The plan was designed by the Industrial Policy and Strategy Institute (IPSI) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade between 2013 and 2014, and approved by the municipal People’s Committee in August 2014.

Six businesses in the Da Nang Seafood Service Zone and another from the Lien Chieu Industrial Park received financial support to implement energy conservation activities under the project, funded by the UK Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2013.

The municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment is piloting an online system to manage greenhouse gas emissions for the two industrial zones, in addition to organising communication programmes for businesses and their employees.

Nguyen Tri Thanh, a representative from the Asia Foundation, said the project has effectively enabled local agencies to manage carbon emissions within industrial parks, thereby contributing to the realisation of national environmental objectives.

The project has also incentivised businesses to establish energy conservation measures in order to reduce production costs and enhance their market competitiveness, he added.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is expected to provide financial and technical assistance for businesses within the two industrial parks to reinforce these efforts.

Workshop participants suggested Vietnamese financial organisations and Da Nang’s development investment capital fund should utilise preferential loan mechanisms for climate change resilience projects in the Lien Chieu Industrial Park , while the Ministry of Industry and Trade should issue a document guiding the development of the ISO 50001 energy management system and increase personnel capacity.

Da Nang is expected to carry out a project to turn itself into an environmental city in 2020.