The Vietnam General Department of Environment and the KoreaEnvironmental Industry and Technology Institute (KEITI) signed amemorandum of understanding on environmental industry in Hanoi onNov. 21.

KEITI and the Korea EnvironmentalProtection Association also inked cooperative agreements with Vietnam’s Association of Environmental Industry and the Association of UrbanEnvironment and Industrial Zones.

At the signingceremony, a seminar on Vietnam-RoK environmental cooperation was heldwith the participation of representatives from 17 leading RoKbusinesses.

The participants analysed the realsituation of environmental cooperation between the two countries overthe past time and future prospects, the development of environmentaltechnology and industry in Vietnam as well as the country’s policieson this field.

According to Ass. Prof. Dr. BuiCach Tuyen, Deputy Minister of the Natural Resources and Environment(MoNRE), since the 8 th Environmental Ministers’ Meeting in Seoul inApril 2011, the MoNRE and KEITI have cooperated in developing humanresources and improving environmental management capacity in Vietnamthrough training programmes and projects on environmental technologyresearch and development.

Under the MoU, theVietnamese and RoK businesses will jointly build an environmentaltechnology and industry market with strong participation of foreignpartners.

According to a survey by the Ministry ofIndustry and Trade , Vietnam sees a large potential for developingthe environmental industry as solid waste discharged increases by 7percent annually.

Solid waste treatment isestimated to cost 2.34 trillion VND per year and the figure may reach3.9 trillion VND per year in the years to come./.