The Green Economy Forum (GEF) 2025 officially opened this morning in Hanoi, co-organised by EuroCham Vietnam and VIETRADE under the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The event welcomed distinguished guests including of leaders from the Vietnamese authorities, EU Delegation and diplomatic corps representatives, CEOs, investors, and sustainability strategists from Europe, Southeast Asia, and across Vietnam.
This year’s Forum opens against the backdrop of an exceptionally volatile climate year. In his welcome remarks, EuroCham Chairman Bruno Jaspaert highlighted that Vietnam has already experienced 14 typhoons in 2025, with the 15th approaching. These extreme weather events have caused an estimated 3.22 billion USD in economic losses as of 24 November, making it one of the most severe damages in half a century. Mr. Jaspaert emphasised that “green transition is a must-win battle,” noting that Vietnam’s economic ambitions cannot be sustained without a decisive shift towards long-term climate resilience and sustainable development.
At the Plenary session, Mr Jaspaert also announced the remarkable success of EuroCham’s rapid “50 for 1” solidarity campaign, through which the European business community contributed 70,000 USD (approximately 1.83 billion VND) within just 24 hours to support recovery efforts in Central Vietnam. This response, he said, reflects the deep commitment of European enterprises to Vietnam’s sustainable development.
VIETRADE Director General Vũ Bá Phú called for deeper EU–Vietnam cooperation in digitalisation, green skills, and investment to accelerate sustainable growth. EU Ambassador Julien Guerrier reinforced the EU’s long-term commitment to Vietnam through initiatives such as the Green Deal, JETP, and Global Gateway, noting that EU companies “stand by Vietnam’s side in building its future.”
The morning also featured a leadership keynote by Dale Hardcastle of Bain & Company, presenting insights from the Southeast Asia Green Economy Report 2025, and a practical industry perspective from Arthur Neeteson of APM Terminals (part of Maersk Group), who stressed that decarbonisation can go hand-in-hand with efficiency and competitiveness. A high-level panel moderated by EuroCham Vice-Chair Erick Contreras brought together all speakers in the morning session and Ms Loan Pham of BNP Paribas Vietnam for a dynamic discussion on resilience as a strategic advantage for Vietnam.
GEF 2025 now transitions into an afternoon of 9 deep-dive conference sessions and 3 interactive workshops in the afternoon. These discussions will explore Vietnam’s priority sustainability areas – clean energy, green finance, urban development, sustainable agriculture, AI and workforce readiness, water resilience, and green manufacturing. Each session is designed to translate global insights into practical steps that Vietnamese businesses, policymakers, and communities can implement today.
A comprehensive GEF 2025 Report will be published by EuroCham Vietnam, consolidating key takeaways, policy recommendations, and forward-looking insights from all sessions.
For a live update of everything that happens at GEF 2025, please kindly follow our file for GEF 2025 Live Updated in the Press Kit: GEF 2025 Press Kit
For any inquiries or to request interviews, please contact Ms. Tram, Media & Communications Officer, via tram.hoang@eurochamvn.org.
Additionally, we would very much appreciate you sending us any content you create regarding the event.
Thank you for your interest and support in shaping changes and building green futures!
Warmest regards,
The EuroCham Vietnam Team
