(VOV)- A seminar on Vietnam-Denmark cooperation in waste treatment and renewable energy opened on Thursday in Hanoi with the participation of visiting Danish Minister of Trade and Investment Pia Olsen Dyhr.

Deputy Minister of Construction Cao Lai Quang said Vietnam discharges around 17 million tons of waste every year, according to statistics from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Though the Vietnamese government has built a legal framework and invested a lot in waste treatment and renewable energies, the country needs support, investment, experience and technologies from other countries especially Denmark. Minister Dyhr called on Danish investors to invest more in this field as part of the Vietnam-Denmark strategic partnership: "I’m very glad to see many Danish enterprises present today and I know that they are excited to be here. We’re looking for Vietnamese business partners to exchange knowledge and technologies. The transfer of waste treatment technology to Vietnam goes hand in hand with Danish government’s green growth strategy to Vietnam to strengthen green knowledge and technology in Vietnam. I believe that this development will not only tackle the waste treatment issues in Vietnam but also assist us in tackling with the future resource scarcity on our planet as a whole while contributing to sustainable growth in both our countries".

Denmark is one of the leading ODA providers to Vietnam especially in climate change, water supply, and sustainable environmental development.