Hong Trang Nguyen Thesis-Formulating Conductive GreenBuilding Vietnam

FORMULATING SUPPORTIVE INSTRUMENTS
FOR GREEN BUILDING DEVELOPMENT IN
VIETNAM
Hong Trang Nguyen
BEng (Urban Construction Management)

Hanoi Architectural University, Vietnam
Master of Project Management
Queensland University of Technology
Submitted as the fulfilment requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment
Faculty of Science and Engineering
Queensland University of Technology
2018
Formulating supportive instruments for Green building development in Vietnam
Keywords
Barriers
Drivers
Developmental approach
Education sector
Exploratory Factor Analysis
Foreign policy learning
Government officers
Green building
Industry players
Lesson drawing guidance
Mixed methods
Mean comparison analysis
Non-parametric tests
Policy community and networks
Policy goals
Policy instruments
Qualitative content analysis
Vietnam
Page | i
Abstract
Vietnam, whose economy is undergoing rapid change, has limited resources with
which to address environmental concerns. In the Vietnam Green Growth Strategy, green
building is proposed to be one of the pivotal solutions. This environmentally-friendly
construction of building embraces sustainable features throughout its lifecycle. However,
the development of green building in Vietnam is still in the infancy stages, and this issue is
little explored by academic analysts. Studies have indicated that policy instruments play an
increasingly vital role in accelerating the pace of the penetration of green building into the
current construction market. The public policy-making process of green building relevant
fields, such as sustainable development, involves various actors in a policy community, with
complex interactions within their networks. Little research has been conducted to investigate
the policy-making process of green building. Policy-related research and publications have
also revealed that governments and policy entrepreneurs worldwide often seek out solutions
from external networks to deal with their own problems. Studies pertaining to green building
have not fully scrutinised the foreign policy learning process from the perspectives of a
developing country. Two dominant approaches in policy learning research, namely, lesson
drawing guidance by Rose (2005), and policy transfer framework by Dolowitz and Marsh
(2000), were integrated to shape this research design, in order to contribute to the respective
literature.
This study applied a developmental approach, in which the findings and results of a
stage are fed into the subsequent stages for validation and further investigation. For this
purpose, mixed methods involving the analysis and integration of quantitative and
qualitative instruments were employed. The participants were targeted based on their
involvement in green building development in Vietnam. The main sites for data collection
were Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and websites containing information of GB
policies on the Internet. Three research tools were specifically employed to collect the data:
questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and legal document analysis. The study then
analysed the collected data through Exploratory Factors Analysis, multiple mean
comparison analysis with p-value correction procedure, thematic analysis, comparative
study, and qualitative content analysis.
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The research has developed the policy-making framework for green building policies
in Vietnam. This framework was constructed based on the findings of underlying factors
hampering the adoption of green building, the most influential impetuses to green building
adoption, the relevant policy community and networks. On the one hand, Social and
Cognitive barriers were identified as the most critical factors, while Legislative and
Institutional barriers were rated as the most impedimental challenges to the adoption of green
building. On the other hand, the stakeholders are most motivated by the financial benefits
provided by the government, and internal incentives, in their pursuit for green building. The
policy community encompassed the vice-minister of the Ministry of Construction as sub-
government, and eight pivotal Ministries and their relevant agencies, academia, and the
industry playmakers, as the attentive public. Each has its own roles, responsibilities, and
interactions with other actors.
This study also established the framework of factors affecting the adoption of the
Environmentally Sustainable Design policy as a case study, which was selected on the basis
of the recommended policy instruments and the lessons learnt from green building policies
in Cambodia, Fiji, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. In this
research, the full policy-making process with the integration of foreign policy learning was
explored. A framework was inaugurated on the ground of the potential influential factors on
every step in the policy-making and learning process, such as the contextual differences, and
the involvement of the policy community in the policy-making process.
This research is the first of its kind to investigate policy change and policy learning
from a prospective approach, integrating two widely applied methods – lesson drawing
guidance and policy transfer framework. This study provides an important insight into how
a policy for green building development can be initiated given the complexity of a network
of actors. It has advanced the understanding about green building development, the policy-
making process of green building policies, and the exogenous policy learning, as well as
cross-national applicability of green building policies, from the viewpoint of a developing
nation.
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Table of Contents
Keywords ...................................................................................................................... i
Abstract ........................................................................................................................ ii
Table of Contents ........................................................................................................... iv
List of Figures ............................................................................................................. xi
List of Tables ............................................................................................................. xiii
List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................. xvi
Statement of Original Authorship ............................................................................ xvii
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................. xviii
CHAPTER 1: Introduction ........................................................................................... 1
1.1. Research background ..................................................................................................1
1.1.1. Country profile of Vietnam ................................................................................. 1
1.1.2. Inter-connected challenges Vietnam is facing on its pathway of development .. 1
1.1.3. The green building movement as a solution to mitigate the negative impact of the
construction industry ..................................................................................................... 7
1.2. Research problems ....................................................................................................10
1.3. Research objectives ...................................................................................................11
1.4. The significance of the study ....................................................................................11
1.5. Thesis outline ............................................................................................................12
1.6. Chapter summary ......................................................................................................13
CHAPTER 2: Literature Review................................................................................ 15
2.1. Chapter overview ......................................................................................................15
2.2. Green building development in Vietnam ..................................................................15
2.2.1. The current status of green building development ............................................ 15
2.2.2. Barriers to green building in developed and developing countries and Vietnam
..................................................................................................................................... 18
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2.2.3. Drivers for Green building ................................................................................ 26
2.3. Government interventions to promote green building adoption............................... 28
2.3.1. The need for government policies ..................................................................... 28
2.3.2. Green building public policy options ................................................................ 29
2.3.3. Policies implemented by the Vietnamese government to encourage green

building development .................................................................................................. 32
2.3.4. Other factors affecting the green building legislation development.................. 39
2.4. The policy-making process of green building policy ............................................... 41
2.4.1. The network approach in analysing policy formulation process ....................... 42
2.4.2. Policy community and networks for green building policy .............................. 42
2.4.3. The existing institutional structure relating to green building ........................... 44
2.4.4. Formulating green building instruments through learning in the policy

community ................................................................................................................... 46
2.4.5. Learning practice in the policy-making process of the Vietnamese government

..................................................................................................................................... 48
2.5. Learning foreign green building instruments in the policy-making process ............ 49
2.5.1. Reasons of learning from foreign policies ......................................................... 50
2.5.2. Honouring international commitments of Vietnamese government ................. 52
2.5.3. Types and process of policy learning ................................................................ 54
2.5.4. Foreign policy learning in the development of green building policies ............ 55
2.5.5. Utilising lesson drawing and policy transfer in the foreign policy learning ..... 57
2.5.6. Potential factors affecting the foreign policy learning ...................................... 61
2.6. Chapter Summary ..................................................................................................... 64
CHAPTER 3: Research design ................................................................................... 66
3.1. Chapter overview...................................................................................................... 66
3.2. Research paradigm and the developmental approach............................................... 66
3.2.1. Research paradigm ............................................................................................ 66
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3.2.2. The developmental approach ............................................................................ 67
3.2.3. Quantitative methods: Web-based and interviewed questionnaire ................... 68
3.2.4. Qualitative methods........................................................................................... 68
3.3. Visualised research design ........................................................................................69
3.4. Stage 1: Literature review .........................................................................................71
3.5. Stage 2: Develop a framework for Green building policy-making process ..............72
3.5.1. Analytical framework for green building policy-making ................................. 72
3.5.2. First-round – Questionnaire – Exploring key barriers and drivers to GB

development ................................................................................................................ 73
3.5.3. Second-round – Interview – identify GB policy goals, policy instrument, policy

community and networks ............................................................................................ 76
3.6. Stage 3: Integrating policy learning in the process of Green building policy-making,
and inaugurating a framework of factors affecting the policy learning during the policy-
making process. ................................................................................................................78
3.6.1. First-round – Legal document analysis – A review of foreign green building

policies ........................................................................................................................ 78
3.6.2. Second-round – Interview - Exploring the possibility and factors affecting the
adoption of a foreign green building policy as a case study ....................................... 79
3.7. Ethical considerations for conducting research .........................................................82
3.7.1. Minimising the risks for the participants........................................................... 82
3.7.2. Minimising the risks for the researcher ............................................................. 83
3.8. Chapter Summary......................................................................................................83
CHAPTER 4: Barriers to Green building – Exploratory Factor Analysis ................. 84
4.1. Chapter overview ......................................................................................................84
4.2. Data screening ...........................................................................................................84
4.3. Analysis of respondent profiles .................................................................................84
4.4. Perspectives of the respondents on the current situation of GB adoption .................86
4.5. Descriptive statistics of the barriers to GB................................................................88
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4.6. The perspective of the interviewed questionnaire’s respondents ............................. 90
4.7. Exploratory Factor Analysis of barriers to GB......................................................... 91
4.8. Validating the PCA results ....................................................................................... 94
4.9. Description of the four main components and discussion ........................................ 95
4.10. Chapter summary.................................................................................................... 99
CHAPTER 5: Drivers for Green buildings – Organisational and Individual perspectives

.................................................................................................................................. 101
5.1. Chapter overview.................................................................................................... 101
5.2. Data screening ........................................................................................................ 101
5.3. Analysis of respondent profiles .............................................................................. 102
5.4. The difference in participants’ perceptions of ORG drivers’ influence ................. 104
5.4.1. Descriptive analysis ......................................................................................... 104
5.4.2. p-value correction procedure ........................................................................... 105
5.4.3. Mean comparison of Set 1, 2 and 3 ................................................................. 107
5.4.4. Groups of ORG variables based on the difference in participants’ perceptions

................................................................................................................................... 109
5.4.5. Trend analysis of Set 4 - different years of experience ................................... 112
5.4.6. The final ranking of ORG variables ................................................................ 114
5.5. The difference in participants’ perceptions of IND drivers’ influence .................. 114
5.5.1. Descriptive analysis ......................................................................................... 114
5.5.2. Mean comparison of Set 1, 2, and 3 ................................................................ 116
5.5.3. Groups of IND variables based on the difference in participants’ perceptions118
5.5.4. Trend analysis of Set 4 - different years of experience ................................... 120
5.5.5. The final ranking of IND variables.................................................................. 121
5.6. The difference between organisational and individual perspectives of

participants .................................................................................................................... 122
5.7. Findings and Discussion ......................................................................................... 124
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5.7.1. Ranking of GB drivers in compare with the literature .................................... 124
5.7.2. The difference in perception of participants with different years of experience

regarding the influence of GB drivers ....................................................................... 130
5.7.3. The difference and similarity between the organisational and individual
perspectives of the participants regarding the influence of GB drivers .................... 130
5.8. Chapter summary ....................................................................................................131
CHAPTER 6: Framework and Policy networks for Green building Policy-making134
6.1. Chapter overview ....................................................................................................134
6.2. Profiles of the interviewees .....................................................................................134
6.3. Questionnaire data screening ..................................................................................135
6.4. Factors affecting the development of Green building - Input for the policy-making
process ............................................................................................................................136
6.4.1. Social and Cognitive barriers .......................................................................... 136
6.4.2. Economic and Cost barriers ............................................................................ 138
6.4.3. Legislative and Institutional barriers ............................................................... 139
6.4.4. Technical and Knowledge barriers .................................................................. 142
6.4.5. Monetary drivers provided by the government ............................................... 144
6.4.6. Internal motivations......................................................................................... 144
6.4.7. Factors affecting the development of Green building policies ....................... 145
6.5. Green building policy packages – thematic analysis ..............................................145
6.5.1. Strategic planning - Goals of green building policy ....................................... 145
6.5.2. Policy instruments to engage construction stakeholders to achieve the GB policy

goals .......................................................................................................................... 147
6.6. Policy community and its networks for green building development .....................156
6.7. Framework and networks for Green building policy-makingError! Bookmark not
defined.
6.8. Findings and Discussion..........................................................................................159
6.9. Chapter summary ....................................................................................................167
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CHAPTER 7: Foreign Green building Policies – A review ..................................... 169
7.2. Review of policies of Cambodia, Fiji, Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia
169
7.2.1. Introduction ..................................................................................................... 169
7.2.2. Green building development in the five countries........................................... 172
7.2.3. Comparative analysis of green building policies and programs promulgated by

the government or partnered with government bodies .............................................. 173
7.3. Review of green building supportive policies introduced in Australia .................. 178
7.3.1. Introduction ..................................................................................................... 178
7.3.2. Characteristics of the Australian Green building market ................................ 179
7.3.3. Green building policies in Australia from 2002 to 2017 ................................. 182
7.3.4. Goals of Green Building Policies .................................................................... 187
7.3.5. Green building Policy instruments .................................................................. 189
7.4. Findings and Discussion ......................................................................................... 196
7.4.1. The Green Building policies of five peer countries ......................................... 196
7.4.2. The Green Building policies of Australia ........................................................ 197
7.5. Chapter summary.................................................................................................... 203
CHAPTER 8: Factors affecting the adoption of Australian Green building policy . 204
8.2. Profiles of the interviewees .................................................................................... 204
8.3. Selection criteria for the Case study ....................................................................... 204
8.4. Case study analysis ................................................................................................. 205
8.4.1. Description of Environmentally Sustainable Design policy............................ 205
8.4.2. The goal of adopting Environmentally Sustainable Design policy ................. 206
8.4.3. Policy community and the role of each actor in learning Environmentally
Sustainable Design policy ......................................................................................... 207
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8.4.4. Integrating the adoption of Environmentally Sustainable Design policy into the
policy-making process............................................................................................... 209
8.4.5. Factors affecting the adoption of Environmentally Sustainable Design policy in

