VIAC and AusCham co-organized Webinar 02 on Green Finance in Vietnam: Legal Framework, Risk and Practical Access for Businesses

On the morning of 26 June 2026, the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre (VIAC and Australian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AusCham), successfully organized the Webinar focusing on Green Finance in Vietnam: Legal Framework, Risk and Practical Access for Businesses. This is the 2^nd webinar in the VIAC-AusCham Webinar Series 2026, a series developed to address timely and practically important legal and business issues for foreign investors and the broader business community operating in Vietnam.

As Vietnam accelerated its transition toward a greener and more sustainable economy, green finance continued to emerge as a critical tool for helping businesses achieve environmental objectives, access sustainable capital, and adapt to evolving regulatory requirements. Against this backdrop, the webinar “Green Finance in Vietnam: Legal Framework, Risk and Practical Access for Businesses" was successfully held, attracting 120 delegates, including representatives from government agencies, financial institutions, businesses, investors, and legal professionals. The webinar provided practical insights into Vietnam's evolving green finance landscape, explored the legal framework and associated risks, and offered actionable strategies to help companies effectively access and leverage sustainable financing opportunities.

The webinar was moderated by Ms. Pham Thi Thanh Huyen – Program Lead for Financial Infrastructure Development in Vietnam and Cambodia, International Finance Corporation (IFC), World Bank Group (WBG); VIAC’S Listed Arbitrator, VMC’s Mediator and featured distinguished speakers, including Mr. Nguyen Phuong Nam – Founder & CEO, KLINOVA Climate Innovation Consulting & Services, and Mr. Phung Anh Tuan – Managing Partner at VCI Legal Law Firm; Vice Chairman and Secretary General, Vietnam Association of Financial Investors (VAFI); VIAC’S Listed Arbitrator, VMC’s Mediator.  Through in-depth discussions, the speakers explored Vietnam's evolving green finance framework, highlighting key legal and practical issues relating to the Green Taxonomy, ESG compliance, bankable green projects, and strategic dispute resolution.

Delivering the opening speech, Mr. Edwin Law – Executive Director of the Australian Chamber of Commerce Vietnam (AusCham) warmly welcomed participants to the webinar and expressed his appreciation to the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre (VIAC) for its continued partnership. He noted that the event marked the second joint webinar organized by AusCham and VIAC under the 2025 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two organizations, reflecting their shared commitment to delivering timely, practical, and business-oriented discussions for the business community. Mr. Law highlighted that, as Vietnam continues its transition towards a greener and more sustainable economy, businesses are increasingly seeking greater clarity on the evolving legal framework governing green finance, the associated legal and commercial risks, and practical pathways to access sustainable financing.

The webinar commenced with a presentation by Mr. Phung Anh Tuan – Managing Partner at VCI Legal Law Firm; Vice Chairman and Secretary General, Vietnam Association of Financial Investors (VAFI); VIAC’S Listed Arbitrator, VMC’s Mediator, titled “Vietnam's Green Finance Regulatory Framework – Overview of current policies, regulations, and government initiatives promoting sustainable finance and investment”. Mr. Tuan offered a comprehensive overview of Vietnam's evolving green finance regulatory landscape, highlighting the transition from the National Green Growth Strategy under Decision No. 1393/QĐ-TTg to the updated framework under Decision No. 1658/QĐ-TTg, which introduces concrete, measurable targets and modern concepts such as the circular economy, carbon neutrality, green finance, carbon markets, and the national green taxonomy. He also examined key legal instruments governing green finance, including the Environmental Protection Law 2020, Decision No. 21/2025/QĐ-TTg on the national green taxonomy, and a variety of regulations on green credit, green bonds, and the domestic carbon market.

