On 28 January 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City, the Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority (HEPZA), in cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), organised a technical exchange meeting on promoting eco-industrial park development. The event brought together representatives from government authorities, international organisations, technical experts, and industrial park infrastructure developers.

As a co-organiser of the event, Mr. Hieda Shunsuke, Head of Advisory for Eco-Industrial Parks at JICA, presented the agency’s technical assistance project supporting the transformation of Phu My 3 Industrial Park into an eco-industrial park. His presentation highlighted support measures related to eco-industrial park management and smart operation, while also sharing Japan’s international experience—particularly successful models of industrial symbiosis and model eco-industrial parks. Mr. Hieda emphasised the importance of multi-stakeholder cooperation and the role of public authorities in creating an enabling environment for enterprises and infrastructure developers to implement green transformation in an effective and sustainable manner.

Within the framework of UNIDO’s ongoing technical collaboration with JICA on eco-industrial parks, Ms. Nguyen Tram Anh, National Project Manager of the Global Eco-Industrial Parks Programme (GEIPP) in Viet Nam, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), participated in the workshop to share experience and deliver a presentation entitled “Implementing Eco-Industrial Parks in Viet Nam.”

In her presentation, Ms. Tram Anh provided an overview of the Global Eco-Industrial Parks Programme in Viet Nam, which has been implemented continuously from the pilot phase to the present with funding from the Swiss Government through the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), in close coordination with Vietnamese government authorities. Over the past ten years, the programme has made significant contributions to strengthening Viet Nam’s policy framework on eco-industrial parks—most notably through the integration of the eco-industrial park approach into Decree No. 35/2022/ND-CP and Circular No. 05/2025/TT-BKHDT—along with technical guidance on solid waste reuse, industrial symbiosis, resource-efficient and cleaner production, and monitoring and evaluation systems.

The presentation also shared practical results from implementing eco-industrial park models at several representative industrial parks, including DEEP C, Hiep Phuoc, Amata, Nam Cau Kien, and VSIP Bac Ninh. These experiences demonstrate that solutions for resource efficiency and industrial symbiosis not only deliver environmental benefits but also help enterprises reduce costs, enhance competitiveness, and better meet international market requirements.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Bui Minh Tri, Head of HEPZA, reaffirmed the role of eco-industrial parks in Ho Chi Minh City’s sustainable industrial development strategy. He also emphasised HEPZA’s commitment to accompanying industrial parks and enterprises through policy coordination, technical support, and strengthened international cooperation.

As part of the programme, participants took part in a field visit to Phu My 3 Industrial Park (Ba Ria – Vung Tau), where they observed key infrastructure and technical solutions supporting the eco-industrial park transition. These included power substations; monitoring and management systems for electricity, water, wastewater, and solar power; the central wastewater treatment plant; and an operating manufacturing facility within the industrial park.

Through the exchanges and discussions, participants agreed that eco-industrial parks represent a correct and inevitable development pathway, aligned with global trends in sustainable industrial development, the circular economy, and international environmental commitments. Proactively seizing opportunities and implementing timely transitions will enable industrial parks and enterprises to enhance competitiveness, reduce risks, and capitalise on emerging opportunities amid the accelerating global green transition.