Vietnam PM to attend COP28, visit Turkey

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, his spouse, and a high-ranking delegation will attend the 28th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) and pay an official visit to Turkey from November 29 to December 3.

The trip will be made at the invitation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government, the host of the COP28, and the Turkish government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an announcement late Friday.

Chinh and his entourage will also have several bilateral activities in the UAE.

COP28 priorities and Vietnam’s Net Zero commitment

COP28, which will take place in the UAE’s Dubai between November 30 and December 12, is expected to draw the participation of over 70,000 delegates, including heads of states and governments, world leaders from 197 nations, non-governmental organizations, businesses, private sector representatives, academics, and other stakeholders.

Some of COP28's priorities are to further reduce emissions; respond to climate change; secure climate financing; and perfect carbon trading mechanisms, among others, according to Vietnam’s foreign ministry.

As mandated by the Paris Climate Agreement, COP28 UAE will deliver the first ever Global Stocktake - a comprehensive evaluation of progress against climate goals.

The COP28 summit, scheduled for December 1-2, is expected to be joined by heads of states and governments. Its aim is to create a venue for participants to announce stronger commitments and actions for the implementation of the Paris Agreement, a legally binding international treaty on climate change, adopted at COP21 in 2015.

Chinh led a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to attend COP26 in the UK in 2021, where he announced Vietnam’s commitment to bring its net emissions to zero by 2050.

Since then, the International Partners Group (IPG) signed a $15.5-billion Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), the third of its kind globally, with Vietnam in December 2022 to support the country to deliver on its ambitious Net Zero 2050 goal.

The Vietnamese government in May adopted the National Power Development Plan VIII for the 2021-2030 period, widely known as PDP8, after several delays to align with the COP26 commitments.

Vietnam-Turkey relations

Vietnam and Turkey established diplomatic relations in June 1978, setting up their respective embassies in 2003 and 1997. The two sides are working on establishing a Turkish consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.

Turkish is one of Vietnam’s leading trade partners in the Middle East and serves as a gateway for Vietnamese exports to the region and southern Europe. Bilateral trade topped $2 billion in 2022, with Vietnam exporting $1.6 billion worth of goods.

As of October, Turkey had 36 valid investments worth a combined $974.3 million in Vietnam, ranking 26th among 143 countries and territories investing in the latter. The biggest Turkish investment is a $250-million plant to produce detergents and toilet paper in the southern province of Binh Phuoc.

In August, the Vietur consortium led by IC Ictas under Turkey’s IC Holdings won a bid to build a passenger terminal worth VND35 trillion ($1.44 billion) for the colossal Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai province, next to HCMC.

Around 200 Vietnamese nationals live in Turkey. After Turkey was hit by an earthquake in February, Vietnam donated $100,000 and sent two rescue teams to help.