Hanoi, Vietnam - As of September 30, 2023, Vietnam has 305 green buildings with a total certified construction area of nearly 7.5 million square meters, revealed Nguyen Cong Thinh, Vice General Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Environment under the Ministry of Construction. This marks a significant step in the country's sustainable development efforts.
According to Vietnam News Agency, construction projects in Vietnam account for substantial proportions of the country's energy and water consumption and carbon emissions. Thinh emphasized the importance of applying green standards and solutions from the planning and design phase to positively impact subsequent construction and operational stages. He highlighted that the use of green-certified materials during construction could spur green production and consumption development.
Green building, a concept that has been evolving in Vietnam for about 15 years, is defined by the Government's Decree No. 15/2021/ND-CP as a construction that meets specific criteria for efficient energy use, resource conservation, indoor living environment quality, and external environmental protection. Vietnam recognizes four major green building assessment and certification systems: Lotus (Vietnam Green Building Council), Edge (International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group), LEED (US Green Building Council), and Greenmark (Singapore).
In managing green buildings, Thinh noted the critical role of awareness and skills among managers and users in utilizing facilities responsibly, reducing waste, and adopting greener lifestyles. He pointed out that green buildings significantly contribute to emission reduction, enhance local environmental protection indices, and improve urban area evaluation and classification scores.