A delegation of 12 officials from the Electricity Authority under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam Electricity (EVN) and the Petrovietnam Technical Services Corporation had a working programme in London and the cities of Hull and Grimsby, exploring cooperation opportunities and connecting with potential partners.

They participated in a workshop titled "UK Experience sharing on designing offshore wind auction and consenting process," the "Global Offshore Wind 2025" conference and exhibition and the "Roundtable Project Financing for Offshore Wind Projects in Vietnam."

Held in London, they attracted leading experts from the private and public sectors in Britain, who provided recommendations for Vietnam to create a legal framework and develop a supply chain quickly to attract foreign investment and achieve its target of 17,000MW of offshore wind power capacity by 2035.

Petrovietnam executives visited Hull and Grimsby in the Humber region, which is home to the Hornsea offshore wind cluster.

They called on operation and maintenance company Xceco, the Siemens Gamesa blade manufacturing factory, the Grimsby Offshore Training Centre, and the Port of Grimsby.

They engaged and exchanged ideas to gain a comprehensive and detailed understanding of the role of infrastructure development, private investment and long-term planning in a specialised industry like offshore wind.

PTSC also showcased the positive developments in Vietnam to attract attention and create a foundation for collaboration with partners in the UK.

British consul general in HCM City, Alexandra Smith, said: "The clean energy industry is the future of not only Vietnam but the whole world. The UK appreciates Vietnam's target to install 17GW of offshore wind by 2035 and its commitment to completing the legal framework and developing the supply chain for this sector.

“These commitments are sending a strong message and attracting resources from around the world.

“The UK government has always been a partner of Vietnam in the energy transition. Specifically, we are always actively promoting collaborative initiatives, such as the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) and the Centre of Excellence for Offshore Wind in Vietnam, that will soon deliver practical results.”

Ample room remains for Vietnam-UK trade, technology cooperation

The UK and Vietnam possess significant untapped potential for cooperation in digital trade, services, green technology, fintech, artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductor, quantum technology, and other emerging sectors, heard a workshop held in London on June 9.