Mr. Phung Anh Tuan – Managing Partner at VCI Legal Law Firm; Vice Chairman and Secretary General, Vietnam Association of Financial Investors (VAFI); VIAC’S Listed Arbitrator, VMC’s Mediator presenting at the webinar

While illustrating Vietnam's significant progress in establishing a legal foundation for sustainable finance, Mr. Tuan emphasized that green finance has entered the implementation phase. However, key challenges remain in the fragmented implementation, notably low-quality and manual data reporting as identified by the PwC ESG Progress Tracker 2025, a thin pipeline of bankable projects outside renewables, and a critical capacity gap among local banks and resource-constrained SMEs. He concluded that, despite these obstacles, Vietnam is well positioned to strengthen its green finance ecosystem and emerge as a regional hub for sustainable investment through continued regulatory development, international cooperation, and alignment with global ESG standards.

Following the presentation by Mr. Phung Anh Tuan, Mr. Nguyen Phuong Nam – Founder & CEO, KLINOVA Climate Innovation Consulting & Services, presented on “From sustainability commitments to bankable projects: How business can access green finance in practice”. He provided a practical overview of green finance instruments, highlighting green loans and green bonds as the country's two principal mechanisms while introducing broader international ones such as sustainability-linked structures (SLBs/SLLs), transition bonds, and innovative funding models. Dr. Nam emphasized that successfully accessing these financial channels requires more than mere regulatory compliance; businesses must establish credible ESG governance, align projects with technical criteria, ensure transparent data collection, and engage independent verification throughout the financing process. He also discussed the increasing convergence between Vietnamese regulations and international standards and the growing role of financial institutions and development partners in supporting green investment. Based on this context, he outlined tangible pathways for Vietnamese enterprises to access specific green funding sources including the World Bank’s VEEIE project, VEPF, and IFC facilities. In Vietnam's rapidly developing sustainable finance landscape, Dr. Nam encouraged businesses to proactively strengthen internal ESG capacity, formalize data and reporting systems, and adapt their business models to align with international sustainability expectations.

Mr. Nguyen Phuong Nam – Founder & CEO, KLINOVA Climate Innovation Consulting & Services presenting at the webinar

Concluding the presentation session, the Q&A discussion was conducted in an engaging and interactive manner under the moderation of Ms. Huyen Pham. The discussion centered on the practical implementation of green finance in Vietnam, with particular emphasis on the structural challenges faced by SMEs in accessing such financial instruments. Ms. Huyen Pham classified the key stakeholders in the green finance ecosystem, including regulators, financial institutions, investors, and borrowers. She noted that despite the introduction of Vietnam's Green Taxonomy and other ESG-related regulations, many SMEs continue to encounter significant barriers due to limited technical capacity, insufficient ESG data, and the high costs of preparing bankable green projects. In response, Mr. Tuan Phung cautioned that the primary legal risk lies in the substantial compliance burden, which requires businesses to navigate a complex and evolving regulatory framework. Meanwhile, Dr. Nguyen Phuong Nam observed that a major obstacle is the capacity gap between borrowers and lenders, as many enterprises lack the specialized expertise and resources needed to structure bankable proposals that satisfy both domestic requirements and international ESG standards.

Overview of the Q&A Session

The panel also discussed dispute prevention and practical measures to improve SMEs' access to green finance market. Mr. Tuan Phung recommended that businesses carefully incorporate appropriate dispute resolution mechanisms, particularly mediation and arbitration clauses, into financing and investment agreements to better mitigate future legal risks. Dr. Nguyen Phuong Nam further emphasized that Vietnam's green finance ecosystem remains relatively immature due to the limited availability of ESG advisory and verification services, making compliance both costly and time-consuming. As an actionable solution, he encouraged SMEs to develop credible green project proposals supported by recognized third-party certifications where available and to begin publishing voluntary ESG disclosures, thereby strengthening transparency and improving their credibility with banks and investors.

More than just providing actionable solutions for businesses, Webinar 02 marked a significant milestone within the framework of the VIAC x AusCham Webinar Series 2026. Gathering pioneering insights and valuable expert dialogues, the event meaningfully contributed to enhancing legal risk management capabilities and paving the way for businesses to access the green finance ecosystem. The success of this webinar reaffirms the strong commitment and long-term partnership between VIAC and AusCham in fostering a transparent and secure commercial environment, while shaping standard practices for sustainable finance implementation and specialized dispute resolution in Vietnam.