VZCZCXRO6119
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHCHI RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHDT RUEHFK RUEHFL RUEHHM
RUEHIK RUEHKSO RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHMA RUEHNAG RUEHNH
RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHHI #2053/01 3410945
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 070945Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6853
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 4040
RUEHZU/ASIAN PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0173
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 002053 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, EAP/EP, OES/EGC 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR ANE, G/ENV 
STATE PASS TO EPA/OIA (DENNIS CUNNINGHAM AND MARK KASMAN) 
STATE PASS TO NOAA/NOS/OIA (JONATHAN JUSTI) 
BANGKOK PASS TO RDMA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV ENRG ECON KGHG VM
SUBJECT: MONRE MINISTER DETAILS VIETNAMESE CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY 
 
Ref: A. State 159374 B. Hanoi 1867 
 
HANOI 00002053  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) On December 7, Ambassador Michalak met with Vietnamese 
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) Nguyen Khoi 
Pham to highlight U.S. efforts to combat climate change and our 
desire to play a productive role in the ongoing UN Climate 
Conference in Bali (ref A). Pham noted the likely severe impact of 
climate change on Vietnam and detailed Vietnam's efforts to respond 
and adapt to global warming.  Vietnam intended to play an active 
role in Bali and eagerly anticipated U.S. proposals.  Vietnam sought 
increased U.S. assistance for its efforts, though Pham noted 
disappointment with U.S. aid to date.  Pham confirmed that the GVN 
will produce a national action plan on climate change by the end of 
the year.  End Summary. 
 
Ambassador Michalak Stresses Global Effort 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶2. (SBU) Drawing from ref a, Ambassador Michalak noted the need for 
global solutions to climate change and emphasized that the United 
States intends to play an important role this international effort. 
International climate change policy should be environmentally 
effective and economically sustainable.  As climate change impacts 
all nations, all nations must participate in the effort to reduce 
emissions, while taking into account differing national 
circumstances.  The United States currently contributes to several 
regional efforts and Ambassador Michalak detailed bilateral 
cooperation between the United States and Vietnam, particularly 
USAID Eco-Asia programs to promote cleaner coal and compact 
fluorescent bulbs. 
 
Vietnamese Position at Bali 
--------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) MONRE Senior Vice-Minister Nguyen Cong Thanh will lead the 
Vietnamese delegation to Bali, which will participate actively in 
all Conference events, the Minister reported.  Vietnam fully 
supports the Kyoto Protocol, to which it was one of the first 
signatories, as a strong instrument to address climate change 
through 2012.  Though Kyoto did not require Vietnam to cut 
emissions, the Government of Vietnam (GVN) developed pro-active 
policies and guidelines to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and 
intended to present a MONRE-developed five point overview of 
domestic efforts to the Conference, which includes: 1) GVN 
legislation to implement the United Nations Framework Convention on 
Climate Change; 2) expansion of public awareness, education and 
capacity building; 3) improved research to evaluate economic impacts 
of climate change; 4) development of a National Action Plan to 
address the impacts of climate change; and 5) expanding 
international cooperation with donors. 
 
Vietnamese Expectations Regarding U.S. Bali Initiatives 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Pham hoped that the United States would propose post-Kyoto 
climate change initiatives and solutions that Vietnam could support. 
 At the same time, Pham urged the United States to increase 
technical and financial support for Vietnamese efforts to reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions and noted his disappointment with U.S. 
assistance to date. In particular, Pham requested assistance to help 
develop policies and legislation, increase education and build 
capacity, improve awareness of the issue (especially among 
Vietnamese policy-makers), and transfer modern emissions reduction 
technology. 
 
Vietnamese Response to Climate Change 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Pham remarked that international studies reported that 
Vietnam would be one of the four nations most severely impacted by 
climate change.  As such, Vietnamese scientists are calculating 
projected sea level increases and likely environmental and economic 
effects.  Pham noted that the GVN had already instituted 
"step-by-step" policies to address climate change through command 
and control measures, cleaner production incentives, and clean 
development mechanism (CDM) implementation.  The GVN has instructed 
energy intensive sectors to become more efficient, while switching 
 
HANOI 00002053  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
from coal inputs to natural gas. (Note: At the same time, the GVN's 
Energy Master Plan envisions doubling coal-fired energy capacity by 
2025 through the construction of thirty new coal plants (ref B).) 
The GVN also will discourage the development of heavy polluting 
industries and joint ventures that rely upon backward technology. 
Vietnam has begun instituting end-of-pipe measures to reduce 
emissions at factories and power plants, through financial support 
and tax incentives.  In addition to these carrots, Pham noted, the 
GVN also uses the stick, and has closed factories that do not comply 
with emissions limits.  (Note: Pham acknowledged that the GVN 
subsequently allowed high-emitting factories to reopen due to 
employment concerns, but claimed that the factories were required to 
limit production.) 
 
MONRE to Lead Efforts to Draft Climate Change Action Plan 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung recently assigned Pham 
responsibility to coordinate GVN efforts to draft the National 
Action Plan to respond to climate change.  The Action Plan will be 
drafted by an interagency task force headed by Pham and will detail 
Vietnamese strategies to adapt to global warming impacts on water 
resources, agriculture, forestry, energy, transportation, coastal 
zone management, human health, and aquaculture/fisheries. 
Ambassador Michalak noted that at a donor-GVN consultative group 
meeting earlier in the day, a group of donors had strongly 
encouraged the Prime Minister to use his leadership to strengthen 
Vietnamese efforts to control climate change and adapt to its 
impacts.  Pham stated that he hoped to have a draft Action Plan 
completed by the end of the year at which time MONRE will provide 
copies for donor review. 
 
MICHALAK