The "Energy Efficiency Improvement in Commercial and High-rise Residential Buildings in Viet Nam" Project (EECB Project) held a virtual training workshop on September 7-8, 2021, with the participation of more than 100 officials from provincial Departments of Construction (DOCs) nationwide. The objective of the training was to strengthen the capacity of the officers in design appraisal and acceptance of buildings in compliance with the national technical regulations on energy efficiency buildings (QCVN 09:2017BXD or the building code).

Although there is guidance on applying the regulations and a building code compliance checklist, the officers in charge of building appraisal need necessary tools and guidance to help them improve the building design appraisal and buildings acceptance based on conducting the code compliance assessment of a specific case study.

Mr. Truong Van Liem, an official of Tien Giang Provincial Department of Construction, said "after receiving training materials and software, we will apply it in the process of reviewing and appraising construction projects to ensure compliance with the building code."

The EECB Project's goal is to reduce the intensity of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the building sector in Viet Nam through energy efficiency improvement in commercial and high-rise residential buildings in Viet Nam.

At the training, Mr. Nguyen Cong Thinh, Vice General Director of Science, Technology and Environment Department, Deputy National Project Director of EECB Project, stated with the support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the EECB Project has carried out numerous activities. They include strengthening the policy framework on energy efficiency in buildings, providing training and capacity building on design, construction, appraisal, and acceptance of energy efficiency buildings, as well as supporting demonstration projects on applying energy efficiency technologies. The project's results have been studied and absorbed by the Ministry of Construction during the process of amendment, supplementation, and improvement of the QCVN 09:2017/BXD, the revised Law on Construction (Law No.62/2020/QH14), and its guiding decrees and other policy documents.

During the 2016-2021 period, the EECB Project supported the inclusion of energy efficiency in the Revised Law on Construction (2020), the development of a database of energy-efficient construction materials and end-use equipment in the construction sector, development of 11 standards on energy efficiency properties of building materials and energy performance assessment, development of methodology and criteria on the assessment, certification, monitoring and verification of energy efficiency buildings, development of Specific Energy Consumption (SEC) profiles and energy benchmark for 06 building typologies in Viet Nam, development of training materials and organized 05 training courses on design, construction and acceptance of energy efficiency buildings for new buildings in 2019 and 03 training courses on how to retrofit buildings in 2020. For demonstration projects, the EECB Project has selected and directly supported 09 new buildings and 14 retrofitted buildings to improve their energy efficiency.