“AFD (France) is Eager to Back Vietnam’s Energy and Green Transition”

In the afternoon of May 17, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha welcomed Deputy General Director of the French Development Agency (AFD), Marie-Hélène Loison, to the Vietnamese Government Office.

Deputy Prime Minister Ha emphasized Vietnam’s valued relations with France and its commitment to strengthening ties with EU member countries. He conveyed his desire to foster a longstanding relationship, built on trust and a strategic partnership with France, particularly through collaboration with the AFD.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha and Marie-Hélène Loison, Deputy General Director of the AFD, engage in a productive working session on May 17, as seen in this photograph taken by Minh Khoi/VGP.

Vietnamese officials commended the successful initiatives led by the AFD in Vietnam and acknowledged the positive impact of the agency’s organizational reforms. These improvements have broadened access to new development opportunities and enhanced their effectiveness.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, Vietnam is not only focused on institutionalizing green and fair energy transition policies but also seeks technical advice, institutional enhancements, technology selections, governance models, and financial resources. These are crucial to facilitate transformation in energy, transportation, agriculture, and urban development. Vietnam aims to establish concrete needs and plans to efficiently utilize resources from the public sector, private loans, and grants.

The Deputy Prime Minister suggested that the AFD maintain its support for Vietnam and encouraged further cooperation. He highlighted areas such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, mitigating climate change, ensuring water security in the Mekong Delta and coastal regions, and promoting green initiatives in urban transportation, railways, maritime, and seaport sectors.

He added that the AFD’s cooperation and research projects should offer a comprehensive “solution package,” encompassing investment, science, technology, and technical infrastructure. This integrated approach is expected to bring about overall economic benefits and achieve multiple objectives.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, along with officials from Vietnamese ministries and the AFD, attend the reception. This photograph was taken by Minh Khoi/VGP.

Regarding the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) implementation, the Deputy Prime Minister shared that the Vietnamese government is actively engaging with its partners to pilot offshore wind power projects. They are also encouraging the private sector’s participation in renewable electricity production through a direct electricity trading mechanism.

He further suggested that the research findings of the AFD could assist French businesses in identifying investment and business cooperation opportunities in Vietnam.

Marie-Hélène Loison, Deputy General Director of the AFD, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to providing technical advice and improving the legal framework to support Vietnam’s socio-economic development initiatives. She also emphasized their willingness to seek financial backing, especially in the realms of energy transition, climate change response, and green transformation.

The AFD has a successful track record of development aid projects in Vietnam since 1994, notably in the fields of energy, climate change, and urban transportation.

In 2019, the AFD and the Vietnamese government collaborated on the GEMMES Vietnam project, investigating the socio-economic impacts of climate change and adaptation measures. Currently, they are in the second phase of the project, with a research priority on measuring the socio-economic effects of Vietnam’s energy transition process.