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Ho Chi Minh City plans to transform Con Dao into a “low-carbon heritage island” by shifting to green transportation, building a smart circular economy, and developing premium international tourism. The direction was shared by Pham Binh An, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Development Research Institute, at the Green Energy Transition - Sustainable Growth conference held on the afternoon of April 21 by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, and Tuoi Tre newspaper.
The plan is set against rising tourism pressure on Con Dao, where waste generation is estimated at 20–25 tons per day while treatment infrastructure remains limited. Environmental concerns include deterioration of the marine ecosystem, coral bleaching, and beach erosion. Although green projects have been proposed, implementation has been described as slow.
One notable step cited by Ho Chi Minh City is that Con Dao Special Administrative Region was connected to the national grid via a submarine cable over 77 km long, replacing diesel power that is costly and polluting.
By 2045, Con Dao is expected to become a model of “nature-friendly” development, using green technology and circular economy principles as the foundation, while testing low-emission policies before scaling them up.
The strategy is structured around four pillars: transportation, energy, environment, and tourism.
In transportation, Ho Chi Minh City plans to ban gasoline vehicles and shift to electric vehicles. By 2028, the city targets 100% of road vehicles in Con Dao to be electric.
Supporting infrastructure includes fast charging stations at the airport, port, and accommodations, along with a battery-swapping system for motorcycles. The battery replacement time is set to be under 4 minutes. By 2030, the island is expected to have more than 200 charging and battery-swapping points.
The city also aims for 100% of government offices to install rooftop solar by 2028.
Ho Chi Minh City will invest in waste-to-energy solutions to handle 20–25 tons of waste daily. It will also deploy a smart grid and battery energy storage system (BESS).
Over the next five years, renewable energy is expected to account for 50% of total supply.
Marine ecosystem restoration is a key element, including plans to restore 1,800 hectares of coral reefs and 1,000 hectares of seagrass.
The city also plans to pilot measurement and sale of carbon credits from coastal ecosystems (“Blue Carbon”). Revenue from carbon credits is intended to be reinvested into conservation, creating a closed financial loop and reducing dependence on the budget.
By 2030, the plan targets 85% recycling of solid waste and 100% treatment and reuse of wastewater.
Tourism development will focus on premium rather than mass-market offerings. Con Dao targets the upscale segment with the brand “Heritage - Spiritual - Ecological.”
Tourism products linked to conservation include activities such as watching sea turtles nesting, coral restoration, and virtual reality experiences at historic sites. By 2030, the plan calls for 100% of accommodations to hold green certification.
Ho Chi Minh City is expected to invest more than 21 trillion dong from the budget for the Con Dao transformation. In addition, authorities plan to mobilize resources from the carbon market and green financial mechanisms.
At the conference, Bui Minh Thanh, Vice Chairman of the City People’s Committee, said Ho Chi Minh City is implementing the Green Transition Plan for 2025–2035, which includes 10 pillars and 76 indicators, with an expected mobilization of about 900 trillion dong.
The city also plans to pursue renewable energy development and energy efficiency, promote green hydrogen and green ammonia, and aim for net-zero emissions by 2050. By 2030, 100% of public transport is expected to use clean energy.
Ho Chi Minh City selected Con Dao and Can Gio as two front-runners for green transport development and low-emission areas.
Con Dao is the only special zone of Ho Chi Minh City, covering nearly 76 square kilometers and consisting of 16 islands, with Con Son the largest. It is located more than 230 kilometers from the city center. Transportation, travel, accommodation, and dining services are described as the island’s main economic sources.
During the afternoon, organizers activated the Vietnam Green 2026 program under the theme “Green Transition - Sustainable Efficiency,” with activities aimed at promoting green transformation from awareness to action and disseminating applicable models and initiatives to generate tangible environmental, economic, and social value.
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