| Cần Giờ mangrove forest seen from above. — VNA/VNS Photos | HCM CITY — Việt Nam’s green transition is accelerating, with the State, businesses and citizens aligning to create a stable 'three-legged stool' for sustainable growth. Cần Giờ in HCM City offers a vivid case of the green transition in practice. Low-lying and encircled by rivers and the sea, it is among the city’s most climate-exposed areas. Alongside moves into renewable energy and a greener economy, strict conservation of its mangrove ecosystem is treated as a prerequisite for development. According to Dr Huỳnh Đức Hoàn, head of the HCM City Protective Forest Management Board, the Cần Giờ mangroves act as an ecological shield, mitigating climate impacts, curbing erosion, and protecting coastal communities. Mangroves absorb and store large volumes of carbon, much of it locked long-term in waterlogged soils and sediments, an asset for cutting greenhouse gas emissions and developing a future carbon credit market. Local green livelihood models, from floating solar over shrimp ponds and harvesting nipa palm sap to eco-tourism, are creating economic value while easing pressure on the mangroves. Across the country, major cities such as Hà Nội and Đà Nẵng are taking the lead in cutting emissions, adapting to climate change and building smart cities. Nguyễn Trung Kiên, Northern Region Executive Director of An Cường Wood Joint Stock Company, said the company is developing low-emission materials, optimising energy use and automation, and conducting greenhouse gas inventories under ISO 14064-1, independently verified. Its integrated management systems meet ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001, helping control emissions and improve efficiency. The firm is also adopting clean energy, including rooftop solar. “An Cường is steadfast on the path to Net Zero and sees it as central to our sustainability strategy,” Kiên told Tin tức và Dân tộc (News