Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung

The conference was at the Vietnam International Innovation Exhibition 2023 (VIIE 2023) to discuss the importance of green hydrogen and its potential contribution to the Power Development Plan towards 2030, looking forward to 2050.

The event also saw the opening ceremony of the NIC (National Innovation Centre) Hoa Lac Campus.

Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung said, "Vietnam needs to make more breakthroughs and take more drastic steps to increase the contribution of the green economy to the total national GDP."

"The clean hydrogen ecosystem can contribute $40-45 billion to annual GDP, create about 40-50,000 jobs in the domestic market, be exported to developed countries, and can be a key factor in accelerating the energy transition process in Vietnam," said Minister Dung.

Chey Tae-won, SK E&S

Chey Tae-won, senior representative of SK E&S said, "Hydrogen stands out as a powerful alternative in the world of clean energy. It has the potential to directly reduce carbon emissions in the power generation and transportation sectors through a transition to cleaner fuel."

"Vietnam has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, but still remains highly dependent on fossil fuels. However, it can also leverage this age of decarbonisation with the potential for renewable energy expansion across its different regions," he said. "In the south, where renewable energy is plentiful, we can expand energy generation and green hydrogen production. In the north, as the demand for electricity grows, we see opportunities for expanding liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects."

"This new NIC campus stands as a symbol of SK’s commitment to growing together with Vietnam, and the effort needed to ensure a successful energy transition," Tae-won said.

Other representatives spoke about global trends in the energy sector, while there was a panel discussion on emerging hydrogen technology trends with the participation of delegates from BCG, the Vietnam Petroleum Institute, John Cockerill, Capital Nature, SK E&S.

The signing ceremonies for several MoUs took place at the conference as witnessed by leaders from the Ministry of Planning and Investment and Ministry of Industry and Trade, along with representatives of the Asia Foundation, German Development Agency, Masan High-Tech Materials, and the Vietnam National University in Hanoi.

The conference was regarded as an important step in developing the field of green hydrogen energy in Vietnam as the country shifts towards a sustainable growth model and seeks to reduce the impacts of climate change.