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| Standing Vice Chairman of the city People’s Committee Hoang Hai Minh |
The conference was attended by Standing Vice Chairman of the city People’s Committee Hoang Hai Minh, along with representatives from ministries, agencies, and local authorities.
Practical significance for the city’s green and sustainable development goals
In his opening remarks, Standing Vice Chairman Hoang Hai Minh stated that the TVA Project has had practical significance for Hue’s green and sustainable development goals. The project has contributed to noticeable changes in community awareness and action regarding waste sorting at source and plastic waste reduction through a range of practical initiatives.
In particular, the active participation of residents and businesses has demonstrated a growing sense of community responsibility. What began as an environmental project is gradually helping shape a green, civilised, and sustainable lifestyle for Hue. Thanks to these efforts, Hue was honoured by WWF as “National Green City 2026.”
Pham Cong Phuoc, Vice Chairman of Dan Dien Commune People’s Committee, noted that with support from the TVA Project, local authorities launched the Ngu My Thanh plastic-reduction tourism site. Eight tourism and service businesses in the area also committed to reducing plastic waste in their operations. The project additionally created over 500 square metres of mural art in Cu Lac and Ngu My Thanh villages, transforming public spaces into environmental awareness messages for residents and visitors.
“The project implemented coordinated and sustainable activities that improved community awareness of waste sorting and plastic reduction while enhancing local waste collection systems,” Mr Pham Cong Phuoc shared.
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| Schools participate in building “Plastic-reduced schools” |
Mr Nguyen Vinh Hung, Deputy Director of the city Department of Education and Training, explained that schools were identified as a key foundation for changing behaviour and fostering sustainable green habits among students and teachers, with wider influence on the community. Throughout the project period, the education sector has worked closely with the TVA Project to pilot and successfully encourage 54 schools to participate in the “Plastic-reduced School” model. In 2026, the “Global Citizens Leading in Plastic Reduction” competition opened to 60 schools, attracting over 100 teachers and 500 core student participants.
“The Department of Education and Training has also outlined four strategic priorities moving forward: maintaining, standardising, and expanding the plastic-reduced school model; integrating sustainability more deeply into educational programs; empowering students as 'agents of change'; strengthening intersectoral cooperation and mobilising social resources to build a sustainable green education ecosystem,” Mr. Nguyen Vinh Hung said.
More than 900 tons of plastic waste have been reduced
The TVA Project began in 2021 with funding from the Norwegian people through WWF-Norway and WWF-Vietnam, and was implemented by the City People’s Committee. Its goal is to help protect rivers, wetlands, and coastal ecosystems from plastic pollution while developing Hue into a model plastic-reduced city in Central Vietnam.
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| The conference provided an opportunity to reflect on 5 years of implementing solutions to reduce plastic pollution in Hue |
In 2021, the city officially joined WWF International’s Plastic Smart Cities Programme. Since then, the TVA roadmap focused on five core goals, including: improving policy and stakeholder participation; reducing plastic waste generation; reducing waste leakage during collection and transportation; increasing recovery and recycling rates; improving waste treatment and disposal.
After five years, the TVA Project achieved significant results, contributing to positive changes in solid waste management and plastic pollution reduction across the city. Specifically, the project helped prevent 933.6 tons of plastic waste from leaking into the natural environment. Household waste sorting at source has now been implemented across 100% of the city, helping establish waste-sorting habits within the community. The project also supported waste collection infrastructure and equipment, including garbage compactor trucks, storage containers, and post-sorting collection solutions. The total value of donated equipment and materials amounted to approximately 26 billion VND.
In addition, the project strongly promoted plastic-reduced tourism models, with hundreds of tourism and service businesses participating, simultaneously developing and implementing community-based low-plastic tourism destinations and tours. Waiting stations combined with free water refill stations were also established to encourage residents and tourists to reduce single-use plastic consumption.
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| The project has contributed to changing community awareness and behaviour regarding plastic reduction, particularly among young people |
Speaking at the conference, Ms Nguyen Thi Dieu Thuy, Director of the Ocean Programme at WWF-Vietnam, stated that: “After five years of implementation, the TVA Project has not only delivered concrete results in reducing plastic waste, but has also contributed to changing community awareness and behaviour, laying the foundation for Hue’s continued development as a green and sustainable city. The project’s success demonstrates the power of collaboration between government authorities, international organisations, businesses, and local communities in addressing environmental pollution challenges, particularly plastic pollution.”
Mr Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, Director of the Department of International Cooperation (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), stated that plastic pollution is not only an environmental issue. It is a test of urban governance capacity, a measure of social responsibility, and also an expression of how we choose the future development for future generations. In this context, the city has chosen to take a pioneering role by mobilising the participation of communities, businesses, schools, and social organisations. Hue has gradually developed a plastic-reduced urban model with a distinct identity, harmonizing heritage preservation, green development, and improving the quality of life for its residents.
Standing Vice Chairman of the city People’s Committee, Hoang Hai Minh, affirmed that the city is committed to continuing its cooperation with local authorities, businesses, organisations, and communities to ensure that plastic-reduction initiatives become regular and long-term activities. This will contribute to improving environmental quality and strengthening Hue’s image as a friendly, green, sustainable, and environmentally responsible city in the eyes of tourists and international friends.