The Vietnam Green Building Council (VGBC) is a program of Green Cities Fund, Inc., an international non-profit organisation based in California, USA. VGBC was established in 2007 with an aim to raise awareness and build capacity for the development of green building in Vietnam. VGBC has been officially recognized by the Ministry of Construction of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (March 2009) and also took part in the establishment of the WorldGBC Asia Pacific Network (Sept. 2009).
Mission & Activities
Mission
The mission of VGBC is threefold:
Mitigate: Facilitate green building and emission reductions in Vietnam.
Educate: Educate key sectors on sustainable and climate-change adapted building.
Adapt: Help adapt buildings and infrastructures in Vietnam to the potential impacts of climate change.
Activities
Develop and maintain a set of green building rating systems for Vietnam.
LOTUS Rating Tools provide a framework for building designers to benchmark environmental performance. LOTUS Rating Tools are composed if nine categories regarding energy, water & material conservation, ecological projection, pollution & waste management, health & comfort, climate change adaption & mitigation, community & project management; for each categories, relevant standards and benchmarks have been set.
Recognize and encourage green building projects throughout Vietnam:
When a project team chooses to design a building in accordance with green building principles, the may choose to certify the results as a LOTUS green building. VGBC will then assess submissions from the project team, including construction documents, energy modeling results, and site ecological surveys, in strict accordance with the LOTUS criteria. Such assessments may also involve one or more site visits. VGBC assessment team will then either award a project a LOTUS rating (Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum) or award no rating.Design rating will be given on a temporary basis. Once a building is completed, it must have a performance assessment to receive its final rating. Performance assessments must be renewed every five years.
Conduct long-term research on climate change resilience for the built environment of Vietnam
Provide basic and advanced training to professionals through VGBC Education Program
The implementation of green building and urban climate change adaptation in Vietnam requires not only good strategies, methods, and criteria, but also education. VGBC will provide basic and advanced information to professionals such as architects and engineers that will help them create green buildings. It will also hold seminars and workshops, and make educational materials available on its website for other important stakeholders, such as developers and government officials, whose work will be crucial in advancing Vietnam’s green building. Finally, VGBC will also post information on sustainability and climate change adaptation for the general public, as individual efforts in these areas can have a great impact.
Develop and maintain an online Green Database (for products and services)
Organize public events on green building practices
Like all green building councils, VGBC is non-profit and supported by grants and membership dues from organizations. It then has a responsibility to serve its members by giving them recognition at public events and in publications. Members may also receive discounts on other VGBC services.
Advocate and build capacity for the government and academia
