HCM City (VNA) - Only 59architectural works across the country have been recognised as achieving greenstandards of domestic and international organisations, including 45 works inthe south, 11 in the north and three in the central region.

These figures indicate that investors in Vietnam have yet to give greatattention to green development, according to the Green Architecture Club in Ho ChiMinh City.

Entering the local market in 2007, the building green work architecture wassupported by both the Government and the private sector of Vietnam.

The country will be one of the most affected by climate change over the nextthree decades.

According to forecasts from the World Bank, if the sea level rises by onemetre, Vietnam will lose 12 percent of its land, where 23 percent of thecountry’s population lives.

In the past 10 years, Vietnam has attained annual construction growth of 12 percentand urban development rate of 3.4 percent.

Over the same period, the country’s energy consumption rate rose by 13 percentannually, faster than its GDP rate.

Construction works have used about 36 percent of the energy and 33 percent ofelectriCity consumption in the country, contributing 25 percent to thegreenhouse effect and a third of the country’s CO2 discharges, the main causesof climate change.

Mogens Bjorn Nielsen, head of the Water and Nature Department Municipality ofAarhus, Denmark, said the import of green construction methods from developedcountries to developing ones is considered a good model.

However, planning is crucial for construction and developing smart urban areasand sustainable cities. Planning must ensure ecological, social and economic sustainability,Nielsen said.

Relevant authorities must attach great importance to the exploitation and useof water resources; development of clean energy resources; energy savings andefficiency; and transportation planning.

Green work construction is inevitable because it helps save energy and waterresources, and uses sustainable materials. It also helps reduce exhaust gas andpollution, Nielsen said.

To develop green work construction, a comprehensive strategy must be built tointroduce green products in all urban areas, construction works, products andmaterials.

It must also reduce the “input” of urban areas and construction works such asraw materials and the “output”, including pollution, waste and waste water.

Barriers

According to investors, high costs are one of the challenges facing thedevelopment of green construction in Vietnam as costs are 10 percent to 30 percenthigher than the costs for other construction.

Meanwhile, a number of construction works have been named “green works” buthave not made contributions to the environment and society.

Relevant authorities have not issued policies and incentives to encourageinvestment in construction of green works in the country.

Tran Khanh Trung, chairman of the Green Architecture Club in HCM City, saidlocal residents’ lack of awareness of environmental protection andunder-developed infrastructure for green work construction are the mainchallenges behind the slow development.

To build green works for smart andsustainable cities, the Government should issue incentives and createfavourable conditions to encourage investment in construction of green works,experts have said.-VNA