 |
| Tourists experience ecotourism at Tam Giang Lagoon. Photo: Hien Luong |
In recent years, environmental protection has become one of the key pillars of sustainable development, closely linked to people’s quality of life and the competitiveness of each locality. In Viet Nam, the introduction of the Provincial Environmental Protection Index (PEPI) has provided a comprehensive and objective tool for measuring the effectiveness of environmental management at the provincial and municipal levels.
Based on PEPI results published from 2020 to 2024, the former Thua Thien Hue Province, now the centrally-governed Hue City, has demonstrated a persistent, clear, and breakthrough process of improvement, rising to become the national leader in environmental protection.
PEPI - a scale for the effectiveness of local environmental management
PEPI is developed and annually published by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) for all 63 provinces and centrally governed municipalities. The index is designed to assess the implementation of environmental protection objectives and tasks, while also reflecting public satisfaction with the quality of the living environment.
The PEPI structure comprises three main groups of indicators, with a maximum total score of 100 points: (1) results in performing state management tasks on environmental protection; (2) outcomes in environmental, ecosystem, and climate protection; and (3) the level of public satisfaction with the quality of the living environment. This approach enables PEPI not only to reflect governmental management efforts, but also to measure their real-world impacts on society.
A solid foundation in the early years
The year 2020 marked the first nationwide implementation of the PEPI Index. Amid numerous challenges related to data availability, methodology, and implementation capacity, the 2020 PEPI results played a role in establishing a general baseline for environmental protection across localities.
According to the published results, Hue was in the group of localities rated as fairly good, not among the low-performing group, indicating that it already possessed a relatively solid foundation in environmental management and protection. This was the outcome of a long-term process of integrating environmental protection with heritage conservation, sustainable tourism development, and the preservation of distinctive urban landscapes.
By 2021, PEPI results showed a nationwide trend of an increasing number of localities achieving good ratings, while the number of average-performing localities declined sharply. Within this trend, Hue continued to maintain a stable position, gradually improving its component indicators, particularly those related to living environment quality and community participation.
Consolidation and breakthrough
The period from 2022 to 2023 is regarded as a phase in which Hue clearly accelerated its environmental protection efforts. A range of synchronized solutions was implemented, from controlling pollution sources and managing domestic solid waste, to protecting water resources and conserving forest and lagoon ecosystems.
The 2023 PEPI results clearly reflected these efforts. Hue scored 62.80 points, ranking 5th out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide. This marked the first time Hue officially entered the group of localities with high environmental protection performance, surpassing many areas with larger economic scales.
This ranking was not merely technical recognition; it also demonstrated the effectiveness of a development model that places the environment, heritage, and residents’ quality of life at its core. Indicators related to environmental quality, ecosystem protection, and public satisfaction all showed marked improvement.
Towards the top position nationwide
The year 2024 marked an important milestone when Hue achieved 80,63 points, ranking first among the 63 provinces and cities, becoming the national leader in environmental protection performance according to the PEPI Index, as stipulated in Decision No. 5848/QĐ-BNNMT dated December 31st, 2025, issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment on the approval and publication of the 2024 environmental protection performance evaluation results for centrally governed provinces and municipalities.
The score gap between Hue and the localities ranked below highlights Hue’s comprehensive breakthrough, rather than improvement in just a few isolated indicators. This result reflects the sustained efforts of the entire political system, effective coordination among levels and sectors, as well as broad consensus and active public participation in environmental protection.
The fact that Hue City ranked first and Da Nang City ranked second in the 2024 PEPI rankings also demonstrates a positive trend in the Central Key Economic Region, which is gradually asserting a pioneering role in ecological urban development and climate change adaptation.
A vision for sustainable development
Leading the 2024 PEPI rankings carries significance beyond mere placement; it affirms Hue’s long-term development orientation. In its journey toward becoming a centrally governed municipality, Hue has clearly identified the environment as one of its core pillars, closely linked with heritage conservation, cultural development, and sustainable tourism.
The PEPI results show that Hue has successfully integrated socio-economic development with environmental protection, landscape preservation, nature conservation, and improvements in residents’ quality of life. This forms the foundation for Hue to move toward its goal of becoming a heritage, cultural, ecological, and landscape-oriented city that is environmentally friendly and worthy of its status as a distinctive national cultural and tourism center.
Looking back on the 2020 - 2024 period, Hue’s environmental protection journey has been one of continuous, in-depth, and strategic improvement. From a fairly good group in the early years of PEPI implementation, Hue gradually rose into the high-performing group and ultimately claimed the top position nationwide.
This achievement is not only a source of local pride, but also evidence of a development model that places the environment and people at its center. In the context of accelerating climate change and urbanization, the 2024 PEPI achievement will serve as an important foundation for Hue to continue maintaining its pioneering role and contributing to the country’s shared sustainable development goals.
Story: Dr. NGUYEN DINH