the policy-making process ......................................................................................... 211
8.5. Findings and Discussion..........................................................................................218
8.6. Chapter summary ....................................................................................................224
CHAPTER 9: Summary and Conclusions ............................................................... 225
9.1. Chapter overview ....................................................................................................225
9.2. Framework for Green building Policy-making process ..........................................225
9.2.1. Factors affecting the development of Green building ..................................... 226
9.2.2. Policy packages for Green building development........................................... 228
9.2.3. Actors in the policy-making process ............................................................... 229
9.3. Foreign Green building policy learning in the policy-making process ...................231
9.3.1. Lessons from analysing foreign Green building policies ................................ 231
9.3.2. Factors affecting the learning process of foreign green building policies in
Vietnam jurisdiction: A case of Environmentally Sustainable Design policy .......... 232
9.4. Research’s significance and contribution to the Body of knowledge .....................234
9.5. Limitations and suggestions for future research .....................................................236
9.6. Publications .............................................................................................................237
Bibliography ............................................................................................................. 239
Appendices ............................................................................................................... 255
Appendix 1: Australian GB policies ..............................................................................256
Appendix 2: Questionnaire round in stage 2 ..................................................................274
Appendix 3: Interview round in stage 2 .........................................................................295
Appendix 4: Interview round in stage 3 .........................................................................301
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List of Figures
Figure 1-1: Areas of housing floor were constructed annually from 2005 to 2015 (adapted
from General Statistics Office of Vietnam, 2017) ................................................................. 2
Figure 1-2: Quantity of buildings with total floor areas larger than 2500m2 (adapted from
Nguyen, Nguyen, & Luong, 2017) ........................................................................................ 3
Figure 1-3: Primary energy demand and supply balance (adapted from Minh Do and Sharma,
2011, p. 5772) ........................................................................................................................ 4
Figure 1-4: Inundation zones of one sea level rise (adapted from Carew-Reid, 2007, p. 17)6
Figure 2-1: Total number of GB projects categorised by rating tools ................................. 17
Figure 2-2: Certified GB projects from 2010 to 2016 categorised by rating tools.............. 17
Figure 2-3: The adoption curve for green construction (adapted from Hoffman & Henn,
2008, p. 394) ........................................................................................................................ 18
Figure 2-5: Planned percentage of renewable energy per total energy production (adapted
from Pham et al., 2011) ....................................................................................................... 25
Figure 2-6: Institutional structure for energy efficiency implementation (adapted from
Nguyen, 2015, p. 627) ......................................................................................................... 44
Figure 2-7: Institutional structure for managing buildings and adopting technology in Hanoi
and HCMC........................................................................................................................... 45
Figure 2-8: Current policy-making process in MOC .......................................................... 49
Figure 2-9: The simplified process of policy learning leading to policy change (adapted from
Lee & van de Meene, 2012, p. 204) .................................................................................... 55
Figure 3-1: Analytical framework for policy goals (developed based on Shi, et al., 2014;
Zhang and Wang, 2013) ...................................................................................................... 73
Figure 3-2: Analytical framework for factor affecting the adoption of foreign GB policy
instruments .......................................................................................................................... 80
Figure 4-1: Second EFA result - Scree plot of components ................................................ 92
Figure 5-1: Trend of mean values of ORG variables in Set 4 ........................................... 113
Figure 5-2: Trend of mean values of IND variables in Set 4 ............................................ 121
Figure 6-1: Proposed green building policy networks....................................................... 159
Figure 6-2: Framework for national GB policy-making in Vietnam................................. 162
Figure 7-1: Potential vulnerability of the world to Climate change (adapted from Standard
and Poor’s Financial Services LLC May 2014) ................................................................ 170
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Figure 7-2: Climate change vulnerability map for Southeast Asia (adapted from Yusuf and
Francisco, 2009) ................................................................................................................ 171
Figure 7-3: Cumulative number of certified Green Star projects (Green Building Council of
Australia, 2018b) ............................................................................................................... 180
Figure 7-4: Number of certified projects categorised by level of Green Star (Source: GBCA,
August 2016) ..................................................................................................................... 180
Figure 7-5: Number of projects categorised by rating tools (Source: GBCA, August 2016)
........................................................................................................................................... 181
Figure 7-6: Certified Projects - State Breakdown (Green Building Council of Australia,
2018b)................................................................................................................................ 182
Figure 7-7: Registered Projects - State Breakdown (Green Building Council of Australia,
2018b)................................................................................................................................ 182
Figure 8-1: Policy community and networks for the adoption and implementation of ESD
policy ................................................................................................................................. 209
Figure 8-2: The involvement of policy community in the adoption of ESD policy throughout
the policy-making process ................................................................................................. 210
Figure 8-4: Framework of factors affecting the adoption of ESD policy ......................... 220
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List of Tables
Table 1-1: Major impacts of the construction industry and buildings (adapted from Sev,
2009, p. 162) .......................................................................................................................... 8
Table 2-1: Rating systems applied in Vietnam .................................................................... 16
Table 2-2: Barriers against GB adoption in developed and developing markets in the existing
literature ............................................................................................................................... 19
Table 2-3: Similarities and differences between barriers of GB perceived by studies in
developed and developing markets ..................................................................................... 20
Table 2-4: Barriers of GB recognised in Vietnam ............................................................... 24
Table 2-5: Projected renewable energy resources for power generation under Master Plan VI
2005–2030 (adapted from Pham et al., 2011, p. 6819) ....................................................... 25
Table 2-6: Variables of Motivation for Delivering Green Building Projects (adapted from
Olubunmi et al. (2016) ........................................................................................................ 26
Table 2-7: Regulations and programs from 2006 to 2015 that support GB adoption ......... 36
Table 2-8: Three dimensions of policy learning (Borrás, 2011) ......................................... 54
Table 2-9: A policy transfer framework (adapted from Dolowitz and Marsh, 2000, p. 8) . 60
Table 4-1: Demographic background of respondents.......................................................... 85
Table 4-2: Involvement in GB projects and certificates ...................................................... 86
Table 4-3: Barriers influencing the adoption of GB ............................................................ 88
Table 4-4: First EFA result - Component Transformation Matrix ...................................... 92
Table 4-5: Summary of Final EFA results .......................................................................... 93
Table 4-6: Component Correlation Matrix .......................................................................... 94
Table 4-7: Comparison of AVE and the squared correlations ............................................ 95
Table 5-1: Coding for drivers for green building .............................................................. 102
Table 5-2: Demographic characteristics of respondents.................................................... 103
Table 5-3: Set of respondents ............................................................................................ 103
Table 5-4: Descriptive features of ORG drivers with descending means ......................... 104
Table 5-5: Test of normality for ORG variables ............................................................... 105
Table 5-6: Demonstration of Benjamini-Hochberg procedure .......................................... 106
Table 5-7: Results of K-W tests on ORG variables in Set 1 ............................................. 107
Table 5-8: Results of K-W tests on ORG variables in Set 2 ............................................. 107
Table 5-9: Results of K-W tests on ORG variables in set 3 .............................................. 108
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Table 5-10: Results of Mann-Whitney U test for differences between subsets in set 3
regarding variable ORG1 .................................................................................................. 109
regarding variable ORG7 .................................................................................................. 109
Table 5-12: Mean value and SD of variables ORG1 and ORG7 in set 3_12 and set 3_34109
Table 5-13: Difference between all ORG variablesa ......................................................... 111
Table 5-14: Groups and rank of ORG variables ............................................................... 112
Table 5-15: Mean values and Std. Deviation of ORG variables categorised by subsets in set
4 ......................................................................................................................................... 113
Table 5-16: Trend analysis for ORG variables in set 4 ..................................................... 113
Table 5-17: Mean value and SD of Set 4_123 and Set 4_45 ............................................ 114
Table 5-18: Groups and rank of ORG variables with results of set 4 ............................... 114
Table 5-19: Descriptive features of IND drivers with descending means ........................ 115
Table 5-20: Test of normality for IND variables .............................................................. 115
Table 5-21: Results of K-W tests on IND variables in Set 1 ............................................ 116
regarding variable IND5.................................................................................................... 116
regarding variable IND8.................................................................................................... 117
Table 5-24: Mean value and SD of variables IND5 and IND8 in set 1_13 and set 1_24 . 117
Table 5-25: Results of K-W tests on IND variables in Set 2 ............................................ 117
Table 5-26: Results of K-W tests on IND variables in set 3 ............................................. 118
Table 5-27: Difference between all IND variablesa .......................................................... 118
Table 5-28: Groups and rank of IND variables ................................................................. 119
Table 5-29: Mean values and Std. Deviation of IND variables categorised by subsets in set
4 ......................................................................................................................................... 120
Table 5-30: Trend analysis for IND variables in set 4 ...................................................... 120
Table 5-31: Mean value and SD of IND variables in Set 4_123 and Set 4_45 ................. 121
Table 5-32: Groups and rank of IND variables with results of set 4 ................................ 121
Table 5-33: Groups and rank of all variables combined with results of set 4 ................... 122
Table 5-34: Test of normality for differences between ORG and IND variables ............. 123
Table 5-35: Difference between organisational and individual perspectivesa .................. 124
Table 5-36: Statistical tests used to reveal the effect of GB drivers on participants based on
(Field, 2009) ...................................................................................................................... 132
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Table 6-1: Background of the interviewees ....................................................................... 135
Table 6-2: Suggested GB policy goal ................................................................................ 146
Table 6-3: Policy instruments suggested by interviewees and questionnaire participants 148
Table 6-4: Frequency of appearance of GB policy network actors in interviewees’ responses
........................................................................................................................................... 156
Table 6-5: Identification and suggested roles of actors and their network interactions in GB
policy community .............................................................................................................. 157
Table 7-1: Some features of green building market in the five countries updated to 2018
........................................................................................................................................... 172
Table 7-2: Policies and programs promulgated by the governments or partnered with the
governments' bodies with regards to climate change and green building market ............. 174
Table 7-3: Coding for Australian GB policies................................................................... 183
Table 7-4: Policies issued by Federal Government ........................................................... 184
Table 7-5: Policies developed by State and Territory Governments ................................. 185
Table 7-6: Policies introduced by Local Councils............................................................. 186
Table 7-7: Links between GB policies at the three levels of governance ......................... 199
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List of Abbreviations
GB Green building
VGBC Vietnam Green Building Council
GBCV Green Building Council Vietnam
MOC Ministry of Construction
MST Ministry of Science and Technology
MIT Ministry of Industry and Trade
MOF Ministry of Finance
MPI Ministry of Planning and Investment
MONRE Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
VUSTA Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Association
VCEP Vietnam Clean Energy Program
IFC International Finance Corporation – World Bank group
LOTUS A set of voluntary market-based green building rating tools developed by the
VGBC
LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
EDGE Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies
WB World Bank
UK United Kingdom
UNDP United Nation Development Program
USA United States of America
USGBC United States Green Building Council
GBCA Green Building Council of Australia
Page | xvi
Statement of Original Authorship
The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted to meet requirements
for an award at this or any other higher education institution. To the best of my knowledge and
belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except
where due reference is made.
Signature: _ QUT Verified Signature
Date: 29 Oct 2018

