Vietnam strongly committed to climate change response: PM Chinh

Speaking to the Vietnamese community in the U.K., where he is visiting to attend the U.N. event in Scotland, he said climate change is a global issue and as a responsible member of the international community, Vietnam must have a strong commitment to fighting it though it still faces many difficulties itself.

He said he had met COP26 President Alok Sharma and discussed cutting emissions and told him that the transformation of energy sources in Vietnam must be appropriate for the country's situation and ensure social security for workers.

Vietnam had been involved in wars and faced energy shortages, and "how could we have developed our economy if we had not built coal-fired power plants since the hydropower capacity is limited?"

The life cycle of a coal-fired power plant is 10-20 years and when converting to a new energy source, there must be a roadmap to settle contracts with investors and employees, he said.

There are more than 100,000 employees in the coal industry.

"But it is not because of such challenges that Vietnam will not make committments to the international community or provide a roadmap toward 2050 to bring emissions to zero," Chinh said.

The PM had left for the U.K. on Sunday as the head of a delegation comprising officials from National Assembly committees and the ministries of defense, foreign affairs, environment, and finance.

At the annual event, he will attend the opening ceremony on Monday, deliver speeches and meet with foreign leaders, officials from international organizations and other important partners.

COP26 will be attended by around 30,000 delegates from all over the world, including over 100 national leaders.