The information was shared at the Southeast Asia Sub-regional workshop on developing green, safe smart cities on the morning of December 7 at the Vietnam - Korea Institute of Science and Technology (VKIST).

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui The Duy said that Vietnam is working with the international community to address global climate change through green transformation, digital transformation, and energy transformation. In the context of climate change, Vietnam is one of the countries affected, especially in the southern region. In the Mekong Delta, rising sea levels and saltwater intrusion are affecting people's lives. Accordingly, the Deputy Minister said that the trend of green transformation and energy transition is inevitable, requiring promotion through science and technology.

He said that the research directions at VKIST are currently oriented towards green transformation, in which biotechnology seeks to extract products from plants and process waste by-products. Research and technology development contribute to processing, recycling, and creating high-quality products from by-products, creating a circular production system. New research groups on environmental technology in addition to serving life are also oriented towards green transformation. Therefore, he expects that cooperation with Korean experts will help quickly establish a green transformation technology center, developing and applying green technology in Vietnam.

In the coming time, Deputy Minister Duy hopes that Korean experts will support him in searching for and applying green transformation technologies as well as promoting technology transfer to Vietnam. In addition, he also wants to learn about issues related to policies and mechanisms on green transformation, energy and digital transformation applied to Vietnam.

Dr. Lee Sang Hyup, President of the National Institute of Green Technology (NIGT), said that green development is a savior in the context of climate change, one of the urgent global issues. He said that technologies to mitigate and respond to climate change and technologies to develop green cities are important and meaningful topics.

Sharing about the current status of renewable energy in 7 countries in Southeast Asia, Mr. Lee emphasized that each country needs to design a suitable strategy, but needs to focus on technological connectivity to handle the supply and demand of renewable energy. Currently, NIGT is implementing 55 global projects, cooperating with countries to promote economic development and respond to climate change. One of them is the national strategy on hydrogen.

To meet the green transformation direction, Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Duc Loi, Director of VKIST, said that he will continue to promote applied research and develop advanced multidisciplinary and multi-field technologies. Currently, VKIST has 6 research groups. In which, the direction of developing advanced materials brings new technology in recycling agricultural by-products and waste. In the field of biotechnology, taking advantage of medicinal resources to create high-performance technology to develop health care products. In the field of environmental energy, implementing wastewater treatment technology, developing water filtration systems, supporting the application of green technology in batteries, exploiting rare earths...

During the event, Korean experts also introduced technologies to mitigate and respond to climate change, advanced green chemistry technology, and capacity building on security and privacy for smart, safe cities. Delegates also exchanged experiences and lessons on developing green, smart cities, and building strategies and policies related to green city development technology.

The Southeast Asia sub-regional workshop on developing green technology for smart and safe cities will take place from December 6-9 with the theme "Technology to mitigate and respond to climate change and technology to develop green, smart and safe cities". The workshop is organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Vietnam - Korea Institute of Science and Technology (VKIST) in coordination with a number of units.

Nhu Quynh