The Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province held a working meeting with the Head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to Geneva, Switzerland.
In Geneva, as part of their working visit to Switzerland, on November 30th, the Nghe An provincial delegation, led by Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Phung Thanh Vinh, held a meeting with Ambassador Mai Phan Dung, Head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to Geneva.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Phung Thanh Vinh, Vice Chairman of the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee, expressed his deep gratitude to Ambassador Mai Phan Dung and the entire delegation for their active support to the working group during their time in Switzerland.
Activities such as the seminar "New Global Trends in Green Finance and Sustainable Agriculture and their Impacts in Vietnam"; working with the Pavo Capital Group and the Food, Water and Air Resilience Strategy and Solutions Unit of the World Economic Forum's Climate and Nature Centre have provided much new, practical, and effective information on global trends. These activities hold clear prospects for connecting Nghe An with international organizations, institutions, and foreign businesses in key areas such as: Green transformation and sustainable growth; Climate change response and disaster prevention; High-tech agriculture; and Circular economy development.
During the meeting, the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee informed Ambassador Mai Phan Dung about the overall socio-economic development of Nghe An province in recent times and expressed his hope that the Ambassador would pay attention to connecting cooperation activities between the province and Switzerland. Nghe An province has an economic scale of approximately 217 trillion VND, ranking 10th nationwide, and 19th after the merger. Economic growth has been positive; in 2024, before the administrative unit merger, Nghe An's economic growth rate reached 9.01%. In the first 10 months of 2025, the growth rate reached 8.63%, and it is projected that the target and plan will be achieved by the end of the year.
Regarding investment attraction, Nghe An continues to be a bright spot, ranking among the top 10 localities nationwide in attracting FDI for three consecutive years. To date, the province has 166 FDI projects with a total registered capital of over 6.8 billion USD. According to the plan until 2030, the province has 8,600 hectares of land for industrial development, of which nearly 2,000 hectares are currently cleared land, with areas of interest for investment such as mechanical engineering, automobile assembly, and spare parts manufacturing.
During their working visits to Switzerland, the Nghe An provincial delegation recognized three areas in which Nghe An province earnestly hopes the Ambassador will focus on promoting cooperation. Firstly, flood control infrastructure in urban areas, particularly in Vinh city and its satellite towns, to address the problem of flooding.
Secondly, there is the industrial infrastructure, specifically the processing industry, especially in the forestry sector. Switzerland is a major wood consumer, while Nghe An has an advantage in terms of forests, with 1.16 million hectares of forest, the largest in the country; each year, 240,000 hectares of forest are planted, yielding approximately 1.8 million cubic meters of timber.3 Various types of wood are exported, but primarily in raw form such as wood chips and wood panels. Nghe An has also been approved by the Prime Minister for a high-tech forestry application zone of 618 hectares, and is eager to attract investors in this field. In addition, Nghe An has 36,000 hectares of FSC-certified planted forests; and has currently sold 3.7 million tons of carbon credits.
Thirdly, in the fruit processing sector, Nghe An has a microclimate with large temperature differences between day and night, resulting in many delicious fruits and vegetables, especially pineapples. Nghe An is also a province that suffers significant damage from natural disasters, and one of the reasons is the lack of a flood warning system and flood maps, so cooperation with international organizations and investment funds is essential. Furthermore, in the clean energy sector, the province is currently preparing to invest in the Quynh Lap 1.5MGW gas-fired power plant project, and the wind, solar, and biomass power sectors require the participation of large investors.
Ambassador Mai Phan Dung stated that the Delegation is eager to contribute significantly to the country's development. The areas under the Delegation's responsibility include nearly 40 international organizations across various fields, from politics, security, economics, trade, science and technology, meteorology, and disaster warning. The Delegation maintains relationships with major institutions. The country as a whole and local areas are in great need of financial resources, science and technology, green transformation, green energy, and green agriculture.
Recent activities in Switzerland in areas such as energy, agriculture, and green finance are the starting point for the Delegation to continue supporting localities in connecting with partners, including those who directly purchase carbon credits. Regarding green finance and green energy related to wind and solar power, the Delegation will support connections with major financial institutions.
Regarding disaster mitigation support, the Delegation will soon work with the WEF again and further promote the integration of AI into the field of disaster warning, with the aim of proposing specific projects to the province.
Regarding matters related to the Pavo Capital Group investment fund, the delegation will assign staff to support partners in developing programs and projects. The province also needs to urgently propose specific content and establish an effective working mechanism.
