam has mobilized domestic resources, the country still faces financial constraints, technological limitations, and capacity gaps, which are deemed to be major challenges. Deputy Minister Le Cong Thanh called for international cooperation, with a focus on technology transfer and concessional financing, to build the resilience of vulnerable communities.

Meanwhile, Rohini Kohli, Senior Advisor at UNDP, described the updated NAP as "remarkable progress in advancing climate change adaptation" that will enable Vietnam to harness resources and work towards a sustainable future.

Stressing the importance of the updated NAP, she said, "Rapid and effective adaptation is essential for Vietnam as climate impacts heighten the vulnerability of communities already at risk from climate-related disasters."

She added that the move is significant for multilateral cooperation to address loss and damage in an equitable and effective manner. UNDP reiterated its commitment to support Vietnam through financial and technical initiatives.

Bui Viet Hien, Program Analyst on Climate Change and Resilience at UNDP Vietnam, in a presentation at the event.

Reflecting on the progress, Bui Viet Hien, Program Analyst on Climate Change and Resilience at UNDP Vietnam, said that the people of Vietnam will engage in more intensive adaptation efforts in the coming decades. Much more adaptation work needs to be done for Vietnam to ensure that communities and nature adapt at a higher level.

She hoped that Vietnam could learn from other nations, such as Bangladesh and the Philippines, in its adaptation efforts, noting that Vietnam is among the countries that have expressed a great deal about loss and damage.

"We hope this is the opportunity for the country to strengthen cooperation with the international community, as well as with all stakeholders and the private sector," she added.

According to Benedict Vickers of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the world's largest fund dedicated to helping developing countries respond to climate change, the revised NAP shows Vietnam's more robust adaptation efforts, which have been effectively demonstrated in its various portfolios between 2020 and 2023 following the initial submission.

He said it meant a lot to the country, which has more than 3,000 kilometers of coastline and a vast area of forest, coffee, and rubber plantations. "As Vietnam has a large agricultural sector, it's crucial to consider nature-based initiatives to effectively address societal challenges.

He argued that the nature-based initiatives in the updated NAP are well-designed in the context of strengthening the resilience of many local communities. It's a clear and very strong element of real practices to improve capacity to respond to climate change.

So there are obviously many different institutions and partners that are very interested in seeing Vietnam succeed, he said, noting that "this is also a very good example of a cross-cutting intervention that we are keeping up."

Meanwhile, UNDP's Julie Teng said the updated NAP will provide some guidance for different stakeholders to have an overview of the country's adaptation efforts, especially the ability to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to climate-related risks.

The NAP will provide some insights for the country to attract climate finance based on resilience and culture. "It is a new opportunity to bring finance through new channels through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms," she said at the event. 

Vu Thi Bich Hop, Executive Director of the Center for Sustainable Rural Development.

Drawing on her experience working with rural people over the past 20 years, Vu Thi Bich Hop, Executive Director of the Hanoi-based Center for Sustainable Rural Development, said the approaches in the updated national plan will enable local communities to maximize the nature-based and community-based solutions they have been using for years.

"Communities are one of the most important factors in adaptation efforts, as no one knows better than local people what the best practices are in agriculture, livestock, and livelihoods," Hop said.

To make the NAP-led implementation effective, there should be stronger cooperation among different stakeholders, namely government agencies, local authorities, businesses, and local communities in a systematic chain of climate adaptation.   

At the event, speakers highlighted Vietnam's climate change adaptation strategy, emphasizing sustainable financial solutions and the protection of vulnerable populations. They believed that the updated NAP serves as a critical response to climate challenges and a platform for fostering international cooperation. 

This story was produced as part of the 2024 Climate Change Media Partnership, a journalism fellowship organized by Internews' Earth Journalism Network and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security.