From September 8 to 15, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) worked with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and Finland’s Sitra Innovation Fund to conduct a series of meetings and field visits in Ha Noi and surrounding provinces.

The mission aimed to discuss the future development of eco-industrial parks (EIPs) in Viet Nam and to prepare a new EU-supported cooperation program designed to scale up the model nationwide.

As one of the earliest international partners supporting Viet Nam’s industrialization since 1978, UNIDO pioneered the introduction of the EIP concept and model to the country. Through the Global Eco-Industrial Parks Programme (GEIPP), which is implemented by UNIDO with the Ministry of Finance as the national lead and funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the organization has accumulated more than a decade of experience in promoting EIPs in Viet Nam. Results from pilot industrial parks show that the model helps save resources, reduce emissions, and strengthen enterprise competitiveness, contributing to the country’s green-growth and sustainable-development goals.

During the mission, the delegation visited DEEP C Industrial Park in Hai Phong, one of GEIPP’s six pilot parks, and Industrial Park No. 5 in Hung Yen, a conventional IP. The contrast between these two sites offered valuable insights into the opportunities and challenges of scaling up EIPs across a national network of roughly 400 industrial parks, where application of the model is still at an early stage.

For the first time, GIZ and Sitra joined the EIP development process in Viet Nam, bringing new perspectives and solutions for the green transition and circular economy. The collaboration is expected to unlock innovative initiatives, financing sources, and breakthrough policy mechanisms to help industrial parks shift toward the EIP model and advance Viet Nam’s journey toward a greener, more sustainable industrial future.