On the morning of September 17, 2025, in Hanoi, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in collaboration with the World Bank, organized the training program “Capacity building on the development and implementation of energy efficiency policies and projects for local government agencies.” This activity is part of the project “Vietnam Scaling Up Energy Efficiency in Industry” (VSUEE).

The training program targets energy management officers at local Departments of Industry and Trade and provincial Industrial Promotion Centers, aiming to enhance state management capacity in promoting energy efficiency at the grassroots level. By updating and disseminating the policy and legal framework together with the practical context of energy efficiency in Vietnam, the program helps local officials effectively perform their responsibilities in energy management.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Hoang Viet Dung, Deputy Head of the Energy Efficiency and Green Transition Division, Innovation, Green Transition and Industrial Promotion Agency (Ministry of Industry and Trade), and VSUEE Project Coordinator, emphasized: “Over the years, the Government have consistently paid special attention to energy efficiency, considering it a key pillar to ensure national energy security and promote sustainable development. Notably, on August 20, 2025, the Politburo issued Resolution 70-NQ/TW on ensuring national energy security to 2030, with a vision to 2045. The Resolution clearly states that, to meet the requirements of rapid and sustainable national development, ensuring energy security plays a particularly important role. Energy must ‘take one step ahead,’ fully meeting the demands of socio-economic development and improving people’s livelihoods.”

Mr. Dung emphasized: “The organization of this training program is a concrete action to implement the orientations of Resolution 70-NQ/TW, transforming policies into practical actions at the local level. It also reaffirms Vietnam’s strong commitment to ensuring national energy security and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

He also shared the program’s content: “This training course is designed to directly support local officials, the key force in managing, supervising, and promoting energy efficiency at the grassroots level. Through the program, participants will be updated on the latest knowledge of the legal framework, resolutions, policies, and management tools in the energy sector. At the same time, the program equips them with essential skills to assess and monitor key energy users, as well as to identify, develop, and promote local energy efficiency projects. This will enable local authorities to implement legal regulations on energy efficiency better and foster the practical deployment of energy-saving solutions.”

The program emphasizes the role and responsibility of local authorities in supervising key energy users. It also provides participants with knowledge and skills to develop and implement energy efficiency strategies suited to local conditions. Particularly, participants are introduced to and practice using monitoring and calculation tools to evaluate the effectiveness of energy efficiency plans. This strengthens management capacity and supports localities in meeting national energy efficiency targets.

In addition to the Hanoi training for energy management officials from the Departments of Industry and Trade and Industrial Promotion Centers in the northern region, the VSUEE Project will organize similar training sessions for local agencies nationwide in the near future. Local officials are the key force in translating energy efficiency policies, resolutions, and laws into concrete and effective actions. Therefore, building their capacity is crucial to the successful implementation of energy efficiency policies in practice.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade expects that local officials will not only strengthen their capacity to fulfill state management functions in energy efficiency but also be able to advise, formulate, and implement energy efficiency plans tailored to their localities. At the same time, they can support local enterprises in shaping, developing, and implementing energy-saving projects, thereby contributing to national goals on energy security, greenhouse gas reduction, green transition, and sustainable development.