The trend of sustainability will continue to be a driver of Vietnam’s real estate industry, heard a workshop on April 7.

Participants in the event discussed the development of green, energy-efficient, and resource-saving buildings, which is currently one of the priorities in the global construction sector.

Paul Fisher, country head of real estate services firm JLL Vietnam, said it is encouraging that the wide vaccination coverage and the complete border reopening after two years have opened up new opportunities for economic development in 2022.

Vietnam is now highly attractive to investors who are seeking transactions here, he said, noting that the trend of sustainability will remain a driver for the local real estate industry.

Nguyen Cong Thinh, Deputy Director of the Science - Technology and Environment Department at the Ministry of Construction, said the country committed to cut down greenhouse gas emissions by 9 percent with domestic efforts, and the reduction rate could reach 27 percent with the support of international organisations through nationally determined contributions.

He added those commitments are being realised through the implementation of many policies, including the national green growth strategy and the national energy efficiency programme for 2019 - 2030. Besides, the development of energy efficient and green buildings is also being encouraged as seen in the law amending and supplementing some articles of the 2020 Construction Law and the Government’s Decree No. 15/2021/ND-CP on managing construction investment projects.

Thinh said to facilitate efficient energy use and green buildings, the Construction Ministry has also been engaging in many cooperation activities with international agencies and organisations like the Danish Government, UNDP, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank Group, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), and the British Embassy.

At COP26 in late 2021, Vietnam pledged to achieve net zero emissions by 2050./.