During her trip to Hue, Ms. Sandrine, a French tourist, and her group were amazed by how green the city was. With admiration, she asked: “What has enabled Hue to balance economic development with heritage and natural resource preservation?”

After the country was reunified, the Pioneering Youth force transitioned to a new mission: overcoming the consequences of war and contributing to economic development. In response to the revolutionary call at that time, Binh Tri Thien Province and Hue City established two Pioneering Youth regiments tasked with surveying, building roads, clearing land, and constructing homes to welcome thousands of families from Hue to settle in the southern regions and establish new Hue communities far from home. Among the many resettlement programs, one new homeland for Hue people was founded nearly half a century ago: the Huong Lam New Economic Zone (NEZ), now part of Da Lay Commune, Da Huai District, in the southern part of Lam Dong Province…

Concerns about losing the “green” image of the heritage-rich ancient capital were prevalent when Thua Thien Hue province began developing industrial and economic zones (IZs and EZs) decades ago. However, through the province’s meticulous selection process, many of these zones have flourished, proving the right direction and significantly contributing to job creation and socio-economic development.

Recently, the People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue province and the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham Vietnam) co-hosted a conference titled: “Green Transitioning for Economic Prosperity: Future for East-West Corridor”. Mr. John Rockhold, President of AmCham Vietnam, foreign diplomatic missions, businesses, experts, and investors from Vietnam, the United States, Laos, and Thailand attended the conference.

Evaluating and ranking the environmental quality in 63 provinces and cities) is an opportunity for Thua Thien Hue to recognize as well as have clearer orientations to planning a green growth strategy.