Growth Gateway: Vietnam sustainability opportunities (summary)
Published 17 September 2025
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Southeast Asia is poised to become the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2030, with Vietnam playing an important role. Despite rapid development, Vietnam remains highly vulnerable to climate change, particularly in its agriculture sector, which still employs over a quarter of the population.
In response, Vietnam has committed to reducing emissions by 44% by 2030 through its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and National Adaptation Plan (NAP), focusing on sectors such as industry, agriculture, and land use.
The UK, through the Growth Gateway programme, has partnered with Vietnam to assess the socio-economic benefits of implementing these climate policies. The analysis estimates that full implementation of the NDC and NAP could generate 1 million to 1.5 million additional jobs and boost GDP by £11 billion to £13.4 billion by 2030.
Further ambition aligned with the 1.5°C climate target could yield an extra 250,000–300,000 jobs and £1.2 billion to £1.4 billion in GDP. These gains are concentrated in agriculture, energy, and industry, with significant benefits for women, rural communities, and MSMEs.
The analysis prioritised sectors based on their vulnerability and potential for climate impact, using ND-GAIN indicators. It also identified a robust pipeline of over 90 high-potential investment projects worth up to USD 210 million, including commercial and industrial solar, wind farms, sustainable packaging, electric vehicles, and precision agriculture. Notable examples include BUYO Bioplastics’ expansion in sustainable packaging and Selex Motors’ battery swapping system rollout.
In the journey towards achieving sustainability goals, FCDO will continue to partner closely with Vietnam. FCDO looks forward to exploring further trade and investment opportunities together with our partners in accelerating sustainable development that have significant impact on mitigation, adaptation, and resilience efforts.