Mr. Vu The Binh, Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said that in Decision 882/QD-TTg promulgating the National Action Plan on Green Growth for the 2021-2030 period, the Prime Minister directed to prioritize the development of tourism types towards green growth and the development of green tourism products. This shows that the Vietnamese Government has shown its determination to join hands with the world to solve the climate crisis and reduce emissions when declaring that Vietnam will achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

For the tourism industry, adapting to climate change is both a responsibility and an opportunity for Vietnam to implement green transformation to improve the competitiveness of the economy. In Vietnam, the negative impacts of climate change and environmental degradation have severely affected tourism. Therefore, Vietnam tourism has gradually implemented green tourism, a type of tourism based on the exploitation and rational use of natural resources, to limit negative impacts on the human living environment.

"Vietnam Tourism Association directs the activities of Vietnamese tourism businesses to 4 contents: Developing tourism activities that do not use plastic waste; Building tours that do not use motor vehicles (walking, cycling...); Developing community tourism, eco-tourism, agricultural and rural tourism; Mobilizing waste collection at tourist destinations... These are activities that are close to life, easy to implement effectively and gradually bring green tourism into life".

In recent times, many localities and businesses have applied criteria and implemented green tourism. In Hoi An, Quang Nam province, more than 20 businesses have joined together to form a green tourism community, together processing organic waste, making recycled products, and eliminating single-use plastic products. In Ninh Binh, the model of Reducing Plastic Waste in the Tourism Industry implemented in Gia Vien district has initially shown positive results as well as feasibility for replicating the model nationwide.

In Quang Ninh, cruise ships on Ha Long Bay proactively apply advanced technology such as: oil-water separation technique to filter wastewater before releasing it into the environment, not dumping waste directly into the bay, using glass water bottles, paper straws, paper cups... Co To island district has been very determined in saying NO to plastic waste by asking tourists not to bring products such as: plastic bags, plastic straws, disposable plastic water bottles...

However, according to Mr. Nguyen Ha Hai, Vice Chairman of the Quang Ninh Tourism Association, this journey is not without difficulties: "When applying green criteria to products and services, not all tourists are aware of the meaning of environmental protection, they still react very strongly when being prevented from using disposable plastic products; businesses have to invest a large amount of capital in environmentally friendly products without financial support from state management agencies; especially there is no set of green tourism criteria applied nationwide".

Mr. Vo Tri Thanh, Director of the Institute for Brand Strategy and Competition Research, stated the reality: "The two biggest challenges that the Vietnamese tourism industry is facing are that the awareness of stakeholders in the tourism ecosystem is still low. The second challenge is from competition. Because green is now not only a political commitment but also a strategy, a national action and more importantly, it comes from the market, from people with new lifestyles and new ways of consumption. If we do not catch up, the competitiveness of Vietnamese tourism with other countries will have large gaps. I think the overall view of the Net Zero goal by 2050 is available and has begun to spread to industries in the planning, but from the perspective of commitments and policies to put it into practice, there is still a long story ahead."

To solve the problem of green transformation in tourism, Dr. Pham Le Thao, Deputy Head of the Department of Travel Management, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said that Vietnam needs to develop tourism in the direction of green growth, which means creating green tourism products, environmentally friendly, responsible tourism, creating job opportunities and sharing benefits with the community. Some types of products that are becoming trends are: eco-tourism, community tourism, agricultural tourism, etc.

Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of the Vietnam Institute for Tourism Development Research, emphasized the role of policy. There must be policies to support and encourage businesses when they invest in renewable energy, use clean water sources, treat wastewater and waste systems in tourist areas, or need support in terms of taxes and credits... For example, Phu Quoc is a large tourist area but currently does not have a waste and garbage treatment system. In the current situation, the state cannot do it, so there must be policies to encourage businesses to invest and ensure efficiency for businesses. Because businesses play a central role in the green transformation process, implementing social responsibility. I think these are very specific and necessary policies to help implement the national strategy on green growth or the circular economy project approved by the Prime Minister.

According to Mr. Patrick Haverman, Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in Vietnam, the green transformation process in tourism in Vietnam needs to focus on a number of issues such as green planning, effective destination management, plastic waste-free and low-carbon tourism, and nature-based sustainable tourism. In particular, it is necessary to enhance the effectiveness of tourism destination management. Destination management is a process that requires the participation and leadership of local authorities, in close coordination with the private sector and local communities, so that the voices and views of these important components are heard and reflected in each locality's tourism management solutions.