Over the past five years, Vietnam has implemented many energy saving projects and programmes. Most notably, the project to improve the efficiency of using energy among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which was carried out by the Ministry of Science and Technology under the sponsorship of the Global Environment Fund and the UNDP, has contributed to promoting the establishment of an energy saving market.

The project has also helped SMEs save energy costs from 10-15 percent, improve output and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

Nguyen Ba Vinh, executive director of the project, said the market for energy saving services has taken shape through a series of projects that aim to provide enterprises with useful information, technical training and financial support.

At the seminar, UNDP Country Director Setsuko Yamazaki in Vietnam emphasized that carbon dioxide emissions in Vietnam remain low at the moment but will increase rapidly its economic growth. Therefore, it is necessary to support SMEs in applying new technologies in order to use and save energy effectively.

The event was co-organised by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and the UNDP.