Resolution No. 24-NQ/TW, issued on June 3, 2013, by the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, established strategic directions for the nation to address global challenges regarding climate change (CC), resource management, and environmental protection (EP). As a vital port city directly impacted by sea-level rise and extreme weather events, Hai Phong has proactively and drastically implemented this Resolution, resulting in fundamental shifts in its socio-economic development model toward sustainability.
Over the past decade, Hai Phong has achieved impressive milestones in pollution control and improving the quality of life for its citizens. A major landmark was the thorough handling of 26 out of 26 facilities causing serious environmental pollution within the city (including units from the former Hai Duong province prior to consolidation), with no new polluting facilities allowed to emerge.
Regarding waste management, the city achieved a 100% treatment rate for medical waste and over 99.8% for hazardous waste. These figures demonstrate a serious commitment to operating specialized collection systems. However, the management of wastewater and domestic waste remains a significant challenge. The urban wastewater collection and treatment rate only reached 32.22%, missing the Resolution’s target of 70%. Similarly, the recycling and reuse rate for domestic waste is approximately 21%, well below the expected 65%.
In terms of essential infrastructure, Hai Phong has excellently fulfilled its clean water supply goals. By 2025, 100% of the city's urban and rural population had access to clean, hygienic water meeting national standards. Air quality in urban areas has been largely maintained at a good level, despite occasional local impacts from dust and noise caused by traffic and extreme weather.
2. Proactive Climate Change Response and Natural Disaster PreventionHai Phong has successfully fostered a proactive mindset across society regarding disaster prevention. The city approved and implemented 32 specific tasks to fulfill the Paris Agreement on CC, aiming for a low-carbon economy.
Climate change response infrastructure has received robust investment, with 43 protection plans for critical vulnerable areas, including 8 city-level and 35 district-level plans. Projects to upgrade sea dykes (such as Nam Dinh Vu and Cat Hai sea dykes) and irrigation systems (Da Do, An Kim Hai) have created "natural shields" against high tides and saltwater intrusion.
The city has also applied smart technology in disaster forecasting and warnings, utilizing a system of 11 automatic water level measurement stations and 8 rain and wind measurement stations. Although Hai Phong suffered severe economic losses estimated at 16,489 billion VND from Super Typhoon Yagi in 2024, timely response measures helped significantly reduce human casualties compared to past storms of similar intensity.
3. Transitioning Growth Models Toward Green and Sustainable DirectionsA standout achievement for Hai Phong during the implementation of Resolution 24 is maintaining double-digit economic growth for 11 consecutive years (reaching 11.81% in 2025, the second-highest in the country). The city has designated green growth as a central, consistent task.
- Green Industrial Transformation: Hai Phong established 12 new industrial parks and 5 high-tech eco-industrial clusters. Polluting factories in the inner city are being gradually relocated to concentrated areas to protect urban landscapes and residential environments.
- Clean Energy: The city operates wind power projects on Bach Long Vy island and rooftop solar power in industrial zones, with certified capacity reaching nearly 69MW. Notably, two waste-to-energy plants with a total capacity of 2,000 tons/day in Dinh Vu and Lai Khe are being expedited to replace traditional landfill methods.
- Maritime Economy and Tourism: The Smart Green Port model at Lach Huyen and the vision for Cat Ba as a zero-emission tourism island are strategic breakthroughs. UNESCO's recognition of Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago as a World Natural Heritage site has mandated stricter biodiversity conservation coupled with sustainable livelihoods for local people.
Despite these comprehensive results, the city frankly identifies several weaknesses:
- Awareness and Responsibility: A segment of local governments and businesses still prioritizes economic growth at all costs, not fully valuing the principle of "not trading the environment for development".
- Environmental Infrastructure: Investment in urban wastewater and domestic waste treatment is slow compared to the pace of urbanization. Source-sorting of waste, while having high participation, is not yet fully effective due to a lack of synchronized processing infrastructure post-collection.
- Resources: Annual funding allocated for EP and CC response, while guaranteed at over 1% of the budget, only meets approximately 30% of actual needs.
- State Management: Specialized inspection forces are thin, and coordination between departments in sharing environmental data and information lacks synchronization.
From over 13 years of implementation, Hai Phong has drawn 7 valuable lessons, emphasizing the central role of the people and the exemplary responsibility of leaders.
Looking toward 2050, the city aims for Net Zero emissions, where citizens live in a clean, safe environment highly adaptive to CC. Future core tasks include:
- Environment Creation: Shifting from passive protection to proactive environment creation through a circular economy.
- Management Digitization: Building a national monitoring system and synchronized database for resources and the environment.
- Green Industry: Firmly rejecting projects with pollution risks and promoting eco-labeling for the city's signature products.
- Heritage Conservation: Absolutely protecting the core zone of the Cat Ba World Natural Heritage site and restoring marine and mangrove ecosystems.
- Conclusion and Recommendations
Hai Phong recommends that the Central Government soon issue a new Resolution on EP and CC response to replace Resolution 24, aligning it with the current context. Additionally, emission and environmental targets should be included in the criteria for evaluating the performance of local leaders.
In summary, the implementation of Resolution No. 24-NQ/TW in Hai Phong has been a journey of immense effort, turning harsh natural challenges into motivation for a new development mindset. While some targets have not yet reached expectations, with the infrastructure foundation laid and the "Hai Phong - Convergence - Radiance" orientation in a green development space, the city is confident in its goal of becoming a sustainable, modern, and civilized port city in the future.