_________________________
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Acknowledgements
Similar to many other PhD candidates, I found my research degree an evolving work
from the beginning to the end. To me, it is comparable to an enormous jigsaw puzzle, for
which I carefully place every piece of knowledge to complete a comprehensive picture. The
journey has had its ups and downs; nevertheless, I am immensely grateful to those who have
put their faith in me, whom I acknowledged as follows.
I would like to express my most profound gratitude to those who provided me with the
support and encouragement to complete this degree. I would like to thank the School of Civil
Engineering & Built Environment, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Queensland
University of Technology, Australia for allowing me to commence this research degree, and
the Institute of Environmental Engineering, National University of Civil Engineering,
Vietnam, especially the Director of the Institute, Assoc. Prof Viet Anh Nguyen for providing
me with this life-time opportunity to conduct the research.
Primarily, I would like to give my heartfelt appreciation to my principle supervisor,
Professor Martin Skitmore, whose constant help, stimulating suggestions, prompt responses,
and encouragement have supported me greatly throughout this research journey, and in the
writing-up of this thesis. Martin, thank you for believing in my potential.
My equal appreciation goes to my associate supervisor, Dr Tanja Tyvimaa, external
supervisor Assoc. Prof Xiaoling Zhang from City University of Hong Kong, and relieved
associate supervisor, Dr Matthew Gray. Thank you all for your contribution during my
research journey. I am also grateful for the comments and encouragement from my seminars’
panels and two external examiners.
Completing this work would have been all the more difficult were it not for the support from
my parents, my brother, my husband, my friends, and all of my colleagues, who have cared
so much about my work, responded to my queries so promptly, and helped me distribute the
research questionnaire. I want to thank them for their support, encouragement, and all of the
valuable suggestions.
I am grateful for the anonymous but profound contribution of 225 questionnaire respondents
and 20 interviewees, who offered me their invaluable time and knowledge in the
development of Green building policies in Vietnam. My thanks also go to the Vietnam Clean
Energy Program for helping me distribute my questionnaires in their workshops, Mientrung
Civil Engineering University and Institute of Construction Economics for helping me with
the data collection, the Green Building Council of Australia for providing me with their
Green Star data, and for the published Australian Green Building Policies on their website.
I would like to thank QUT Academic Language and Learning Services, QUT HDR Support,
Mr and Mrs Davis, and Ms Chi Vu for their assistance in correcting English style, grammar
and pronunciation, and offering the advice to improve the presentation of my thesis. My
recognitions also go to Ms Diane Kolomeitz – professional editor - for her proofreading
services following the guidelines laid out in the University-endorsed national policy
guidelines.
Page | xviii
CHAPTER 1: Introduction
1.1. Research background
1.1.1. Country profile of Vietnam
Vietnam is a developing country located in Southeast Asia. The country has a mainland
of 330,966.9km2, stretching from North to South along the Gulf of Tonkin with 3,260km of
coastline. The mainland consists of two typical topographies, the small but very productive
river delta and coastal areas, and the large areas of less productive, mountainous terrain
(General Statistics Office of Vietnam, 2015; Thulstrup, 2015).
The one-party Communist state went through a political and economic reform in 1986
(Steer & Sen, 2010), opening up greater opportunities for foreign investment. Since then, the
country has achieved a fast and remarkable recovery and became one of the success stories
in the world in terms of both economic growth and poverty reduction (Al-Mulali, Saboori,
& Ozturk, 2015; Tarp, Roland-Holst, & Rand, 2003). Over roughly 30 years, it has
transformed from a weak, closed economy to a low, middle-income economy with 1755 US
dollars per capita in 2012 (Al-Mulali et al., 2015). A growth rate of 7-8% per year was
maintained between 1990 and 2007 (Tang, Tan, & Ozturk, 2016). However, the economic
growth has significantly imposed pressure on both the infrastructure and the environment,
particularly, the pressure of increased demand for buildings, energy consumption, and waste
and pollution management.
1.1.2. Inter-connected challenges Vietnam is facing on its pathway of development
a. Rapid population growth and urbanisation leading to the increased demand for
buildings
Since the economic reforms in 1986, urbanisation has accelerated significantly, and
the population has grown at a fast rate in tandem with economic development. Like many
countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa, the country has also experienced over-
urbanisation, which concerns the fast pace and scale of urbanisation without correspondingly
benefiting urban production (Beall & Fox, 2009; Bradshaw, 1987). In both theory and
Page | 1
Chapter 1: Introduction
statistical data, this phenomenon is directly related to the proportion of the population living
in urban areas (General Statistics Office of Vietnam, 2009; Sovani, 1964). According to data
obtained from the World Bank group, the population of Vietnam increased from 60.2 million
in 1986 to 83.3 million in 2006, and approximately 92.7 million in 2016 (Vietnam, 2018).
The number is predicted to grow to 108.7 million in 2049 with 58.8% of the population
likely residing in urban areas (General Statistics Office of Vietnam, 2016). According to the
General Statistics Office of Vietnam (2017), the housing floor areas constructed annually
increased by an average of 113.2% from 2005 to 2015, as presented in Figure 1-1. In 2016,
the Ministry of Construction announced that the average floor area per person had reached
22.8m2, which is equal to 2.11 billion m2 of housing floor area nationwide. As there is a two-
sided relationship between population and housing (Mulder, 2006), the continuous growth
in population and urban sprawl will create a burgeoning demand for buildings in the coming
years.
100000
90000 Mekong River Delta
80000
70000 South East
Thousand m2
60000 Central Highlands

50000
40000 North Central and Central
coastal areas
30000 Northern midlands and
20000 mountain areas
10000 Red River Delta
0
2005 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Figure 1-1: Areas of housing floor were constructed annually from 2005 to 2015 (adapted
from General Statistics Office of Vietnam, 2017)
In addition to residential areas, data retrieved from the USAID Vietnam Clean Energy
program shows that in the recent decade, there were 1400 buildings with gross floor areas
larger than 2500m2 built from 2006, including 490 buildings in the northern region, 316
buildings in the middle region and 623 buildings in the southern region (Figure 1-2). In Ho
Chi Minh City - the most populous metropolitan area in Vietnam, Truong, Giang, and Duong
(2018) observe a remarkable increase in high-rise residential towers to accommodate the
vast demand of residents. There is no available statistical data regarding other types of
buildings and the total building floor area in Vietnam. However, the number of residential
buildings and buildings, in general, is anticipated to continue growing.
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Figure 1-2: Quantity of buildings with total floor areas larger than 2500m2 (adapted from
Nguyen, Nguyen, & Luong, 2017)
b. Predicted insecurity of energy supply
Tang et al. (2016) analyse the causal relationship between economic growth and
energy consumption and conclude that the economy of Vietnam highly depends on its energy
source availability. Hence, urbanisation, economic growth, population and industrialisation
are believed to add energy demand. The total demand for energy increased by 9.3 percent
annually between the years 1990 – 2007; and it is estimated to increase from 55.6 Mtoe in
2007 to 146 Mtoe in 2025 (Tang et al., 2016).
Currently, energy production relies primarily on fossil fuel, including coal, oil, gas
(Nguyen, 2015) and dozens of new coal fuel power plants are expected to be built over the
next two decades (Ha-Duong & Nguyen-Trinh, 2017). The reliance on fossil fuel has made
the energy system of Vietnam carbonised even faster than the world average, China’s and
newly industrialised countries’ 1 (Zimmer, Jakob, & Steckel, 2015). Meanwhile, hydropower
and all other sources of renewable energy, including wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and
wave and tide, account for 38% and 2% of the total installed capacity, respectively (Duc
1
including Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico and South Africa.
Page | 3
Luong, 2015). However, a reserve of oil, natural gas and coal will not be sufficient for energy
production beyond the 60-year time-horizon, according to Ha-Duong and Nguyen-Trinh
(2017). Additionally, due to limited reserve generation capacity and rainfall dependency of
hydropower, the national electricity system has experienced power shortages relatively
frequently in the dry season. In the long-term, based on the ‘business as usual’ scenario,
studies since 2011 have pointed out that Vietnam would become a net importer of energy in
a decade. The demand is projected to surpass the domestic energy production in around 2015
(Figure 1-3) (Do & Sharma, 2011; Nguyen, 2015; Pham, Nguyen, & Nguyen, 2011). It is
also projected that in 2025, the nation will need to import approximately 49 per cent of its
total primary energy needs. Tang et al. (2016) criticise that energy conservation policies will
compromise the economic development due to the nature of Vietnam being an energy-
dependent economy. Other scholars have suggested that the government should promote
energy efficiency, develop market-based energy pricing and incorporate energy plans along
with other programs to form a long-term policy package (Do & Sharma, 2011; Nguyen,
2015).
Figure 1-3: Primary energy demand and supply balance (adapted from Minh Do and
Sharma, 2011, p. 5772)
Nevertheless, an increase as small as US 7.5 cent/kWh in the electricity tariff would

drive up the prices of all other factors (Nguyen, 2008). Thus, it is challenging to implement
those measures simultaneously. Therefore, in the meantime, renewable energy and energy
efficiency would be the optimal solutions to deal with the energy shortage.
c. Environmental detriment and adverse impacts of climate change
Vietnam has witnessed environmental detriment due to ‘economic development,

urbanisation, industrialisation, energy consumption and consumption of natural resources’
(Al-Mulali et al., 2015, p. 123). Economic growth effects, industrialisation, energy intensity
Page | 4
and growing population give rise to pollution and increased CO2 emission (Lee, Sethupathi,
Lee, & Bhatia, 2013; Martínez-Zarzoso & Maruotti, 2011; Shrestha, Anandarajah, &
Liyanage, 2009). Currently, the electricity prices for manufacturers are low and subsidised;
it has made Vietnam more appealing to those industries that are high in energy intensity,
such as steel and cement (Do & Sharma, 2011). This situation contributes to the energy
intensity of the economy and carbon emission. There is also evidence of a positive
relationship between urbanisation and emissions, although it is argued that the impact of
urbanisation on CO2 emission is not statistically significant (Li, Zhao, Liu, & Zhao, 2015;
Martínez-Zarzoso & Maruotti, 2011; Poumanyvong & Kaneko, 2010). The pollution is
predicted to be persistent along with the economic growth, as the relationship between GDP
and pollution remains positive in both short and long-term, proving that the environmental
Kuznets curve hypothesis does not exist in the country’s context (Al-Mulali et al., 2015).
Due to the excessive emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, the world is
undergoing climate change. Vietnam’s long coastline in addition to its low-lying and densely
populated delta regions make it highly vulnerable to present climate extremes and future
climate changes (Neil Adger, 1999). Currently, the country is suffering from frequent strong
typhoons during the monsoon season, and volatile rainfall patterns and droughts in different
extents and locations (Hoang, 2011; Lohmann & Lechtenfeld, 2015). In the near future,
Vietnam is also forecasted to be one of the five nations in the world most severely impacted
by rising sea-levels, and one of six countries in Pacific-Rim region most vulnerable to
climate change (Carew-Reid, 2007; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007;
Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC, May 2014).
As most areas are within 60km of the coastline, Carew-Reid (2007) predicted that
inundation from a one-metre sea level rise would result in the loss of 4.4% of Vietnam’s
territory, which covers coastal areas and the Mekong river delta region, affecting 6 million
people in the year 2100 (Figure 1-4). Since the economic backbone of the nation falls in its
coastal zone and the lowlands near the coast, which are rich in natural and socio-economic
assets, the loss will directly impact its wealth and standard of living (Hoang, 2011).
Additionally, more severe droughts, storm intensity, flooding and changes in rainfall patterns
as consequences of climate change will affect aquaculture, agriculture and food production
(Carew-Reid, 2007; van Dijk, van Rooij, & Hilderink, 2014).
Page | 5
Figure 1-4: Inundation zones of one sea level rise (adapted from Carew-Reid, 2007, p. 17)
Agriculture plays a vital role in the Vietnamese economy, presenting 21% of GDP, so
the climate-related damage will directly threaten food security and social welfare (The
World Bank, 2011). Rural areas, where almost all of the agricultural activities take place and
which have low adaptive capacity, are extremely vulnerable to natural disaster. The change
in climate patterns and the frequency of climate shocks have detrimental effects on
household income and expenditure, threatening their livelihood (Arouri, Nguyen, &
Page | 6
Youssef, 2015). These effects add to the economic pressure that has pushed people in rural
areas to seek employment and education opportunities in the cities to generate non-farm
incomes that reduce the dependency of the household as a whole on agriculture – a livelihood
strategy called rural-urban migration (Nguyen, Raabe, & Grote, 2015). Census data reveals
that the rural-urban migration strongly influences the urban population and also over-
urbanisation, creating a higher demand for buildings (General Statistics Office of Vietnam,
2009).
1.1.3. The green building movement as a solution to mitigate the negative impact
of the construction industry
a. Impacts of the construction industry and buildings
Given the tremendous demand for buildings in Vietnam in the coming future, the
construction industry is predicted to attract more focus and investment. However, this
industry is unarguably one of the leading contributors to climate change and the largest
polluter affecting the environment. Its impacts on climate change have been addressed by
numerous scholars and researchers (Li, Chen, Wang, Xu, & Chen, 2017; Samari, Godrati,
Esmaeilifar, Olfat, & Mohd Wira Mohd, 2013; Tam, Tam, & Tsui, 2004). The construction
industry consumes 40% of the total energy production, 32% of non-renewable and renewable
resources and emits 35-40% of the CO2 emission globally (Darko, Chan, Owusu-Manu, &
Ameyaw, 2017). A total of 36% of the total electricity usage in Vietnam is reportedly
consumed by this sector (Vietnam: Construction sector goes green, Feb 2015). Ortiz,
Castells, and Sonnemann (2009, p. 29) cite ample research accusing the industry of ‘high-
energy consumption, solid waste generation, GHG emissions, external and internal
pollution, environmental damage and resource depletion’. Although it makes the
development path more challenging, this industry is considered as showing a high potential
to contribute to sustainable development through improvements in its long-lasting products
(Pinkse & Dommisse, 2009; Sev, 2009).
Buildings affect humans and the environment in countless ways (Chan, Qian, & Lam,
2009). As we spend about 90% of our time on indoor activities, buildings can positively and
negatively affect our living environment (Kim & Paulos, 2009; LaRosa, Buckley, &
Wallace, 2002). They provide shelters and protect us from natural extremes (Chan et al.,
2009). However, buildings release volatile organic compounds which pose severe risks to
our health (Kim & Paulos, 2009). Buildings produce about half of the worldwide
Page | 7
anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, consume 40% of the total energy usage and almost
a third of global resources as well as a considerable proportion of raw materials globally
(Doan et al., 2017; Li et al., 2017). A significant amount of waste is also produced during a
building’s lifecycle, from construction, operation and demolition processes (Chau, Tse, &
Chung, 2010; Sev, 2009). Buildings contribute to air pollution, noise pollution, waste
pollution and water pollution (Shen & Tam, 2002) (Table 1-1).
Table 1-1: Major impacts of the construction industry and buildings (adapted from Sev,
2009, p. 162)
Environmental Social Economic
• Raw material extraction and consumption, related resource ✔ ✔

