On the afternoon of May 17, at the Vietnamese Government Office, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha received Deputy General Director of the French Development Agency (AFD) Marie-Hélène Loison.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that Vietnam values its relations with France and EU member countries. Simultaneously, he stressed his willingness to enhance the longstanding relationship, trust, and strategic partnership between the two countries, particularly with the AFD.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha and Deputy General Director of the French Development Agency (AFD) Marie-Hélène Loison at the working session on the afternoon of May 17 (Photo: Minh Khoi/VGP)

The Vietnamese officials appreciated the results of AFD's initiatives in Vietnam, the reforms and improvements made to AFD's organizational structure to provide broader and more effective access to new development opportunities.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, in addition to institutionalizing green transition and fair energy transition policies, Vietnam urgently needs technical advice, institutional improvement, technology selections, governance models, and financial resources which are needed to carry out transformation in the spheres of energy, transportation, agriculture, and urban areas to establish actual needs and plans for the effective use of public sector resources, private loans, and grants.

The Deputy Prime Minister recommended that AFD continue to support and foster cooperation with Vietnam on projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, combat climate change, ensure water security in the Mekong Delta and coastal areas, and promote green transformation in urban transportation, railways, maritime, and seaports.

"AFD's cooperation and research projects need to offer a "solution package" for investment, science, and technology, the technical infrastructure that when implemented will bring overall economic benefits, multi-objectives," added he.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, officials of Vietnamese ministries, and AFD officials at the reception (Photo: Minh Khoi/VGP)

Regarding the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) implementation process, the Deputy Prime Minister stated that the Vietnamese government is in discussions with its partners to soon pilot several offshore wind power projects, and promote private sector participation in renewable electricity production through a direct electricity trading mechanism.

"AFD's research findings can also help French businesses find investment and business cooperation opportunities in Vietnam," recommended the Vietnamese official.

For her part, Deputy General Director of the AFD Marie-Hélène Loison affirmed that the AFD and its partners are always ready to provide technical advice, improve the legal framework, and seek financial support for important socioeconomic development initiatives in Vietnam, particularly in the areas of energy transition, climate change response, and green transformation.

Since 1994, AFD has successfully implemented development aid projects in Vietnam, particularly in the areas of energy, climate change, and urban transportation.

In 2019, AFD cooperated with the Vietnamese government to carry out a project to investigate the socioeconomic effects of climate change in Vietnam and adaptation measures (GEMMES Vietnam). The two sides have initiated phase two of the project, with priority research focusing on measuring the socioeconomic impact of Vietnam's energy transition process.

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