On May 27, 2025, Hanoi University of Civil Engineering (HUCE) and the German Energy Agency (DENA) organized a workshop with the theme "Enhancing capacity on energy efficiency in buildings in Vietnam: Towards sustainable urban development". The workshop is part of the "University Cooperation Program on Energy Efficiency in Buildings in Vietnam – VUCE program" funded by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany (FFO) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI), aiming to support universities in Vietnam to integrate sustainable and energy-saving construction solutions into long-term training programs, thereby contributing to reducing the environmental impact of the construction industry on climate and promoting the transition to green energy.
In his opening speech at the Workshop, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hoang Giang - Vice Rector of Hanoi University of Civil Engineering shared: Developing green buildings and improving energy efficiency is not only an inevitable trend but also an urgent requirement, in order to adapt to climate change and implement Vietnam's international commitments on carbon emission reduction. Hanoi University of Civil Engineering, with a strong team of leading experts in fields such as construction, architecture, environmental engineering, materials engineering, etc., has always been interested in and has had many projects and research cooperation programs on sustainable development and greening of construction works. Today's program is one of the events aimed at sharing the results of the pilot training course organized by HUCE and DENA on energy-saving building design and providing a platform for transferring the curriculum.
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hoang Giang - Vice Rector of Hanoi University of Civil Engineering, delivered the opening remarks at the workshop
Emphasizing the role of sustainable development, Mr. Ta Quoc Thang - Department of Architectural Planning (Ministry of Construction) said that the world is facing serious challenges due to climate change, depletion of natural resources and environmental pollution, and the countries around the world are increasingly aware of the importance of sustainable development. Vietnam is gradually affirming its strong commitment to developing green buildings and improving energy efficiency through the synchronous implementation of many strategic policies. However, to realize the set goals, it is still necessary to continue to improve the system of standards, strengthen financial incentive mechanisms, and raise public awareness.
At the workshop, A/Professor, Dr. Dang Thi Thanh Huyen - Faculty of International Training, HUCE highlighted the important results of the Block Seminar in March 2024, one part of the VUCE program with Dena. This training seminar provided practical knowledge on energy efficiency in construction works for students in different majors: Architecture, Construction Engineering, Environmental Engineering and Construction Materials. Notably, through group activities, with proposed project of renovation of the HUCE Dormitory toward low energy use. The students were successful to apply the updated information and knowledge from the Block Seminar to improve energy efficiency in the HUCE dorm via applying advanced building covers, LED lights, autoclaved aerated concrete materials, solar hot water systems, smart switches, etc.
Within the framework of the workshop, Vietnam and international experts shared their professional knowledge and practical experience in the implementation of projects in Vietnam and around the world. The Workshop held 2 parallel discussion sessions with the topics "Integrating energy efficiency in construction works into university training programs" and "Greening buildings in Vietnam: Renovation solutions towards a sustainable future". Vietnamese and German experts shared a lot of practical professional knowledge related to research, techniques and energy efficiency in construction works in Vietnam.
With panel 1, appreciating the importance of integrating energy efficiency into the training program in the sustainable development trend, A/Prof. Dr. Tran Ngoc Quang - Faculty of Environmental Engineering, HUCE, said that the biggest goal of integrating energy efficiency into the training program is to solve the problem of climate change and resource scarcity, especially to achieve the commitment of net zero emissions of the Vietnamese Government by 2050. In addition, to prepare students to enter the fields of sustainable development engineering, it is necessary to integrate energy efficiency into the training program. In particular, after completing the training program, students can apply standards and regulations on sustainable development; know how to analyze energy efficiency using simulation tools; design energy-saving construction systems. Additionally, according to A/Prof. Dr. Architect Hoang Manh Nguyen - Founding Chairman of the Institute of Green Urban Science and Technology, it is necessary to integrate the content of green architecture energy-saving design into the architect training program. Because most students already know about energy saving and green architecture, but their knowledge is still fragmented and unsystematic, while the need to learn about energy saving and green architecture is increasing, and the requirements are also increasing, especially in the fields of energy, water, planning, materials, and design.
Discussion session 2 on Greening buildings in Vietnam: Renovation solutions towards a sustainable future was coordinated by Mr. 𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗹𝗮𝘀 𝗦𝗻𝘆𝗱𝗲𝗿, Executive Director - Vietnam Green Building Council (VGBC). The speakers shared their extensive knowledge and valuable experiences in the renovation of construction works in Vietnam to improve energy efficiency. Mr. Tran Cong Duc, Chief Representative of GMP in Vietnam and Mr. Le 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝗶ê𝗻, 𝗕𝗼𝘆𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 introduced a number of solutions that have been proposed in projects implemented in Vietnam, and affirmed the importance of effective and aesthetically pleasing shading designs for building envelopes. These are the leading energy-saving cooling solutions in the hot and humid tropical climate of Vietnam. Mr. 𝗧𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗮𝘀 𝗞𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿-𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶, T𝗨 𝗗𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗱 University introduced the Tonkin apartment building renovation project to demonstrate solutions for cooling with plants, water systems and natural ventilation to improve energy efficiency, reduce construction costs and reduce carbon emissions.
It can be seen that the development of green buildings and the improvement of energy efficiency are not only inevitable trends but also urgent requirements in the process of modernizing the country, adapting to climate change and implementing international commitments on carbon emission reduction. The valuable information at the Workshop will be applied by Hanoi National University of Civil Engineering and integrated into the training activities of Hanoi National University of Civil Engineering towards the theme of Green Building Construction and Sustainable Development. Thereby, contributing to improving output standards, in line with the requirements and development trends of society and the world.
Some other pictures of Workshop:
Mr. Tuan Ngo - Head of the Research Group at the German Energy Agency, delivered a speech at the event
Mr. Fabian Hartjes - Second Secretary for Economic and Climate Diplomacy at the Embassy of Germany in Vietnam, delivered a speech at the event
Mr. Ta Quoc Thang - Department of Planning and Architecture, Ministry of Construction, presented Vietnam’s energy policies on green building development and energy efficiency promotion
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dang Thi Thanh Huyen - Vice Dean of the Faculty of International Education, HUCE, presented the outcomes of the VUCE Training Program
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Ngoc Quang - Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Hanoi University of Civil Engineering, shared information at the workshop
Two parallel thematic workshop sessions of the Program