depletion
• Land use change, including clearing of existing flora ✔ ✔ ✔
• Energy use and associated emissions of greenhouse gases ✔ ✔
• Other indoor and outdoor emissions ✔ ✔
• Aesthetic degradation ✔
• Water use and waste water generation ✔ ✔
• Increased transport needs, depending on site ✔ ✔ ✔
• Waste generation ✔ ✔
• Opportunities for corruption ✔ ✔
• Disruption of communities, including through inappropriate ✔ ✔
design and materials
• Health risks on worksites and for building occupants ✔ ✔
b. The green building movement in the world
According to the US Green Building Council (2007), green building (GB) is defined
as the practice of forming and applying healthier, more environmentally-friendly and
resource-efficient models throughout the lifecycle of a building project (Chan et al., 2009).
Kibert (2004) further defines green/sustainable buildings as the outcomes of sustainable
construction, aiming to promote occupants’ well-being and resource efficiency, thus,
minimising the effects of the built environment on the natural ecology system (Xiaoping,
Huimin, & Qiming, 2009). A more specific definition stated by Hu, Geertman, and
Hooimeijer (2014), refers to green housing as environmentally-friendly buildings that are
resource-efficient, energy-saving, heath-improved and comfortable for living.
The GB movement started in the 1970s in Europe and the US. It is first considered as
a solution to reduce energy consumption to deal with unstable energy markets after an oil
Page | 8
embargo imposed by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) (Retzlaff,
2010). Gradually, GB gained diligent attention from government, industry players, and
scholars as a promising innovation to mitigate building-related environmental problems,
such as excessive consumption of energy and water (Darko, Zhang, & Chan, 2017; Hu et al.,
2014; Vietnam: Vietnam buildings set to go green, Jun 2015). Consequently, green building
is now considered as a means to achieve low carbon construction towards sustainability
(Chan et al., 2009; Mensah, Ayarkwa, & Nani, 2014; Oneill & Gibbs, 2014).
For those purposes, GB is often designed to achieve positive environmental

performance and is assessed by green building rating tools. The tools also comprise of
environment-related criteria, such as sustainable sites and transport, energy and water
efficiency, environmentally friendly materials, and indoor air quality improvement (Doan et
al., 2017; Samari et al., 2013; Ting, 2012). The benefits of GB are described as resource
efficiency, health improvement of occupants and waste reduction during the building
lifecycle (Balaban & Puppim de Oliveira, 2017; A. Darko et al., 2017; Mao & Yang, 2012).
GBs have been believed to confer direct economic benefits on their owners, as they can save
lifecycle costs, improve occupant productivity and performance, and increase their
competitive advantage (Liu, Guo, & Hu, 2014; Nalewaik & Venters, 2009). These benefits
have been theoretically proven by studies on Israeli office buildings over 20-year-period
(Gabay, Meir, Schwartz, & Werzberger, 2014). As an innovation, green building is proven
to result in elevated average rents and price value of early adopters, more than those of later
entrants (Chegut, Eichholtz, & Kok, 2014). Furthermore, it would also bring indirect
economic and environmental benefits to the surrounding communities (Chegut et al., 2014;
Kats, 2009). A green building market report by BCI Economics (2014) showed that buildings
certified by Green Star - the sustainable building assessment tool used widely in Australia
and New Zealand - bring significant positive effects. Those buildings only emit one-third of
GHGs, use a third of electricity, consume half of the portable water compared to average
Australian buildings, and recycle almost 96% of demolition waste. GB practices, thus, can
contribute considerably to reducing greenhouse gas, mitigating climate change impacts and
maintaining energy security.
As GB brings both tangible and intangible benefits, the movement is gaining

momentum and has become a global trend (Chan et al., 2009; Reed, Wilkinson, Bilos, &
Schulte, 2011; Thilakaratne & Lew, 2011). The Green Building Council networks and Green
Building Certifications are now presented in 93 states and territories worldwide and have
Page | 9
significantly accelerated global GB practices (Green Building Council of Australia, Jan
2009; Reed & Krajinovic-Bilos, 2013). From a comparative study into global GB evaluation
tools, Reed et al. (2011) show a considerable increase in the number and maturity of
international sustainable building organisations through a large number of projects
registering and seeking certificates from 2001 to 2011, illustrating the prosperous progress
of this initiative.
In Southeast Asia, Green Building Councils were formed in six countries with their
associated green building rating systems. They include Brunei, Indonesia with Green Ship,
Malaysia with Green Building Index, the Philippines with Building for Ecologically
Responsive Design Excellence, Singapore with Green Mark (Reed & Krajinovic-Bilos,
2013) with an increasing number of buildings being certified. Following the movement to
deal with its development problems, Vietnam necessitates GB in its pathway to
sustainability.
1.2. Research problems
In this study, the green building (GB) term is used to refer to those buildings embracing
the principles of lowering environmental impacts through higher energy efficiency,
lessening energy demand, reducing water usage, improving indoor quality and minimising
construction waste (Yang & Yang, 2009). GB has been considered to be one of the practical
solutions in response to climate change phenomenon and to mitigate the negative impacts of
the construction industry on the environment (A. Darko et al., 2017; Hu et al., 2014). As an
innovation in construction, GB has encountered numerous challenges in its penetration into
the market full of conventional buildings. Barriers to GB development from various
countries have been well documented, yet in Vietnam, no study has investigated this matter
on a large scale. Similarly, documented drivers to adopt GB were the individual perspectives
of several experts and have not yet been confirmed.
Researchers point out that supportive policies from the government will help
accelerate the pace of penetration (Lai, Liu, Shi, Georgiev, & Wu, 2017; Meade & Islam,
2006). In the pathway towards a green economy, the Vietnamese government has introduced
several National strategies and programmes aimed at energy efficiency and green growth,
including green building; however, they are criticised as lacking scientific ground and being
ambiguous, which makes them inadequate in helping green building overcome market
barriers. Although numerous GB studies globally have stated the need for policy, identified
Page | 10
policy implications, introduced public policy initiatives and analysed their impacts (Zuo &
Zhao, 2014), the process of adopting those suggestions into the policy agenda has not been
fully explored.
Policy-related research and publications revealed that policy-making is a process of

learning and governments and policy entrepreneurs worldwide often seek out solutions from
overseas to deal with their problems. For example, governments in other nations are coming
to the Netherlands to learn about their sustainable development policies (Pojani & Stead,
2015). Comparative policy studies are blooming in renewable energy policies,
environmental policies, sustainable planning and transport policies, but little research has
been implemented in the discipline of GB policies. It is also argued that previous studies
mostly focus on policy learning between developed countries (Evans, 2009). The issue of
GB policy adoption from a developing country’s perspective is still relatively unexplored by
academic analysts.
1.3. Research objectives
The primary objective of the study is to develop a practical policy-making framework

for GB development in Vietnam. The development of such a framework is based on four
main components:
• First, the exploration of the barriers to GB development in Vietnam from the

perspective of construction stakeholders;
• Second, the analysis of the influence of drivers to GB adoption on diverse
construction stakeholders and the GB market players;
• Third, the revelation and proposal of relevant policy community and their networks
involved in the process of policy-making for GB development;
• Fourth, the proposed policy goal and policy package necessary for promoting GB.
The study also aims to incorporate foreign policy learning into the policy-making
process by reviewing GB policies overseas and investigating the factors affecting the
adoption of foreign green building instruments from a developing country’s perspective.
1.4. The significance of the study
GB development in Vietnam is a compelling subject because the ‘green’ element in

construction has not been officially defined, and GB policies are still under-developed. This
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study represents a holistic view into the policy-making process for the development of GB
policies, which is accompanied by the statistical analysis of data on a large number of
construction stakeholders, and the engagement of the GB policy community. The
significance of this study lies in its implications for GB policy-making, GB development in
Vietnam, and also in its research methods.
As GB policies in Vietnam are at the vision development stage, this study proves
useful in helping policymakers in the process of selecting and formulating suitable GB
policies and instruments. It also supports the adoption of foreign GB policies via the
development of a framework of factors affecting the adoption. The findings will assist
Vietnam and other similar nations in reducing the impact of the construction industry on the
environment, and reaching their targets of cutting CO2 emissions.
The study contributes to the green building literature by presenting the case of GB
development in Vietnam. It also adds to the policy-making and policy learning literature by
providing an insight into the policy-making process of the Ministry of Construction,
Vietnam, and the exogenous and serial policy learning of GB policies, initiated by a
developing country with innumerable contextual constraints.
Regarding the research methods, this study integrates lesson drawing guidance -
practical guidelines from a prospective view, with policy transfer framework - an
explanatory framework from a retrospective point of view, to design the research process
and select the methods, as well as the instruments employed in data collection. The method
employed in the research has important implications for future studies aiming to investigate
the possibility of foreign policy learning in the GB field, and in countries with a similar
jurisdiction.
1.5. Thesis outline
The thesis is arranged in nine chapters that are briefly introduced below.
Chapter 1 starts off by establishing the background concerning the reasons Vietnam
necessitates GB in its socioeconomic development, presenting the current status of GB
movement in the world, and introducing the research problems.
Chapter 2, following Chapter 1, presents a literature review on different factors

affecting GB adoption in the world and Vietnam, government interventions and policy
Page | 12
options for GB, GB policy-making process with the involvement of a network of various
actors, and policy learning applied in the policy-making process.
Chapter 3 then proceeds to elaborate the research design by applying a developmental

approach incorporating mixed-methods, aiming to tackle the research problem. The research
employs a number of research instruments, namely, the questionnaire, the semi-structured
interview and the legal document analysis.
Data analysis and results are presented in five chapters.
Chapter 4 applies Exploratory Factor Analysis to reveal the factors underlying barriers
to GB development.
Chapter 5 employs non-parametric mean comparative analysis to analyse drivers to

GB in organisational and individual perspectives, taking into consideratios various profiles
of the participants.
Chapter 6 validates the results of Chapters 4 and 5, discusses the policy community
involved in the policy-making process, and establishes the Framework and Policy networks
for the GB policy-making.
Chapter 7 presents a review of foreign green building policies in Cambodia, Fiji, the
Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Australia, applying comparative study and
qualitative content analysis to draw policy lessons for the GB policy-making process in
Vietnam.
Chapter 8 explores the possibility and factors affecting the adoption of a selected
foreign GB policy – the Environmentally Sustainable Design policy.
Chapter 9 discusses and summarises the findings in the five result chapters in a holistic
view. This chapter also concludes the research with summary of the findings, justification
of the significance of conducting this study, addressing limitations, and suggesting possible
directions for future work.
References and Appendices are placed at the end of the thesis.
1.6. Chapter summary
This introductory chapter establishes the background of the need for GB in Vietnam
from the inter-connected challenges, including the massive demand for buildings, the
Page | 13
predicted shortage of energy supply and the damage caused by climate change, and
introduces information about the GB trend in the world. The research proposed that the
government of Vietnam should develop and implement supportive policies to promote GB.
However, there is a dearth of study in this particular area, leaving many factors influencing
the green building policy-making process insufficiently examined. The research objectives
are outlined to solve this research problem. They comprise exploring factors obstructing and
motivating GB development in Vietnam as the input for policy-making, the critical actors in
the policy-making process, the policy needed and the possibility of adopting a foreign GB
policy. The significance of conducting this research is pointed out via both of its theoretical
and practical implications. The chapter also provides an outline of the order and content of
the nine chapters presented in this thesis.
Page | 14
CHAPTER 2: Literature Review
2.1. Chapter overview
This section aims to analyse the literature based on four central themes: green building
development in Vietnam and factors affecting the adoption of green building (section 2.2),
government interventions to promote green building and the current legislation in Vietnam
(section 2.3), the policy community and networks for developing green building policies,
and the green building policy-making process (section 2.4), and the application of learning
foreign green building instruments in the policy-making process (section 2.5). In each
theme, the body of relevant academic literature is integrated with the literature focused on
green building and on the Vietnam context.
2.2. Green building development in Vietnam
2.2.1. The current status of green building development
In Vietnam, Solidiance and VGBC (August 2013) claim that the development of the
green building (hereinafter GB) market is still in its initial stages although it has garnered
increasing attentions from both the industry and governments, and has become a topic of
recent real estate fora and conferences since 2011 (Vietnam: Vietnam buildings set to go
green, Jun 2015; Vietnam: Vietnam developers told to start thinking 'green', Nov 2011). The
situation is similar to several other Southeast Asian nations. Studying the GB development
in the region, scholars point out that sustainability is an emerging concept, because it is
relatively new, and evolves as people learn to grasp its wide implications. Many key
stakeholders in the construction industry are not fully aware of the green building concepts
(Shafii & Othman, 2006). After the first building was certified in 2008, certified GB are now
scattered only in large cities throughout the country, mainly in two major metropolitan areas
– Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Table 2-1 presents seven popular GB assessment systems
currently applied in Vietnam.
Regarding the organisational setting, the Vietnam Green Building Council, established
in 2007, afterwards joined World Green Building Council Networks as an Associated Group.
Page | 15
Chapter 2: Literature Review
The Council has played a crucial role in promoting GB practices such as engaging
construction experts in developing LOTUS - a GB certification developed for Vietnam’s
conditions - and organising frequent nationwide training courses about GB solutions. The
LOTUS assessment tools encompass LOTUS-NR for Non-residential Buildings; LOTUS-
BIO for Building in Operation; LOTUS Interiors and LOTUS Small Interiors; LOTUS
Multi-family Residential; LOTUS Homes for Single Family Dwellings; and LOTUS-SB for
Small Non-residential Buildings.
Table 2-1: Rating systems applied in Vietnam

