HCMC – Vietnam and France have agreed to expand cooperation in renewable energy, fisheries protection, and green transition as part of efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
On September 30, Vietnam’s Acting Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang held talks in Paris with French Minister for Ecological Transition, Biodiversity, Forestry, the Sea and Fisheries Agnès Pannier-Runacher. Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang also attended the meeting.
The talks took place as the two countries elevate their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Vietnam in May 2025 and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s attendance at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice in June 2025.
Pannier-Runacher said France is committed to tackling climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution. Since the 1990s, France has built a legal framework and allocated resources to reach net zero by 2050, cutting carbon emissions by about 30% so far. France also provides around six billion euros annually for overseas environmental projects, ranking among the top five contributors globally.
She highlighted opportunities to deepen collaboration with Vietnam under initiatives such as the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), and expressed interest in supporting Vietnam’s nationally determined contributions (NDCs), carbon credit trading, and adaptation to the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
France also pledged support for Vietnam in addressing illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. A pilot project using satellite technology for sustainable fisheries management in Vietnam is currently under preparation.
For his part, Thang said Vietnam faces resource constraints as a developing country but remains committed to balancing economic growth and environmental protection. He cited ongoing projects, including National Power Development Plan VIII, the JETP, one million hectares of low-emission rice cultivation, and forest restoration programs.
He noted Vietnam has tightened enforcement to curb IUU fishing, though small-scale fisheries need more time and advanced technology to transition toward sustainability. Vietnam seeks France’s expertise and technical support in this area.
Both sides agreed to move from dialogue to concrete actions in areas such as sustainable fisheries, biodiversity conservation, forestry management, emission reduction, and renewable energy. Thang invited Pannier-Runacher to visit Vietnam to launch joint projects.
During the same trip, Vietnamese officials met with France’s National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) to strengthen cooperation in science and technology. The two sides will develop joint research programs and exchanges focusing on biotechnology, ecological agriculture, food technology, nutrition, and artificial intelligence in agricultural value chains.
