Hanoi seeks Finland's expertise in promoting circular economy

10:50 PM, Mon January 26, 2026

Nguyen Duy Ngoc, a Politburo member and Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, on the afternoon of January 26, received and held talks with Riikka Seppala, Deputy Ambassador of Finland to Viet Nam and Kari Herlevi, Program Director of the Finnish Innovation Fund (Sitra), on the progress of a project to promote the circular economy in Vietnam and plans for future cooperation.

Bí thư Thành ủy Hà Nội Nguyễn Duy Ngọc tiếp và làm việc với Phó Đại sứ Phần Lan Riikka Seppala Hanoi Party Secretary Nguyen Duy Ngoc meets and works with Finnish Deputy Ambassador Riikka Seppala.

The meeting was also attended by Nguyen Xuan Luu, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee.

At the meeting, Deputy Ambassador Riikka Seppala congratulated Vietnam on the successful conclusion of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and highly valued the country's new development strategies in the period ahead.

According to Riikka Seppala, building on the outcomes of the visit by General Secretary To Lam and his spouse together with a high-level Vietnamese delegation to Finland in October 2025, the two sides have many areas of cooperation to implement in the coming period to further strengthen bilateral relations.

Promoting the circular economy is a key area that can help Vietnam achieve its target of net-zero emissions by 2050. She emphasized that, as Vietnam's leading political and economic center, Hanoi plays a particularly important role in advancing circular economy development.

Kari Herlevi said that Sitra is the initiator of the World Circular Economy Forum and a pioneer of the "fair data economy" model. The organization has extensive experience in developing national circular economy roadmaps and in designing and implementing large-scale social experiments to address issues such as population aging, healthcare system reform and lifelong learning.

On that basis, Sitra is developing a project to support circular economy development in Vietnam's industrial sector, funded by the European Union and the Government of Finland.

According to Kari Herlevi, during the 2021–2024 period, the European Union committed non-refundable aid of EUR210 million (US$230 million) to Vietnam, focusing on three areas, including the digital economy, the circular economy and climate change adaptation. As agreed, projects related to these areas are scheduled to begin in 2027. The Sitra program director expressed hope that Vietnam would soon complete the necessary procedures to ensure the project starts on schedule.

Based on recent engagements with localities and ministries, Kari Herlevi noted that Vietnam has strong foundations and determination to become a regional leader in the circular economy.

Hanoi seeks Finland's expertise in promoting circular economy- Ảnh 2. Hanoi Party Secretary Nguyen Duy Ngoc presents a commemorative gift to Finnish Deputy Ambassador Riikka Seppala.

Hanoi Party Chief Nguyen Duy Ngoc said that during the October 2025 visit of General Secretary To Lam and his spouse, together with the high-level Vietnamese delegation to Finland, the two sides also discussed cooperation in circular economy development. Based on assignments from the Government, Hanoi will proactively participate and develop an outline for circular economy development.

In his capacity as Deputy Head of the Central Steering Committee for Science and Technology Development, Innovation and Digital Transformation, Ngoc affirmed that he would actively engage with central agencies and the Government to advance this agenda. He also expressed hope that Sitra would continue supporting Vietnam to ensure the implementation roadmap of EU-funded projects remains on track.

The Hanoi Party Secretary expressed his wish for both sides to maintain regular communication channels to promptly address difficulties and ensure the project proceeds according to schedule.