Rating system Organisation Country Definition
of origin
Leadership in U.S. Green Building The United A point-based rating system that rewards
Energy and Council (USGBC) State points across several areas that address
Environmental sustainability issues such as water, energy,
Design (LEED) and materials.
LOTUS Vietnam Green Vietnam A set of voluntary market-based green
Building Council building rating systems developed by the
(VGBC) VGBC specifically for the Vietnamese built
environment.
Excellence in International Finance The United Certification based on EDGE standard that
Design for Corporation -World State articulates a universal definition for a green
Greater bank group building: 20 percent less energy use, 20
Efficiencies percent less water use, and 20 percent less
(EDGE) embodied energy in materials.
Green Star Green Building Australia Australia's trusted mark of quality for the
Council Australia design, construction and operation of
sustainable buildings, fit-outs and
communities.
Green Mark Building and Singapore A benchmarking scheme that incorporates
Construction internationally recognised best practices in
Authority environmental design and performance.
Green Globe Green Globe Ltd. The United A structured assessment of the sustainability
Standard State performance of travel and tourism businesses
and their supply chain partners
EarthCheck Australian Australia A scientific benchmarking certification and
Government advisory group for travel and tourism
Sustainable Tourism developed based on the international
Co-operative standards relative to greenhouse gas
Research Centre protocols, responsible tourism and
certification.
In 2013, there were 21 LEED projects and 9 LOTUS projects in the 41 projects
certified as Green building. Updated data retrieved from the U.S. Green Building Council
(USGBC), VGBC and the International Finance Corporation (IFC)-World Bank group
shows the presence of 121 GB projects in Vietnam up to 2017, including 84 LEED, 27
LOTUS and 11 EDGE projects. Figure 2-1 presents the total number of GB projects, mainly
‘design as-built’.
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Interiors Pilot
Building in Operation - Pilot
LOTUS
Mutiple Floor Residential

Small Building Pilot
Non-Residential
Homes
Warehouse and distribution centers - New…
Retail - Commercial Interiors
Schools - New Construction
LEED
New Construction
Existing Buildings
Core and Shell
Commercial Interiors
EDGE
preliminary EDGE certificate

final EDGE certification
0 20 40 60 80
Figure 2-1: Total number of GB projects categorised by rating tools
Certified GB Projects
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
LEED
LEED
LEED
LEED
LEED
LEED
LEED
LEED
LOTUS
LOTUS
LOTUS
LOTUS
LOTUS
LOTUS
EDGE
EDGE
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Figure 2-2: Certified GB projects from 2010 to 2016 categorised by rating tools
From 2010 to 2016, there have been only 46 certified projects with rating tools applied
(Figure 2-2). This shows a marked inclination towards the international certification and
limited recognition of the localised sustainability assessment tool. This trend could be
attributed to that fact that the majority of GB projects’ investors are multinational
Page | 17
companies. When comparing LEED and LOTUS, Solidiance and VGBC (August 2013)
point out that the former is more recognisable, while the latter is more applicable and less
costly.
The modest numbers of GB projects per annum and in total, are reflected by point A
in Figure 2-3, indicating the slow progress of the adoption of GB. The graph was employed
by Hoffman and Henn (2008) to demonstrate GB adoption in the USA in 2008, when there
were about 1000 LEED certified buildings, as opposed to approximately 111,700 currently
listed LEED projects on the USGBC website (U.S. Green Building Council, 2015).
Figure 2-3: The adoption curve for green construction (adapted from Hoffman & Henn,
2008, p. 394)
Another organisation - Green Building Council Vietnam (GBCV) - was established in

2011 as a national government-sponsored council, demonstrating official advocacy for GB
adoption (Pham, 2015). This council consists of 19 academics and scholars who are
experienced in GB’s attributes. Pham (2015), the vice chairman of GBCV believes that the
GB movement in Vietnam is still in its infancy and without adequate and scrupulous
attention from the public.
2.2.2. Barriers to green building in developed and developing countries and

Vietnam
Many barriers and challenges that hinder this adoption have been well documented by
numerous scholars in the green construction field. A review of such barriers in both
developed and developing countries will help to identify the similarities and differences
between barriers of GB in developed and developing markets, as well as possible barriers
that Vietnam is likely to face at different stages of GB adoption.
Page | 18
a. Barriers to green building adoption in selected developed and developing
countries
Through reviewing publications relating to the adoption of GB, including sustainable

housing (SH), green offices, energy efficient buildings (EEB) and general GB, 38 barriers
are summarised from 13 key publications, presented in Table 2-2. Among those studies,
eight have conducted literature review on barriers against GB, three of them explicitly listing
their literature sources: Yang and Yang (2015) reviewed 12 main sources from EU and US
studies to shed light on the Australian context; Isa, Rahman, Sipan, and Hwa (2013)
reviewed 8 main sources from Australia, US, Singapore, New Zealand for study in Malaysia;
and Zhang, Liyin, and Wu (2011) reviewed 5 main sources from England, Australia and
India to guide the survey study in China. Eleven out of the 13 studies have validated their
findings by means of surveys and interviews with government agents and industry
stakeholders as well as case studies analyses in Australia, New Zealand, India, China,
Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The existing literature is also clustered into developed
markets, developing markets and Vietnam to discern the similarities and differences
between the challenges to adopting GB on different levels of market maturity and economic
development 2.
Table 2-2: Barriers against GB adoption in developed and developing markets in the existing
literature
Key reference
No Barrier to GB adoption
Developed market Developing market
Unavailable/unreliable sustainable (Gou, Lau, & Prasad, (Teng, Zhang, Wu, &
1
technology/materials 2013) Zhang, 2015)
Insufficient cost-benefit data from
2 (Chan et al., 2009) (Samari et al., 2013)
interdisciplinary research
(Mulligan, Mollaoğlu-
Lack of integrated design for lifecycle
3 Korkmaz, Cotner, & (Qian & Chan, 2010)
management
Goldsberry, 2014)
(Isa et al., 2013;
4 Lack of professional education and training (Yang & Yang, 2015)
Samari et al., 2013)
Lack of methods to consistently define and
5 (Gou et al., 2013) (Samari et al., 2013)
measure sustainability
(Bond, 2011; Yau,
6 Lack of information (X. Zhang et al., 2011)
2012b)
(Potbhare, Syal, &
7 Lack of demonstration projects (Chan et al., 2009)
Korkmaz, 2009)
(Li, Chen, Chew, Teo, (Ahn, Pearce, Wang, &
Lack of technical understanding of designers,
8 & Ding, 2011; Wang, 2013; Isa et al.,
builders and project teams
Mulligan et al., 2014) 2013)
2
Developed markets include Australia, New Zealand, United States, Singapore and Hong Kong, while
developing markets include India, South East Asia, Malaysia and China.
Page | 19
9 Different accounting methods (Chan et al., 2009)
(Yang & Yang, 2015;
10 High risks associated with investment Zhao, Hwang, & Gao, (Qian & Chan, 2010)
2016)
(Ahn et al., 2013; Li et (Shen, Zhang, & Long,
11 High initial costs
al., 2011) 2017)
(Samari et al., 2013;
12 Inadequate/inefficient fiscal incentives (Yang & Yang, 2015)
Shen et al., 2017)
(Ahn et al., 2013; Gou
13 Long payback period
et al., 2013)
Inappropriate pricing of electricity and other
14 (Qian & Chan, 2010)
energy commodities
15 Lack of an explicit financing mechanism (Gou et al., 2013) (Qian & Chan, 2010)
16 Costs incurred in seeking certification (Gou et al., 2013)
17 Split incentives due to the ownership structure (Bond, 2011)
18 Reluctance to adopt change (Choi, 2009)
Insufficient brand recognition and competitive
19 (Yang & Yang, 2015)
advantage
Lack of social science in climate change and
20 (Yang & Yang, 2015)
natural resource preservation
(Chan et al., 2009;
21 Misconception and lack of public awareness (Teng et al., 2015)
Yau, 2012a)
22 Contested functionality for end users (Yang & Yang, 2015)
(Ahn et al., 2013; Chen,
23 Behaviour of occupants (Mulligan et al., 2014) Chen, Huang, Long, &
Li, 2017)
24 Larger homes and smaller households (Bond, 2011)
25 Lack of interest from clients (Gou et al., 2013) (Samari et al., 2013)
26 Lack of interest from project teams (Gou et al., 2013) (Potbhare et al., 2009)
27 Lack of GB movement (Potbhare et al., 2009)
Different level of regional economic
28 (Teng et al., 2015)
development
29 Lack of collaborative integration (Yang & Yang, 2015) (X. Zhang et al., 2011)
(Choi, 2009; Li et al.,
30 Lack of a stakeholder communication network (X. Zhang et al., 2011)
2011)
Slow and unwieldy administration processes in
31 (Chan et al., 2009) (Qian & Chan, 2010)
certifying and policy making
Lack of a comprehensive code/policy package
32 (Yang & Yang, 2015) (Isa et al., 2013)
to guide action on sustainability
Duplication and confusion arising from
33 (Yang & Yang, 2015)
parallel policies/legislation
(Shafii & Othman,
34 Negative impact of public policy
2006)
35 Inappropriate attitude of government agencies (Chan et al., 2009) (Samari et al., 2013)
36 Weak enforcement of legislation (Qian & Chan, 2010)
Unorganised nature of the construction
37 (Potbhare et al., 2009)
industry
38 Lack of well know sources of information (Gou et al., 2013) (Potbhare et al., 2009)
Table 2-3: Similarities and differences between barriers of GB perceived by studies in

developed and developing markets
Barriers perceived in almost all the markets
High initial and capital costs
Page | 20
Barriers perceived in all the developing markets
Lack of professional education and training
Lack of technical understanding of designers, builder and project teams
Shared barriers perceived in both the two backgrounds
Insufficient cost-benefit data from interdisciplinary research
Lack of methods to consistently define and measure sustainability
Lack of information
Inadequate/inefficient fiscal incentive
Misconception and lack of public awareness
Barriers perceived more in the developing markets
Unavailable/unreliable sustainable technology/materials
Lack of explicit financing mechanism
Inappropriate attitude of governmental agencies
Barriers perceived more in the developed markets
High risks associated with investment
Long payback period
Split incentives due to the ownership structure
Reluctant to adopt changes
Behaviour of occupants
Lack of collaborative integration
Lack of stakeholder communication network
Slow and unwieldy administration process in certifying and policy making
Lack of comprehensive code/policy package to guide action on sustainability
The similarities and differences between barriers of GB perceived by studies in the

two markets are summarised in Table 2-3, concerning the barriers that are recognised in
three or more markets among the five developed markets and four developing ones. A
comparison of the two markets indicates that high initial costs are the most recognised GB
barrier. Studies have shown a maximum extra cost of 4% compared to conventional
buildings, which is often offset to some extent by savings in operational costs (Braman,
James, & Kats, 2013).
In developed markets, Yang and Yang (2015) classify the barriers to sustainable
housing in Australia into technical and design factors, economic factors, socio-cultural
factors and institutional factors in reference to Spangenberg’s (2002) sustainability prism.
The study identifies economic factors as the most significant, followed by institutional
factors. This result confirms that the housing industry in Australia prioritises economic gains
over other social values, and that there is a considerable concern over the inefficient policy-
making mechanism involved. Similar barriers are identified in the U.S. in research by
Mulligan et al. (2014), who state that GB costs are the most frequently reported barrier, and
that the low awareness of incentive policies is triggering industry players’ reluctance to
adopt GB. GB projects in Singapore are highly likely to be associated with more risks,
Page | 21
including those familiar to construction projects and those closely related to green
construction, such as the ‘use of new construction methods and technology’ and ‘unclear
requirements of clients’ (Zhao et al., 2016). Yau (2012a), through studies about barriers to
GB in Hong Kong, emphasises the information asymmetry between sellers and buyers
around the environmental performance of green housing, wherein buyers are not fully aware
of the operational benefits. Without a clear signal, such as eco-labelling, to reveal the hidden
benefits, the consumers will be less likely to pay more for green housing, which in turn may
discourage green housing developers.
Regarding studies in the developing markets, X. Zhang et al. (2011) reveal that
financial considerations are the most prominent barriers, while the lack of motivation, the
lack of economic incentives, and the weak enforcement of legislation act as major obstacles
to adopting GB in China (Shen et al., 2017). Isa et al. (2013) also argue that the high
economic risks associated with GB investment and insufficient studies of the cost-benefits
involved are the main hindrances to GB in Malaysia. Lack of education and limited GB
examples also profoundly influence GB adoption (Isa et al., 2013). Developing markets are
still facing the unavailability of sustainable technology, lack of specific financing
mechanisms, and the inappropriate attitudes of governmental agencies, which are the three
less-cited barriers in developed markets. Lack of professional training and technical
knowledge of market players and legislation issues are also mentioned in several studies of
developing markets.
Overall, research in developing markets has revealed fewer barriers than in developed
markets, and studies in developed markets are concentrating more attention on the
behavioural aspect and collaborative setting for all stakeholders. This may be an indicator
of the maturity of the GB adoption process in developed markets in comparison with
developing markets, as the higher adoption rate reveals more hindrances with regards to
psychological aspects (Hoffman & Henn, 2008). Although there are disparities between the
GB barriers perceived by studies in the two distinct markets, the adoption of GB in
developed and developing markets faces comparatively similar barriers.
b. Barriers to green building adoption specifically in Vietnam
Studies into the GB barriers in Vietnam are scarce, and the most related information
is limited to the viewpoints of academics and consultants. The only study with an appropriate
methodology is a report published in 2013 by Solidiance and VGBC (August 2013), in
Page | 22
which more than 20 industry leaders (suppliers, architects, contractors and project
consultants) were interviewed. The report identifies five main barriers to GB growth in
Vietnam, comprising the low electricity price, the lack of government incentives, a limited
supply of skilled employees with GB awareness, the short-term thinking and misaligned
incentives between building developers and users, and the low awareness and price
sensitivity discouraging property developers.
Low electricity price poses a disincentive to adopting energy efficiency practices and
green technologies. The electricity in Vietnam is considered as an essential commodity the
price of which is directly regulated by the government, which may not reflect the production
costs and the supply-demand relationship (Do & Sharma, 2011). Prices of most energy fuel
and electricity are cross-subsidised through various structures. It is argued by (Do & Sharma,
2011) that cross-subsidies and lack of market price are the significant barriers against the
efficient energy development in Vietnam, thus affecting the adoption of energy efficiency
and green building practices.
Government currently supports GB through issuing regulations related to

