Hanoi (VNA) – The Week of Urban Green Growth Vietnam 2015 was launched on November 4 in Hanoi as part of the activities to celebrate the Vietnam Urban Day (November 8).
Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Construction Phan Thi My Linh stressed the importance of both economic and environmental targets in urban green growth in order to ensure sustainable development.
It is necessary to adjust urban growth models and develop strategies, implementation roadmaps and measures for each city, she noted.
According to Linh, the construction sector has so far implemented comprehensive measures in many fields towards green growth.
After the Green Growth Strategy was issued in 2013, the Ministry of Construction together with the Association of Cities of Vietnam (ACVN), the Vietnam Urban Planning and Development Association (VUPDA) launched the programme on developing urban green growth across the nation.
As of October, Vietnam had had 788 cities with the urbanisation rate of 35.2 percent. The average economic growth in urban areas is between 10-15 percent, almost doubling the figure of the nation.
They have also contributed 70-75 percent of the total national GDP. More than half of which comes from the five centrally-run cities, namely Hanoi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho.-VNA