US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry arrived in Hanoi on February 22 to begin a four-day visit to Vietnam to build consensus on key actions to address the climate crisis and accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy.

US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry (L) and Vietnam's President Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Hanoi on Feb 23. Photo: US Embassy Hanoi

At the meeting with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc shortly after landing in Hanoi, Kerry said the US would continue cooperating with Vietnam for timely and concrete strategies in emission reduction, renewable energy, sustainable infrastructure, water management, among others.

To help Vietnam fulfill its net-zero commitment by 2050, the US will focus on assisting Vietnam in adjusting energy planning, including the national power development plan VIII (PDP8), boosting renewables, including offshore wind, solar, and coal elimination roadmap.  

For his part, President Phuc affirmed that climate change response is an area of strategic cooperation between the two countries, hoping the US to increase financial and technical support to help Vietnam fulfill its commitments at COP26, moving towards an equitable energy transition partnership with a number of partners, including the US.

US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and Deputy Prime Pham Binh Minh on Feb 23. Photo: VGP

In a separate meeting with John Kerry on Feb 23, Deputy Prime Pham Binh Minh stressed that climate change response is Vietnam’s central and urgent task toward green growth.

At the meetings, John Kerry affirmed the US will promote cooperation in other fields including solving war legacies, education and training, science-technology.

The Vietnamese officials expressed their hopes for further US support to ASEAN through the US-ASEAN Strategic Partnership, the Mekong-US Partnership.

During the visit to Hanoi, Kerry has a busy agenda which includes meeting with Government officials, civil society representatives, students, business leaders, and professionals focused on supporting Vietnam’s COP26 goals.

On Feb 23, John Kerry also had productive meetings with Chair of the CPV Central Committee’s Economic Commission Tran Tuan Anh, Chair of the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung and Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien. They discussed how Vietnam can be a leader in tackling the climate crisis in Southeast Asia.

On the same day, he witnessed the launch of the US Agency for International Development (USAID)’s US$2.5 million Innovation Challenge Fund, “Tomorrow’s Energy Creators,” which was designed to catalyze solutions to urban energy challenges in Vietnam. In addition, Kerry and US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper visited an exhibition of the first five awardees’ energy innovations. 

John Kerry speaks to media on Feb 23. Photo: US Embassy Hanoi