environmental protection, climate change adaptation, energy conservation and energy
efficiency, strategies towards sustainable development and green growth. A criticism is that
the regulatory environment is still under-developed and support from the government for
GB is confined to conferences and orientation sessions, providing little incentive to help GB
penetrate the construction market (Solidiance & VGBC, August 2013). In addition to limited
economic and fiscal incentive to offset the extra cost, the short-term thinking of the property
developers, who pay more attention to short-term profit than long-term return, poses a
hindrance that will only be solved when the public awareness about GB is enhanced.
Moreover, the unfamiliarity of the workforce to GB technology and design would increase
the cost and time related to the design and construction phases of any GB projects, thus
increasing the total cost. The slowdown of the real estate market due to tightened lending
conditions on credits and oversupply of buildings across several market segments increases
price sensitivities and triggers more hesitation among property developers and buyers to
invest in GB.
In addition to the report, seven key articles related directly to GB in Vietnam are
reviewed. These were found by conducting a search using English and Vietnamese terms
‘barriers to GB in Vietnam’ and ‘rào cản đối với công trình xanh’ in Google and filtering
Page | 23
out irrelevant results such as news or announcements of GB projects. The articles were
obtained from the Architecture Magazine of Vietnam Association of Architects, Asia Life
Magazine, Asia Green Building, the Vietnam Green Building Database and Networks,
National Energy Efficiency Programme, and Ecology global networks. However, it is noted
that several websites republished one article, demonstrating the lack of a comprehensive
study of GB in Vietnam. A total of 24 barriers were found in these key references and are
summarised in Table 2-4, comprising 20 common barriers as studied in other markets above
and three different barriers: constraints of existing infrastructure, lack of sustainable energy
and price sensitivity. The common barriers of GB suggest that the Vietnamese government
could learn lessons about overcoming barriers from their counterparts in other countries.
Table 2-4: Barriers of GB recognised in Vietnam

No Barrier to GB adoption Key reference
1 Unavailable/ unreliable sustainable (Tatarski, 2013)
technology/materials
2 Insufficient cost-benefit data from interdisciplinary (Le, 2014)
research
3 Lack of professional education and training (Le, 2008; Solidiance & VGBC,
August 2013)
4 Lack of methods to consistently define and measure (Pham, 2015)
sustainability
5 Lack of information (Vu, 2015)
6 Lack of technical understanding of designers, (Solidiance & VGBC, August 2013)
builders and project teams
7 Different accounting methods (Le, 2014)
8 High initial costs (Le, 2014; Vu, 2015)
9 Inadequate/inefficient fiscal incentives (Le, 2014)
10 Inappropriate pricing of electricity and other energy (Solidiance & VGBC, August 2013;
commodities Tatarski, 2013)
11 Lack of an explicit financing mechanism (Le, 2014)
12 Costs incurred in seeking certification (Sayyed & Do, 2015)
13 Split incentives due to the ownership structure (Solidiance & VGBC, August 2013)
14 Misconception and lack of public awareness (Solidiance & VGBC, August 2013;
Tatarski, 2013)
15 Lack of interest from clients (Solidiance & VGBC, August 2013)
16 Lack of GB movement (Le, 2014; Pham, 2015)
17 Lack of collaborative integration (Pham, 2015)
18 Lack of a stakeholder communication network (Pham, 2015)
19 Lack of a comprehensive code/policy package to (Sayyed & Do, 2015)
guide action on sustainability
20 Negative impact of public policy (Do & Sharma, 2011)
21 Weak enforcement of legislation (Vu, 2015)
22 Price sensitivity (Solidiance & VGBC, August 2013)
23 Constraints of existing infrastructure (Tatarski, 2013)
24 Lack of sustainable energy (Tatarski, 2013)
Page | 24
The barriers perceived as being only in Vietnam may be the result of different
contextual situations. First, the dominance of State-owned Enterprises in electricity
generation and fossil fuel exploitation means that Electricity Vietnam (EVN) and Petrolimex
account for more than 60% and 50% of total electricity generation and petroleum products,
respectively, resulting in unfair competition and preventing any new entrants from entering
the market ((Do & Sharma, 2011). Second, the existing electricity networks and lack of
financial instruments, such as rebates or feed-in tariff, pose a disincentive to investment in
renewable energy such as solar and wind energy for GB. Due to several factors, including
the lack of data from research and the lack of attention from the government, hydro has been
so far the primary type of renewable energy while there is little investment in solar and wind
energy technologies (Table 2-5). The proportion of renewable energy in total energy
production is even predicted to drop from over 40 percent in 2005 to less than 10 percent in
2030 (Figure 2-5) (Pham et al., 2011).
Table 2-5: Projected renewable energy resources for power generation under Master Plan VI
2005–2030 (adapted from Pham et al., 2011, p. 6819)
Resource 2005 In 2020 In 2030
MW GWh MW GWh MW GWh
Small/mini hydro 185 555 1,000–1,200 4,200–5,200 3,500 10,000
Wind power 0.8 n/a 300–400
Solar cells 1.15 n/a 4–6
Biomass 150 n/a 310–410
Geothermal 0 0 100
Total 336.95 ∼600 1700–2100
45.0
40.0
35.0
30.0
25.0
20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030
Renewable energy (%) 41.6 31.6 22.5 16.7 12.5 10.0
Figure 2-4: Planned percentage of renewable energy per total energy production (adapted
from Pham et al., 2011)
Page | 25
Additionally, although reluctance to adopt change has not been mentioned, this factor
is expected to be one of the main barriers in the future. The reluctance to adopt change would
be associated with lack of expressed interest from the clients and lack of public awareness,
hindering the penetration of GB into the construction and building market.
Although these publications shed light on the barriers to GB, this failed to obtain the
perspectives of a growing number of attentive construction stakeholders. In the report, it is
not clear how the interviewees were recruited and what their profiles were, while other
published articles are all based on individual opinions. An empirical study is, therefore,
crucial to exploring possible barriers hindering for the adoption of GB in Vietnam.
2.2.3. Drivers for Green building
As GB development faces numerous barriers and challenges, it is crucial to investigate

the factors that could motivate developers and construction stakeholders to engage in GB
development. Incentives are defined as tools that drive people to act in a certain way
(Olubunmi, Xia, & Skitmore, 2016). GB incentives in this study are identified based on a
comprehensive work by Olubunmi et al. (2016), who conducted a content review on 175
relevant publications, 56 of which are about the categorisation of incentives to GB. The
result of this review manifests the incentives for GB provided by the government, and those
not related to the government, that can serve as motivation for enhancing GB practices in
the construction industry. Table 2-6 lists the set of nine driver items categorised by
Olubunmi et al. (2016).
Table 2-6: Variables of Motivation for Delivering Green Building Projects (adapted from
Olubunmi et al. (2016)
Type No. Name of incentives Definitions and examples
The financial incentives or monetary gains provided by
External Incentives provided
1 Financial benefits the government

e.g. direct grants, soft loans
by the government
2 Economic benefits e.g. tax cuts, or reduced developmental application fees

Regulatory requirements, The non-financial incentives or non-monetary gains
3 technical standards, provided by the government
energy code e.g. green labelling, energy efficiency requirements
e.g. demonstration projects, technical assistance on
Leadership and green design and construction, expedited permitting,
4
Assistance regulatory relief, business planning and marketing
assistance.
The improvement in the quality of life in green
Improved human well- building projects
Incentives
Internal
5 being and comfortability e.g. healthier or greener environment, increased

advantages productivity and reduced absenteeism in green building
occupiers
6 High market appeal of The market appeal of green building projects
Page | 26
green buildings e.g. high demand from private and corporate users,
potentially high rental values or profit accrual to green
building owners and/or developers
The enhancement of image or reputation attached to
7 Societal gratification
the ownership or user-ship of green buildings
The altruistic or personal moral norms and values that
Altruistic or personal
8 are pro-environmental and provoking green building
moral norms and values
intent
Conditional inspiration The persuasive influence of green advocacy champions
or persuasion to adopt or leaders
9
green building and e.g. governmental-led championing of green building
practices practices
The first is financial incentives, which help increase financial gains for project owners
in the form of preferential loans, special funds and grants, rebates and subsidies (Cotten,
2012; Olubunmi et al., 2016). This incentive compensates for the high costs of sustainable
building measures involved in GB projects (Gündeş & S.U. Yıldırım, 2016).
Similarly, the second is monetary or economically beneficial, such as tax reductions

and reliefs for the compulsory fees for building development (Yudelson, 2008).
The third is government regulations, often in the form of construction codes to enforce
GB development, such as the building energy efficiency being mandated in the Scandinavian
countries (Allouhi et al., 2014).
The fourth is administrative assistance offered by the government to ease the

administration and technical appraisal process associated with GB development proposals
(Choi, 2010; Cotten, 2012).
The fifth is improvements to healthy and comfortable living in GB projects due to

environmentally sustainable features (World Green Building Council, 2016).
The sixth is the very high open market appeal of GB projects, which translates to high
demand, rental values and profits (Zhang & Liu, 2014).
The seventh is the enhanced reputation obtainable from the ownership and/or usership
of GB projects, which links to corporate social responsibility (CRS) – a major factor in
business competitiveness (Amos Darko et al., 2017). This driver is believed to be the key
motivation behind the contribution of the property industry to the sustainability agenda in
Australia (Newell, MacFarlane, & Walker, 2014).
Page | 27
The eighth is value-based, in the form of altruistic beliefs that unsustainable practices
and emphasis on short-term benefits will worsen general human life and the environment
(Potbhare et al., 2009).
The last item is the inspiration and/or persuasion to adopt sustainable practices and
behaviours derived from leaders in top positions or highly reputable advocates of GB
development.
Amos Darko et al. (2017), who analyse 42 empirical studies about drivers to GB, show
18 original countries of published studies, none of which were conducted in Vietnam. An
aforementioned industry study conducted by Solidiance and VGBC (August 2013) stated
four main drivers to GB initiatives in Vietnam, namely, sales and marketing considerations,
savings due to increased efficiency, corporate guidelines and CSR, and low supply of
premium buildings. Those drivers are categorised into nine types of incentives by Olubunmi
et al. (2016). However, the report only identified the drivers with no further analysis. Hence,
it remains unclear how construction professionals in Vietnam can be most influenced.
2.3. Government interventions to promote green building adoption
2.3.1. The need for government policies
In order to help promote energy efficiency and green building in the market, Market
Transformation Theory is commonly utilised (Geller & Nadel, 1994; Killip, 2013; Mellross
& Bud Fraser, 2012). Market Transformation Theory appears typically in studies on energy
efficiency, either as a marketing strategy or as the objective of public policy and programme
in the U.S. to achieve sustainable change in the market (Li & Banwell, 2018; Rosenberg &
Hoefgen, 2009; York, 1999). Although the definition of Market Transformation Theory is
still vague, the importance has not been placed on refining the theory (York, 1999), but on
the impacts of public policy and other integrated elements in transforming a specified market
(Rosenow, Fawcett, Eyre, & Oikonomou, 2016). The theory highlights the role of public
policy in navigating the market. A market intervention should aim to create a sustainable
demand pull, restructure the market via removing barriers or make technologies more
accessible (Rosenow et al., 2016). For construction innovations, regulations and standards
are considered as one of six primary influential determinants (Blayse & Manley, 2004).
Geller and Nadel (1994) suggest that the government can accelerate the introduction and
penetration of new energy efficiency products by enforcing policies designed to overcome
Page | 28
specific barriers. Similarly, Mellross and Bud Fraser (2012), analysing the case of Green
Building Policy and Plan introduced by the Edmonton City Council, argue that a public
policy directly targetted the local market’s barriers can dramatically help shifting the market
to greener buildings.
Regarding to research into GB, government involvement is acknowledged as one of

