HCM City (VNA) – The southern region is leading the countryin promulgating action plans to promote green growth, an expert said at areview conference on the implementation of the Vietnam Green Growth Strategyheld in Ho Chi Minh City on December 14.

Le Duc Chung, a senior expert of the project, noted that 12 out of the17 cities and provinces in the southern region have built action plans torealise the strategy – which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions via“greening” production and adopting “green” lifestyles.

Other experts at the event recognised positive changes brought by thegreen growth strategy in localities in the south, including cities and provincesin the southeastern and southwestern regions.

[♕Green growth strategy implementation in northern Vietnam reviewed]

After five years of implementation, the strategy is on the right trackwith positive outcomes recorded, Chung said, adding that Dong Nai is a leadinglocality in the field.

Deputy director of Dong Nai’s Department of Planning and InvestmentNguyen Huu Nguyen said at the beginning of 2013, his province built an actionplan to implement the strategy and raised public awareness of green growth andenvironmental protection.

Dong Nai has a lot of potential to develop industry with 32 industrialparks, including 31 operational ones. Therefore, the province has concentratedon “greening production” through strict assessment of environmental protectionin investment projects to make sure all industrial parks have effective wastetreatment systems, he said.

The high-tech and green industrial products make up about 40 percent ofgross regional domestic product (GRDP) while more than 85 percent of businessmanufacturing facilities have met environment standards and over 70 percent offirms applied clean technologies, he cited.

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the locality plans to closebrick-kilns in residential quarters and those using fossil fuel materials at ​theend of this year. Local authorities will encourage people to use non-bakedbricks.

Simultaneously, the province has invested in developing public transportservices, improving treatment of waste discharged from hospitals and industrialparks and maintaining forest coverage of over 50 percent.

Meanwhile, Ben Tre province is focusing on greening agriculturalproduction and promoting renewable energy and biodiversity preservation.

Deputy director of the provincial Department of Planning and InvestmentChau Van Binh said the province has carried out an action plan for green growthsince late 2015.

Increasing competitiveness and applying the latest technologies inproduction are among measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve thenatural environment, he said.

Added to this is making effective use of natural resources and promotingenvironmentally friendly lifestyles, he added.

Specifically, the province warned people to limit the use of chemicalfertilisers and pesticides and encouraged them to increase areas used to growclean vegetables to nearly 200 hectares and fruit to 280 hectares and build adisease-free shrimp breeding area of 100 hectares.

Despite positive changes, experts said it’s necessary to devise mechanismsto mobilise social capital to promote green growth in southern localities.

Deputy Head of the Department of Science, Education, Natural Resourcesand Environment under the Ministry of Planning and Investment Nguyen Thi MinhHien said promoting green growth is key to achieving sustainable development.

Therefore, the ministry pledged to providemaximum support for southern localities to build and implement action plans forgreen growth targets, she added.-VNA