Vietnam enacts Prime Minister’s decision that sets out an environmental protection strategy until 2030

On April 13, 2022, the Vietnamese government promulgated Prime Minister’s Decision 450/QD-TTg approving a National Environmental Protection Strategy for the period up to 2030 that sets out a vision for 2050. This decision mainly proposes goals, tasks, and important plans and projects for environmental protection up to 2030.

The original text of the decision can be downloaded from the following URL:
http://vea.gov.vn/Chien%20luoc%20QH%20KH/450.Q%C4%90-TTg.2022.pdf?csf=1&e=rZpUxc

Goals

• Actively prevent and manage adverse effects that cause environmental pollution, degradation, and environmental accidents.
• Solve important and urgent environmental problems and gradually improve and restore the quality of the environment.
• Enhance the protection of natural heritage, restore ecosystems, and prevent biodiversity loss.
• Promote improved capacity to respond to climate change and enhance reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Main tasks

1. Actively prevent, manage, and stop adverse environmental effects and accidents.

• • Develop an economy that seeks to achieve ecology, circularity, green growth, and the promotion of sustainable production and consumption.
  • Implement environmental zoning, improve the effectiveness of strategic environmental assessments and environmental impact assessments, and promote management based on environmental licenses.
  • Proactively manage facilities with a high risk of causing environmental pollution and prevent adverse environmental impacts.
  • Respond to and prevent environmental accidents, and proactively manage transboundary environmental issues.

2. Solve important and urgent environmental problems, overcome environmental pollution and degradation, and maintain and improve environmental quality and hygiene.

• • Enhance pollution management and maintain and improve air quality in each city.
  • Strengthen solid waste management and hazardous waste management.
  • Promote wastewater treatment, and management and protection of the water environment and river basins.
  • Handle environmental contamination in occupational villages, purify areas contaminated with residual chemicals, and protect the soil environment.
  • Strengthen the management of marine and island environmental pollution.
  • Continue to provide clean water, ensure environmental hygiene, and prevent environmental factors harmful to human health.

3. Protect natural and biological diversity and promote environmental protection in the development and use of resources.

• • Protect natural heritage and expand conservation area systems and biodiversity.
  • Protect and restore ecosystems.
  • Prevent the decline of genetic resources and species and ensure biological safety.
  • Strengthen environmental protection in the development and use of natural resources, and protect and develop natural resources.

4. Actively protect the environment to improve its ability to respond to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

• • Strengthen environmental protection for improved resilience to climate change.
  • Strengthen the development of renewable energy, clean fuels, and solid waste management and protect and use ecosystems to reduce emissions and improve the ability to absorb greenhouse gases.

Details of the implementation schedule for this strategy and the numerical targets for the various measures, as well as the major plans and projects for implementation, are set out in annexes I and II, respectively, to the decision.