the essential and effective measures to promote GB in many recent studies from Asia – such
as Malaysia (Chan et al., 2009), Hong Kong (Gou et al., 2013; Qian, Fan, & Chan, 2016);
Singapore (Hwang, Shan, Xie, & Chi, 2017); China (Qian & Chan, 2010; Zhang & Wang,
2013); the United States (Mellross & Bud Fraser, 2012; Mulligan et al., 2014); Australia
(Zuo, Ben, Pullen, & Qian, 2012); and Europe (van Bueren, 2009). Shafii and Othman
(2006) suggest that governments can stimulate and ensure the development of a sustainable
construction industry, both indirectly and directly, through legislation and planning control,
and their involvement in the construction process. Ho, Dickinson, and Chan (2010) reveal
that public leadership of green procurement determines overall effectiveness and stimulates
the practice in the Hong Kong private sector. Zhang, Platten, and Shen (2011) propose a
green strategy plan to guide actions on the more systematic use of green technologies in
China. Potbhare et al. (2009) found out that it is vital for the industry players, academics and
government officers if the incentives provided by government can catalyse the GB guideline
adoption in India.
Among few studies in Vietnam focusing on GB, Pham (2015) argue that the
government needs to take vigorous actions to promote GB, given the worsening effect of
climate change and all the development challenges. There is a need for formulating related
construction codes and standards to either mandate or encourage green technology
applications in buildings (Sayyed & Do, 2015; Vu, 2015). Financial incentive and policy
package are also needed (Le, 2014). Therefore, to accelerate the shift to greener buildings
in Vietnam, support and dedication from the government through its policy instruments are
essential.
2.3.2. Green building public policy options
The government can positively or negatively affect the demand for GB through
financial incentives and tax reductions (Isa et al., 2013). The Malaysian government, for
example, has acted as a facilitator since 2007, when launching the Green Building Mission
to raise awareness (Shafii & Othman, 2007). They consulted the private sector and non-
Page | 29
profit organisations in an open dialogue of critical issues, solutions and recommendations
for sustainable building and construction. Buildings certified with the Green Building Index
are allowed to apply for tax and stamp duty exemptions (Isa et al., 2013). The Singaporean
government implemented three successful Green Building Masterplans and incentive
mechanisms to promote GB across the state (Hwang et al., 2017). Eligible GBs in Singapore
receive up to 2% gross floor area (GFA) bonus. A similar GFA concession scheme is
conducted in Hong Kong with maximum 10% GFA (Qian et al., 2016). In the USA, the
government can allow a higher floor area ratio or lower tax burden for GB developers (Choi,
2009).
Standards and codes are also considered as effective instruments in leading the
construction industry towards more environmentally friendly development. Energy
standards for sustainable design and construction have been established in several countries,
including India, Abu Dhabi and Turkey, where the United States and United Kingdom
standards have been adapted to local conditions (Komurlu, Arditi, & Gurgun, 2015). The
Energy Conservation Building Code launched by the Government of India aims at
developing voluntary minimum energy performance standards for large commercial
buildings, expressed in terms of energy consumption per m2 of area (Kumar, Kapoor, Rawal,
Seth, & Walia, 2010).
Qian and Chan (2010) present four types of government’s role in the promotion of
green building as follows:
• Law and policy-maker;
• Economic motivator;
• Fiscal hub;
• Advocator.
Numerous GB policy initiatives that are identified and analysed can become policy
options for Vietnam (Al-Saleh & Mahroum, 2015; Nellen & Miles, 2007; Pearce, DuBose,
& Bosch, 2007; Qian & Chan, 2010; Shi, Lai, Xie, & Zuo, 2014). Based on the role of the
government, they are divided into four categories. GB mandates often include law,
regulations, codes and standards that generally impose minimum efficiency standards,
introduced when the market mechanism alone is not capable of reaching the objectives or
vision of environmental or energy policy:
Page | 30
• Energy saving obligations;
• Requiring new buildings to meet some specified level of certification;
• Requiring the energy efficiency assessment of new products and mandate eco-labels;
• Strengthening the supervision and management;
• Collecting building performance data and make it compulsory for the developers to
release sustainable related data and maintenance guarantee;
• Creating a common glossary and mandate a green building code;
Fiscal instruments incorporate economic and fiscal incentives aimed at encouraging

investment by reducing investment cost either directly (financial incentives) or indirectly
(economic incentives). Financial incentives are categorised into two types: investment
subsidies and soft loans; economic incentives are often provided as tax credits. One of the
economic incentives is property tax policy, for example, which has been implemented in a
number of countries, including the USA, Malaysia, India, Canada, Italy, and has been
recognised as a useful instrument to promote GB development at the local level (Shazmin,
Sipan, & Sapri, 2016). Those incentives include:
• Developing a funding mechanism to offset high upfront costs such as loan guarantee;
• Renewable energy tax credits for installing solar panels like feed-in-tariffs, net
metering;
• New energy efficient building tax credit;
• Grants, tax deductions, exemptions, rebates or subsidies for research and

development on sustainable technology;
• Fuel/carbon taxes.
In addition, governments may also implement voluntary administration measures or

advocacy incentives such as:
• Creating a working group or assigning an agency to develop standards and plans;
• Providing technical support and training;
• Launching green awareness campaign;
• Issuing instructions or guideline for integrated/green design;
Page | 31
• Implementing demonstration projects, green procurement and showing leadership
role in energy-efficiency practices;
• Providing expedited permitting and density bonus.
However, Chan et al. (2009) argue that it is debatable which government intervention
instruments are the most effective, and which are the efficient tools for promoting GB. For
example, financial incentives are found to be less influential and effective compared to non-
financial incentives among project owners in Australia (Olanipekun, Xia, Hon, & Hu, 2017).
Non-financial incentives are also believed to work well in the situations where it is
politically challenging to pass on fiscal incentives or where the current regulatory
atmosphere is restricted (Choi, 2009). The question as to whether a government should be
applying a mix of fiscal and regulatory tools, focusing more on market-based instruments or
setting up an institutional framework consisting of volunteer individuals and organisations,
depends on three factors: the current situation of the market system, the economic
development and the political environment (Chan et al., 2009).
2.3.3. Policies implemented by the Vietnamese government to encourage green

building development
Since the 1990s, considering all the mentioned challenges associated with economic
growth along with the emergence of the ‘sustainable development’ concept and cleaner
production movement in the world, the Vietnamese government has begun to devote their
attention to environmental protection in parallel with their focus on industrialisation and
urbanisation. It has been nearly 25 years since the country has developed towards a
sustainable future. GB is still a new concept for both the construction industry and
policymakers, although it is an integral part of the concept of promoting sustainability (Chan
et al., 2009, p. 3061). Therefore, to develop GB supportive policies, it is essential to
understand the legislation foundation and evaluate current policies implemented in Vietnam
that favour or disfavour the GB market.
As the nation is a one-party Communist state, it is of great importance to devise

national strategies or frameworks to create the vision for development, while Vietnam has
limited capacity to provide fiscal incentives. Therefore in this study, the role of the
government will be divided into four types: the vision provider, the coercive policymaker,
the economic motivator and the advocate. Accordingly, there are four main categories of
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policies: strategic planning, coercive regulations, financial instruments, and advocacy
incentives.
The GB-related policies can be divided into two periods: from 1991 to 2005 and from
2006 to 2015. The first period was remarked by a substantial shift in the policy goal of the
policymakers, as numerous policies were first enacted aiming at environmental protection
and sustainable development, environmental pollution control and GHG reduction.
However, the government only focused on providing vision and instructive regulations,
while financial instruments and advocacy incentives were not utilised in this period. The
second period further advanced the past achievements and formed a legislation foundation
for GB supportive policies as climate change, energy efficiency and green growth are
integrated into national development strategies. This period was remarked on by the
National Strategic Program on Energy Saving and Effective Use 2006-2015.
In this section, policies from 1991 to 2011 are named and analysed based on a critical
document – the National report on the sustainable development of Vietnam in prepared for
Rio+20 (Vietnam Government, 2012) and additional content analysis where needed.
a. Sustainable development policies relating to buildings from 1991 to 2005
• Strategic planning
The government of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) has highlighted the
importance of environmental protection in the nation’s development strategies since 1991
(Vietnam Government, 2012). The Socio-Economic Development Strategy for 1991-2000
became the first orientation document to mention the three spheres of sustainability and
placed economic growth in a linkage with cultural development and environmental
protection. Subsequent to the issuance of this important document, the National Plan on
Environment and sustainable development 1991-2000 was promulgated as a framework for
policy and action plans throughout all aspects of sustainable development, including water
resources, coastal zone management, urban development, energy, pollution control and
environmental awareness related policies. In 1998, a CPV Politburo’s Instructive No 36-
CT/TW emphasised that the protection of the environment should be enhanced in the period
of national industrialisation and modernisation. In 1999, the strategy on the management of
solid waste in Vietnamese cities and industrial parks till 2020, mandating waste management
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practices, was implemented. The document set a long-term goal, which indicated that non-
hazardous solid waste, including construction waste, would be recycled.
The Socio-Economic Development Strategy for 2001-2010 again mentioned the triple
bottom line where the socio-economic development is coupled with environmental
protection. This was the first document in which the word ‘sustainable’ was integrated into
the requirements for the country’s development to be fast, efficient and sustainable. The
Strategic Orientation for Sustainable Development (so-called Vietnam Agenda 21) enacted
later in 2004 further defined the ways and approaches to accomplish the requirements. The
Vietnam Agenda 21 was developed on national, sectoral and local levels. It showcased that
the construction industry is the major contributor to environment deterioration, and
therefore, the industry needs to develop its own action plan to ensure sustainable
development. The action plan should integrate the usage of efficient material technologies,
GHG reduction and renewable energy consumption. Vietnam Agenda 21 also set up a
framework for coordinating all levels of government to implement the sustainable
development strategy. Also in 2004, environmental protection vision was promulgated in
National Strategy on environmental protection till 2010 and Orientation until 2020 and
Resolution No. 41-NQ/TW of Politburo on environmental protection in the period of
national industrialisation and modernisation. Late 2004 and the following year, 2005,
witnessed the enforcement of stronger actions taken by the government about protecting the
environment and controlling pollution. Two Plans were introduced, namely, the Government
Action Program for implementation of Resolution No. 41-NQ/TW of November 15th, 2004
of Politburo on environmental protection in the period of accelerated national
industrialisation and modernisation; and National Plan for environmental pollution control
until 2010.
• Coercive regulations
Soon after the Socio-Economic Development Strategy for 1991-2000, the Law on
Environmental protection was developed and ratified in 1993, and was then amended in
2005. This regulation aims at preventing environmental degradation and ensuring efficient
use of natural resources, putting in place the foundation for environmental standards and
pollution control activities. In the following year, 1994, Decision No. 175/CP guiding the
implementation of Law on Environmental Protection was enacted to help clarify further and
guide all authority levels to follow the Law. The Law on Water Resources that was later
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enforced in 1998 stressed that efficient use of water resources is the obligation of every
organisation and individual. Energy efficiency started to gain scrutiny in 2003 with the
Decree No 102/2003/ND-CP on Energy Efficiency and Conservation and Law on Electricity
2004. A crucial mandatory document relating directly to GB in this period was enforced in
2005: the Energy Efficient Building Code, aiming at reducing energy loss.
After the first period with all the national strategies, programs and laws being set,
environmental protection was integrated into all guidelines and development policies of the
State (Vietnam Government, 2012). Although there was no specific program, instrument or
target related to GHG reduction, energy efficiency and GB, the awareness on environmental
protection and sustainable development of policymakers, industry players and the public has
been improved and strengthened.
b. Current policies as a foundation to develop green building supportive

regulations and programs from 2006 to 2017
The latest Socio-Economic Development Strategy envisioned development pathway

for 2011-2020, continues to highlight the importance of sustainable development as an all-
through requirement in the Strategy. Based on all the strategies ratified in the past 15 years,
the government rapidly has built up the legislation framework, focusing more on cleaner
production, energy efficiency, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and green growth
paradigm (Table 2-7) (Do & Sharma, 2011; Nguyen, 2015; United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change, 2014a; Vietnam Government, 2012; Zimmer et al., 2015).
The government promotes green industry through formulating mandatory policies on

economical and efficient use of energy. At the beginning of this period, the National Target
Program on economical and efficient use of energy 2006-2015 was approved, setting the
target to reduce energy consumption by 3-5% in 2006-2010 and 5-8% in 2011-2015 (Do &
Sharma, 2011). It aims at raising public awareness, providing technical assistance, using
energy saving product labels and building capacity. Although the National five-year plan for
2006-2010 did not encompass any targets for energy efficiency, the recent National five-
year plan 2011 – 2015 has set a target to reduce 2.5% to 3% energy used per GDP per year.
The government has also promulgated regulations such as the Law on Economical and
Efficient use of Energy No. 50/2010/QH12 and the Law on Environmental Protection Tax
No. 57/2010/QH12; it has also launched the National Energy Efficiency Program, Energy
Label Program, to implement the legal requirements (Vietnam National Assembly, 2010a,
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2010b). These programmes and regulations mandate energy consumption assessment labels
as a compulsory requirement for numerous electricity appliances and promote energy-saving
practices. The list of devices and equipment subject to energy labelling and application of
the minimum energy efficiency was first issued in 2011 and has been regularly updated.
Table 2-7: Regulations and programs from 2006 to 2015 that support GB adoption
Type Year Name of Policy
• National Strategic Program on Energy Saving and Effective Use 2006-2015;
• National Program on Energy Saving 2006-2015;
2006
• National Strategy on Water Resources until 2020;
• Program for Electricity Economization 2006-2010.
• Government Action Program for implementation of Resolution of Party Central
Committee (10th Tenure), 4th Session, on major decisions and policies
2007
targeting rapid and sustainable economic development following Vietnam’s
accession to the World Trade Organization.
2008 • Target Program to Respond to Climate Change 2010-2015.
Strategic planning
• Strategy on Cleaner Industrial Production till 2020;

2009 • Vietnam Strategic Orientation for Water Resources Development;
• Strategy on General Management of Solid Waste to 2025 and vision until 2050.
• The Socio-Economic Development Strategy for 2011-2020;
• National Five Year Plan 2011-2015;
• Key state program on science and technology 2011-2015 (Science and
technology serving National Target Program to respond to climate change);
2011
• National Strategy on climate change;
• Support Program to respond to climate change (SP-RCC);
• Master Plan for Renewable Energy Development 2011-2020, with a vision to
2030 (Masterplan VII).
• Vietnam green growth strategy 2011-2020 and vision until 2050;
• Strategy on clean technologies development;
2012
• Vietnam action plan on climate change 2012-2020;
• National Target Program on Energy Efficiency and Conservation 2012-2015.
2014 • Action plan on Green growth 2014-2020.
2009 • Law on urban planning.
2010 • Law on energy efficiency and conservation;
• Mandatory requirements for statistical work on energy use; major energy users;
Coercive regulations
economical and efficient use of energy in state budget-funded agencies and

