Vietnam and the United Kingdom promote agricultural cooperation and green transition.

Vietnam and the UK are promoting cooperation in agriculture, environment, renewable energy, and green transition, aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050.

On December 15th, Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang received Mr. Iain Frew, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom to Vietnam, who visited and worked with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang received Mr. Iain Frew, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom to Vietnam, who visited and worked with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. Photo: Khuong Trung.

The meeting took place in a particularly significant context, as Vietnam and the UK had just officially upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership during General Secretary To Lam's visit to the UK in October 2025. This is considered an important milestone, demonstrating political trust, a long-term vision, and a determination to strengthen substantive cooperation between the two countries.

Speaking at the meeting, Minister Tran Duc Thang highly appreciated the practical cooperation results between Vietnam and the UK over the years, especially in the fields of agriculture and environment. According to the Minister, the two sides have effectively implemented many cooperation programs on sustainable transformation, adaptation to climate and ocean change, sustainable forest development, and biodiversity conservation. These results have made a significant contribution to the sustainable development goals of each country.

Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang. Photo: Khuong Trung.

In the field of meteorology and hydrology, Vietnam and the UK have also actively collaborated on research into forecasting models and the development of scenarios for responding to climate change, thereby contributing to improving forecasting capacity and mitigating natural disaster risks. Minister Tran Duc Thang expressed his sincere gratitude for the timely support of the British Government to Vietnam during the recent floods, and acknowledged the active cooperation of the British Embassy in Vietnam within the framework of the Disaster Risk Reduction Partnership Framework.

In the face of increasing challenges posed by climate change, Minister Tran Duc Thang emphasized the particularly important role of international cooperation. He expressed his belief that this meeting would be an opportunity for both sides to continue exchanging information, seeking common solutions to pressing environmental issues, and learning from the UK's experience in implementing green policies, from strategic planning and management to technology application, thereby adapting them to Vietnam's practical conditions.

Ambassador Iain Frew, the UK Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Vietnam, visited and worked with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. Photo: Khuong Trung.

Building on the solid foundation of cooperation already established, Vietnam wishes to further expand and strengthen cooperation with the UK in several key areas. Among these, cooperation in agricultural development, sustainable mineral exploitation, renewable energy development, and disaster prevention and mitigation are consistently identified as important priorities in bilateral relations.

During the meeting, Ambassador Iain Frew stated that the United Kingdom highly values ​​and wishes to continue strongly promoting cooperative relations with Vietnam. In the agricultural sector, bilateral trade has increased rapidly in recent years and there is still much potential to be exploited. The Ambassador expressed his hope that Vietnamese agricultural products could reach a wider range of British consumers, and also hoped that British products such as lamb and beef would have more opportunities to access the Vietnamese market.

Overview of the reception and working session. Photo: Khuong Trung.

According to Ambassador Iain Frew, both sides have many favorable conditions to continue opening up markets and promoting bilateral trade growth in a harmonious and mutually beneficial manner. In addition, the UK is ready to cooperate with Vietnam in implementing new initiatives in the field of low-carbon agriculture, contributing to achieving the goal of net-zero emissions while ensuring sustainable livelihoods for the people.

Further discussing the potential for bilateral cooperation, Minister Tran Duc Thang stated that Vietnamese and British goods are highly complementary. Besides agriculture, the UK has strengths in industry, while Vietnam has great potential in mineral extraction and processing. Vietnam hopes to receive support from the UK in developing advanced processing technologies, increasing added value, and promoting cooperation in the marine economy and renewable energy sectors, especially wind power, as well as developing policies for the carbon market.

Vietnam and the UK are promoting cooperation in agriculture, environment, renewable energy, and green transition, aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050. Photo: Khuong Trung.

Minister Tran Duc Thang also affirmed that, in addition to implementing the signed memoranda of understanding in the fields of agriculture and environment, the two sides will closely coordinate to fulfill the commitments in Article 4 of the Joint Declaration on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with a focus on cooperation in environment, energy and green transition. Vietnam and the UK reaffirmed their commitment to promoting a clean, equitable and sustainable energy transition, aiming for net emissions of “zero” by 2050.

Both sides agreed that, with the foundation of a comprehensive strategic partnership, Vietnam and the UK still have much room to expand substantive and effective cooperation, thereby contributing to realizing the sustainable development goals of each country in the future.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/viet-nam--vuong-quoc-anh-thuc-day-hop-tac-nong-nghiep-va-chuyen-doi-xanh-d789501.html