On the afternoon of January 22, 2025, in Hanoi, the 4th Technical Working Group meeting on Energy Efficiency was held under the co-chairmanship of Ms. Nguyen Thi Lam Giang, Director General of the Department of Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Development (Ministry of Industry and Trade), and Mr. Patrick Haverman, Deputy Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam. This activity is part of the Vietnam Energy Partnership Group (VEPG) collaboration framework.

The meeting focused on two main topics: amending the Law on Energy Efficiency and Conservation Usage and the energy-saving fund model, as well as carbon credits and greenhouse gas inventory in the industry and trade sector. The meeting also discussed and proposed key themes for the Technical Working Group 4 in 2025 and suggested new specialized task forces.

Energy saving is considered a unique energy resource. The economical and efficient use of energy significantly contributes to ensuring national energy security, driving economic and social development, conserving energy resources, protecting the environment, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and mitigating the global impacts of climate change.

In her remarks, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lam Giang, Director General of the Department of Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Development (Ministry of Industry and Trade), highly appreciated the role and active operations of the VEPG Technical Working Group 4 over the past period. She emphasized the close, proactive, and positive coordination between the Department and development partners, which has significantly contributed to promoting energy efficiency, meeting emission reduction targets, and enhancing the effective use of resources.

At the meeting, participants listened to presentations by representatives of the Department of Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Development (Ministry of Industry and Trade) on the orientation for amending and supplementing provisions of the Law on Energy Efficiency and Conservation Usage and the greenhouse gas emission reduction plan for the industry and trade sector through 2025 and 2026–2030. In addition, the Danish Energy Agency's presentations on Denmark's experience establishing and operating an energy efficiency fund and Australia's experience supporting greenhouse gas inventory reporting attracted significant interest from the attendees.

During the meeting, delegates spent considerable time summarizing and discussing the 2025 work plan, focusing on key objectives such as: agreeing on priority topics for Technical Working Group 4 in 2025, forming new specialized task forces, and finalizing the group's operational plan for the year.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lam Giang, Director General of the Department of Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Development, Ministry of Industry and Trade, concluded the meeting by praising the preparation for the event. She emphasized that the discussions had covered many valuable topics, particularly the insights shared by representatives from Denmark and Australia, which Vietnam could reference.Ms. Nguyen Thi Lam Giang expressed her confidence that the 4th Technical Working Group on Energy Efficiency will continue to operate effectively and achieve its goals.

"The path to net-zero emissions remains long and challenging, requiring efforts not only from the Vietnamese government but also close collaboration with international development partners, ensuring adherence to commitments such as those in the political declaration on the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). Given the current international attention and support for Vietnam's energy sector, I believe that policy exchange platforms such as the VEPG and, in particular, the Energy Efficiency group, play an essential and necessary role," emphasized Ms. Nguyen Thi Lam Giang.