A Green Vietnam is taking shape

The Green Vietnam 2025 Festival has ended, but the answer to a green future is clearer than ever. Green Vietnam shows that more and more people are interested in participating, along with the efforts being multiplied.

After two days of the festival, the total amount of recycled plastic waste collected was about more than 5,400 units, with more than 3,200 units of batteries of all kinds and more than 200kg of paper/box - Photo: HUU HANH

About 20,000 people came to the festival to experience green products. Meanwhile, businesses simultaneously introduced green technology, management agencies made strong commitments on sustainable transformation...

Fix small habits, make big changes

Taking advantage of Sunday morning, Mr. Cong Hung (resident of Duc Nhuan ward, Ho Chi Minh City) came to the festival early, patiently lining up to experience the green living spaces. He brought with him a large bag containing nearly 100 old batteries, the product of his 13-year-old daughter who patiently collected and accumulated them over more than a year.

He said that before, his family was not very interested in green living, only stopping at not littering. Since his daughter entered 4th grade and started attending green living classes, they have turned back to "putting pressure back" on their parents to live green. Living green for Mr. Hung is very simple, just trying to limit the use of disposable plastic items, plastic bags... as much as possible. If they have to use plastic bags, they wash them, dry them for reuse.

Ms. Duong Thi Kim Anh (57 years old, living in Phu Lam ward) said she did not calculate the money spent when hiring a motorbike taxi, nor did she exchange the discarded batteries for gifts. She came because she really wanted to ask the festival to help collect nearly 50 old batteries that she had collected over a long period of time.

Previously, instead of throwing used batteries straight into the trash, Ms. Anh reminded her children and grandchildren to put the batteries in plastic bottles. When she came to the festival, she witnessed the recycling process with her own eyes, which made Ms. Anh feel sad.

She will tell her grandchildren so that they can understand the process and time it takes for a plastic bag or plastic bottle to decompose, thereby understanding the value of green living and reducing plastic waste.

Many young families brought their children to join the Green Vietnam Festival. For them, Green Vietnam is not just a festival or an ordinary event, but a space and catalyst for the whole family to bond more through a greener lifestyle.

Pressure from the market, businesses must be "green"

A recent survey by NielsenIQ in collaboration with the Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development shows that 72% of Vietnamese consumers are willing to pay more for green products. However, only about 12-18% of people in big cities like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City maintain daily green consumption habits.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre, Mr. Le Viet Dong Hieu, Deputy Marketing Director of Duy Tan Recycled Plastic Joint Stock Company, said that sustainable consumption, prioritizing green, environmentally friendly products, is a popular trend in the market. However, the production cost for products using recycled materials is still higher than that of virgin materials (due to the complex processing process, modern technology requirements, and strict quality control), which partly limits the "green consumption trend".

Some solutions proposed by Mr. Hieu to increase competition with recycled products are: increasing production scale, stabilizing supply sources, perfecting the collection system... More importantly, the environmental costs and brand image of using virgin materials are increasing, so the trend of switching to recycling is inevitable.

Mr. Khuat Quang Hung, Deputy General Director in charge of external affairs and communications of Nestlé Vietnam , shares the view that green products and sustainable consumption are the market trend. Therefore, the transition from a linear economy (exploitation, processing to disposal) to a circular economy is an inevitable trend. This transition also helps businesses increase their competitive advantage, be proactive in sustainable development and green transformation.

"Green manufacturing can help reduce production and operating costs, optimize resource use, and increase productivity. Thereby creating competitive advantages for businesses," said Mr. Hung.

Meaningful results

After two days, the total number of visitors participating in the Green Vietnam Festival 2025 (initiated by Tuoi Tre newspaper, Department of Climate Change - Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and Vietnam Packaging Recycling Alliance (PRO Vietnam), in coordination with accompanying units and businesses) reached about 20,000, with about 25,000 green gifts given away. The total amount of recycled plastic waste collected was about more than 5,400 units, with more than 3,200 units of batteries of all kinds, 200kg of paper/box.

Mega Livestream sessions on green products received more than 2.8 million views. More than 1,200 customers used the Green SM service with the Green Vietnam Festival discount code (15% off, up to 50,000 VND) to participate in the Green Vietnam Festival.

Many customers spend money on green products

Learn about electric motorbikes at Vinfast's booth - Photo: H.HANH

On November 16, Saigon Co.op's booth at the festival was bustling thanks to the continuous interactive activities. Saigon Co.op also "offered" to customers many green, environmentally friendly products such as plates, cups, environmentally friendly paper straws, biodegradable wet tissues, VietGAP-certified vegetables with Green Tick of Responsibility, bamboo baskets...

Talking to Tuoi Tre, a representative of Saigon Co.op said that during the two days of the event with eight rounds of organizing a series of games such as taking photos to check-in, following fanpages and spinning the lucky wheel, answering questions, it is estimated that there were thousands of visitors and about 800 - 900 gifts sent to guests. Of which, on November 15 alone, there were more than 2,000 visitors with more than 500 gifts given out.

Entering the second day of the program, the booth for exchanging gasoline cars for electric cars was also bustling. Mr. Nguyen Van Hoang (nearly 70 years old, residing in Chanh Hung ward, Ho Chi Minh City) said he decided to come to the festival because he wanted to "exchange gasoline cars for electric cars".

According to Mr. Hoang, his motorbike was appraised by the stall at 5.8 million VND and he paid extra to get a 70cc motorbike, which cost more than 20 million VND (including documents and other expenses). "I paid extra but the price is reasonable, the decision is in line with my family's wishes so I'm happy. Electric motorbikes are easy to use so the whole family can use them, whoever needs them can use them, it's also convenient for short trips in the city", Mr. Hoang said.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre, Mr. Truong Thanh Dai, Sales Director of Vinfast Saigon South, said that during the two days of the event, there were about 500 customers who came to visit, learn about the service, and choose to exchange gasoline cars for electric cars, and exchange old cars for new cars. Accordingly, during the two days of the event, the unit sold about 50 new cars, and exchanged old cars for new ones for 15-20 cars. "Not only for sales, the unit participates in the program with the goal of spreading more about the policy and the advantages of electric cars. Previously, the unit has participated in similar programs many times and will continue to participate in the future," Mr. Dai affirmed.

The role of national strategies in green transition

Speaking to Tuoi Tre, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Dinh Tho, Deputy Director of the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Agriculture and Environment, said that promoting economic growth while protecting the environment is an urgent requirement. Because Vietnam is facing three crises related to climate change, environmental pollution and biodiversity loss. Building appropriate strategies, applying green technology and a circular economic model will help reduce emissions, optimize resource use and protect long-term benefits for the economy.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Dinh Tho, national policies on agriculture and the environment play a "pillar" role. Successful implementation of this strategy not only helps reduce production costs and save energy, but also creates momentum for the development of the green consumer market, contributing to the goal of sustainable GDP growth in the long term.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/mot-viet-nam-xanh-dang-thanh-hinh-20251116221541604.htm