Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang meets with Finnish Ambassador

 The meeting focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the fields of environment, hydrometeorology, and concessional public investment, especially in the context of General Secretary To Lam’s upcoming official visit to Finland.

At the beginning of the meeting, Ambassador Pekka Voutilainen extended his deep sympathy to the Government and people of Vietnam over the severe losses caused by Typhoon No. 11 and subsequent flooding and dike breaches. He affirmed that Finland closely follows the situation in Vietnam and stands ready to support the country in disaster recovery and climate change adaptation.

Regarding General Secretary To Lam’s upcoming visit, Ambassador Voutilainen expressed Finland’s hope that the two sides will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Finnish Ministry of the Environment and Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

The Ambassador also provided updates on ongoing projects under the Finnish Public Investment Support Fund - a concessional financing source with up to 35% of its value in non-refundable grants. He noted that the two countries have completed Phase I of the project “Enhancing Upper-Air Meteorological Observation Capacity for Disaster Prevention and Socio-Economic Development in Vietnam” and are now implementing Phase II, which focuses on investing in advanced hydrometeorological forecasting equipment.

In response, Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang expressed his appreciation to the Government of Finland for its continuous partnership and support for Vietnam in disaster prevention, meteorological forecasting, environmental protection, and climate change response.

He noted that during General Secretary To Lam’s upcoming visit to Finland, he will accompany the high-level delegation and directly sign the MoU with the Finnish Ministry of the Environment. The draft document, he added, will be sent to the Finnish Embassy within this week for both sides to review and finalize prior to the official signing.

Regarding the public investment project in the field of hydrometeorology, the Minister said that Phase I had achieved many positive outcomes. For Phase II, the Vietnamese side will work closely with the Ministry of Finance to thoroughly review and select the most advanced, efficient, and cost-effective equipment, ensuring transparency and investment efficiency. “We will provide official feedback within this October,” he affirmed.

Ambassador Pekka Voutilainen commended the outcomes of the project “Promoting the Modernization of Air Quality Management and Monitoring Systems in Vietnamese Urban Areas” (2021–2024), implemented by the Vietnam Environment Department with Finland’s support. The project has strengthened monitoring capacity, improved information dissemination on air quality to authorities and the public, and contributed to raising social awareness.

Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang emphasized that, despite being a developing country, Vietnam places special importance on environmental issues, particularly air quality in major cities such as Hanoi. “Finland is a green nation with extensive experience and advanced technological capacity. Vietnam hopes to learn from and cooperate more deeply, both in policy development and in attracting business investment,” he said.

The Minister also expressed his interest in studying Finland’s urban air-cleaning model, including technical solutions, management processes, costs, and implementation time, to consider appropriate applications in Vietnam.