A workshop on environmentally sustainable cities (ESC) in Vietnam was held?in Hanoi?on Thursday by the Institute of Science for Environmental Management under the Department of Environment (DOE) to promote green city construction.

The conference, attended by scientists and researchers in the field and representatives from the ASEAN-Japan program on environmentally sustainable cities, focused on the theory and practices about building ESC in Vietnam.

Vietnam has advantages in building ESC, including the increasing awareness of environmental protection and management at national and local levels, well-paid attention to responding to climate change and sea water rising that resulted in better protection and management of the environment, said Prof. Dr. Le Hong Ke from the Centre for Urban Environment Protection and Sustainable Development.

However, Ke said, there remain barriers to construction of ESC in Vietnam. Some of which are the lack of regulations on environmental protection towards sustainable development, incorrect know-how about the eco-system and environment, and shortage of training courses on environment protection and development at national and local levels. Projects on environmental protection planning are legally incomplete.

Shom Teoh, regional secretariat of ASEAN ESC Model Cities Program, introduced to participants ASEAN ESC model which has been implemented in 14 cities in eight countries of Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Participants heard Teoh to speak of the "waste bank" in Indonesia and the Muangklang urban quarter in Rayong of Thailand, where they use less carbon emitted transport means, quality water and power saving, and reduce the waste and treat organic waste, towards the target of becoming green, less carbon emitted, and sustainable cities by 2020.

Prof. Dr. Pham Ngoc Dang, president of the Vietnam Construction Environment Association, recommended a framework system of criteria for the ESC in Vietnam, including 24 criteria applied in eight areas.