2011 units; energy labelling of energy consuming devices and equipment; measures
to promote economical and efficient use of energy; and examination and
inspection of economical and efficient use of energy.
• National Target Program on Energy Efficiency and Conservation 2012-2015
• Energy Label Program;
2012
• Mandatory requirement for buildings funded by public budget and all buildings
over 9 storeys to use unbaked materials.
• - Technical Regulation on Energy Efficient Buildings replacing Energy
2013
Efficient Building Code 2005.
• Law on natural resources tax;
• Land-use and import-duty tax exemption, income tax reduction for projects
Fiscal instruments
using advanced technologies and protecting the environment;

2009 • Feed-in-tariff for wind energy;
• Financing and preferential loans are available for projects aiming at
environmental protection, innovative and environmentally friendly technology
research and adoption and GHG reduction.
2010 • Law on environmental protection tax on several fossil fuels.
• Sanction of administrative violations in the economical and efficient use of
2011
energy was enacted.
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2013 • Accelerated depreciation tax relief for renewable energy projects.
Advocacy 2012 • Green Lotus Hotel Programme.
incentives • National Green Architecture Prize.
In response to the impacts of climate change, the Vietnamese government has enacted
the Target Program to Respond to Climate Change (TPRCC) in 2008 and National strategy
for climate change (NTCC) in 2011, aiming at measures of climate change mitigation and
adaptation and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction (Vietnam Prime Minister, 2011).
In the TPRCC, industrialised countries and international funds were initially considerred as
the primary source for climate change mitigation activities. However, in the NTCC, the
government signaled ‘a willingness to take responsibility’ in response to climate change by
stating that every country is demanded to reduce GHG (Zimmer et al., 2015, p. 23).
The NTCC remarked on a change in Vietnam’s policy, from passively adapting to the
impact of climate change to actively mitigating it by reducing GHG and striving for low-
carbon/green economy. However, the NTCC places focus only on macro-level energy
intensity and its value in comparison to other countries, while this is not a useful indicator
of energy efficiency or GHG reduction (Do & Sharma, 2011).
The policy change is also marked by a change in the focus of energy development. As
mentioned in section 2.2.2b, the Masterplan VI for energy development in 2005-2030 did
not place much focus on renewable energy. On the contrary, one of the specific targets of
the Masterplan VII for 2011-2020 is to give priority to increase renewable energy percentage
in the power generation sources from the 2010 level - 3.5%. It aims to achieve 4.5% and 6%
of the total electricity production in 2020 and 2030, generated from the renewable energy,
respectively.
Its commitment to green industries and green growth, which consume little energy and
limit environmental pollution to the lowest level, was later announced in the 2012 National
strategy for green growth (NSGG) (Vietnam Prime Minister, 2012; Vietnam: Commitment
to green industries, 2009; Vietnam: Vietnam pursues green economy, Mar 2014; Vietnam:
Vietnam targets green growth, Mar 2012). According to the Asian Development Bank
(2013), green growth is a paradigm that better benefits the developing countries than the
conventional paradigm, for three reasons. Firstly, it supports the development of those
countries with the more efficient use of natural resources. It synergises ‘environmental
protection and economic growth while reducing poverty and ensuring equitable outcomes
in terms of human well-being’, helping the countries achieve the balance among economic,
Page | 37
social and environmental aspects towards sustainability. Secondly, developing countries can
take advantage of the new market of green technologies and services, which are vast and
growing. Thirdly, countries pursuing green growth can be benefited by new green jobs
generated through investing in research and high-quality human resources (Asian
Development Bank, 2013, p. 2). Therefore, green growth has been a trend for many nations
aiming to improve the health of the economy, reduce GHG emissions, and consequently
alleviate impacts of climate change (Vietnam: Vietnam aims to improve green growth
capacity, Dec 2011).
In Vietnam, the strategy aims at reducing 8% - 10% of total GHG emissions per unit
of GDP in 2020 in comparison to the 2010 levels; and reducing GHG emissions per energy
activity by 10% (additional 10% with international support) below business as usual in 2020
and 20% (additional 10% with international support) in 2030 (Zimmer et al., 2015). It sets
constructing green city, eco-city and GB as one of the steps that must be taken towards a
green economy (Vietnam Prime Minister, 2012). Three points incorporated in this step are:
• research and formulate environmentally-friendly planning, design, material standard

system and construction solutions;
• promulgate rules that obligate investors to apply common green technologies when
constructing new urban commercial buildings and renovating existing apartments;
• apply financial and technological instruments to promote and support entrepreneurs

who provide green construction products and use GB.
The strategy also promised to allocate sufficient funds from the public budget to
finance the implementation of NSGG. This strategy serves as a primary foundation for GB
policies to be developed in the near future. The year 2014 witnessed the issuance of another
critical document, the action plan to implement the green growth strategy. The action plan
prioritised building capacity, raising public awareness, completing legal framework,
developing technology and enhancing other sustainable development programs. It detailed
the government’s effort to integrate green growth solutions into ministerial and provincial
plans and policies. However, three main activities relating to greening the construction
industry, comprising promoting green materials, improving technology and building energy
efficiency, are not on the priority list for the 2014-2020 period.
The National Technical Regulation on Energy Efficiency Buildings No. 09:2013/BXD

was implemented, unveiling mandatory technical standards applied in the design,
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construction and renovation of buildings with the total floor area from 2500m2. It is expected
that the implementation of this regulation will encourage the adoption of energy efficiency
practices in this market segment.
Recently, a national GB strategy has been drafted and presented in a conference

organised by the Ministry of Construction. The strategy targets 25 - 30% government-owned
buildings and 15 - 20% private owned buildings that are designed and built according to GB
criteria in 2020. To achieve this target in the next two years, the Vietnamese government
needs to formulate appropriate and coherent policies to support both domestic and foreign
GB developers in overcoming the barriers and accelerating the penetration of GB into the
market. Those policies should be a combination of mandatory regulations and incentives to
set up market and non-market drivers (Chan et al., 2009).
2.3.4. Other factors affecting the green building legislation development
Although all measures above have been implemented in favour of GB practice

adoption, they have not been adequate to help GB overcome the market’s barriers. The
national policies related to GB are criticised for being built on an ill-informed and relatively
improper foundation.
Firstly, promoting GB and BEE as a part of Green Growth Strategy is widely

acknowledged as a solution to mitigate the problem of environmental degradation towards
sustainable development (Karki, Mann, & Salehfar, 2005; Zhang, 2008). However, an
analysis of the motivations behind Vietnam’s strive for a green economy reveals that the
policy change from adaptation to mitigation was not driven by an environmental protection
purpose. Zimmer et al. (2015) interviews policymakers and analyses the reasons behind the
significant policy change through the ‘Multiple Streams Framework’ developed by Kingdon
(1995). It is believed that policymakers in Vietnam have amended the agenda due to three
main reasons. The first reason is domestic financial problems:
• Global financial crisis has affected the economic development and slowed down the
economic growth;
• Concerns over the country becoming an energy net-importer in the coming future
and the public budget deficits (up to 8% of GDP in 2010) have put additional
pressure on the high subsidies on fossil fuels;
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• Achieving low, middle-income status in 2009, Vietnam is facing a gradual phase-
out of conventional ODA, which the country is still highly dependent on.
The second reason is international policies, including the greening movement in some
neighbouring countries, in response to the economic crisis and the support from critical
donors (UNDP, ADB and WB) to implement Green Growth, as well as the potential to
attract significant climate finance from international sources. The third reason is political
condition relating to negative attitude of people, due to the economic situation,
environmental degradation and climate change impacts. The policymakers have been pushed
to find a solution, such as green growth, as a trade-off between economic development and
environmental protection (Zimmer et al., 2015, p. 27). Consequently, the goal of climate
change mitigation policies is mainly to seek opportunities for funding access, technical
assistance and capacity building from donors, rather than to solve the country’s
environmental problems. The goal of GB policy may not be an exception.
Secondly, the legal framework of energy efficiency – a critical business driver to

promote GB - is built upon a lack of information and data (Do & Sharma, 2011). Although
there are mandatory requirements on energy statistical work, there is neither adequate data
to analyse energy usage of subsectors, nor cohesive analysis about factors influencing
energy intensities over time (Nguyen, 2015). There is also a lack of research data and
analysis concerning potential energy efficiency improvements, cost and benefits of EE&C
opportunities and low-cost measures; and limited information on technologies and programs
that have been adopted elsewhere (Do & Sharma, 2011; Nguyen, 2015, p. 630).
Additionally, no organisation is officially tasked to collect these data. Data collection is
performed by separate agencies, and there is no collaboration network to exchange or share
the information (Nguyen, 2015). These factors hinder the analysis of energy supply and
demand of every subsector of the economy, and the establishment of effective monitoring
and evaluating mechanisms for EE&C policies. As a result, all EE&C strategies and policies
proposed so far either lack indicative targets or set uninformed targets. These targets and the
lack of an efficient policy evaluation system lead to the weak enforcement of GB
regulations.
The slow integration process of new policies to the existing legislation is another
significant deterrent against promoting GB. For instance, in the Green Growth 2012 strategy,
reducing GHG intensity per unit of GDP and setting GHG reduction target of the energy
sector in 2020 were first introduced. For the same milestone, the existing Master plan VII
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2011 aims to increase renewable energy percentage in the power generation sources to 4.5%
of the total electricity production; nevertheless, the plan still places fossil fuels as the
primary sources of energy, accounting for approximately 71%. Until 2015, there was still
little amendment to reduce the high dependence on fossil fuels, which directly influenced
the GHG reduction target. Similarly, although GB is one of the steps towards a green
economy in the Green Growth 2012 strategy, there has been no specific plan or policy
approved to provide orientation or promote this type of building since. The lengthy design
and approval process would make GB policy less responsive to the construction industry’s
needs and the building market.
Besides, the development of GB policies is under the influence of several common

attributes pointed out by Potbhare et al. (2009, p. 162), including, ‘corruption within the
government; the gap between the actual implementation and the government’s false belief
that once they formulate the policy or pass a law it will be implemented; the difficulty of
enforcing sustainable building regulations in the society; the need to prioritise other issues
such as poverty, unemployment, and illiteracy’.
2.4. The policy-making process of green building policy
Given the complexity of the political environment and the fragmented building sector,
policy studies have increasingly been conducted with a focus on the decision-making
process of innumerable relevant actors, known as the policy community and their interaction
networks. The policy community consists of the sub-government and attentive public (Wray,
2009). The sub-government comprises the small groups of key people, who are often at the
directorial level in their organisations, and engage in the core of the policy-making process.
The attentive public are defined as those having a special interest in a specific policy arena,
evaluating policies, and being able to ‘influence the decision-making process in the sub-
government’, but who ‘do not participate in the central decision-making process’ (Wray,
2009). The term ‘policy networks’ is used to describe the ongoing relationships established
to enable private and public actors to shape policy in a specific field or sector.
Studying the policy community and its networks is a practical approach to analyse the
policy development process, and it is of great use to take into account the building sector’s
characteristics and problems, especially the involvement of many stakeholders with different
goals and interests. Numerous research works pertinent to GB have stated policy
Page | 41
implications but not yet placed attention on the process of putting those implications into
policy. Given that policy-making is a process of learning, the above process can be seen as
a learning practice of policymakers that is more facilitated through the interactions of actors
in the networks.
2.4.1. The network approach in analysing policy formulation process
As discussed by van Bueren (2009, p. 41), who argues that a network approach is
suitable for investigating sustainable built environment supportive policies, the policy-
making – including formulation and implementation – is ‘not carried out by a single-actor,
from a single point of view, but […] required the decisions of a great number of actors’.
Rose (2005, p. 10) also states that ‘government decisions are not made by a single-minded
leader but coalitions of organisations with diverse values and interest’. A policy network
approach is of explanatory use ‘in an era of governance involving a wider range of actors’
when ‘decisions concerning issues are often made within several organisations, both public
and private’ (Sotarauta, 2012, p. 781). Moreover, policy networks are advantageous to
describe policy processes revolving around complex problems due to the ambiguity of the
problems and/or disagreements about means and ends of a policy arising from different
values and interests of actors involved (van Bueren, 2009). Policy networks are believed to
contribute to the quality of decision-making in the policy development process (van Bueren,
2009) as it enriches decisions while taking into account various knowledge and interests,
reduces uncertainty, increases transparency, and incorporates dynamics. In the analysis of
zero-carbon home policy in England, Schweber, Lees, and Torriti (2015, p. 432) notice that
the ‘shift from the use of stakeholder engagement to legitimate an already fixed set of policy
options to their involvement in the specification of those options provides a powerful model
both for the design and legitimation of new policy’ in terms of improving transparency in
decision making.
2.4.2. Policy community and networks for green building policy
Due to the lack of a methodology to consistently measure sustainability in

construction, GB is still a newly-introduced concept in Vietnam and promoting its adoption
remains a tough challenge. It is also affected by the building sector’s characteristics and
problems, as van Bueren (2009, pp. 30-32) argues:
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• Building sector characteristics are featured by a few major players and many small
ones sharing risk-avoiding behaviours; consequently, the sector is very resistant to
change, innovation and government interventions.
• Products are unique and durable with lifecycle expanding through several stages
involving many different actors;
• Principal-agent problems involve the various goals and interests of different

stakeholders such as the asymmetry of knowledge, costs and benefits about
green/sustainable buildings;
• Sustainability target is often set ‘once the decision making is well underway’ in many
projects, making it less possible to incorporate those features.
The decision-making process to frame policies for such a complex issue involves
actors from both government agencies and experts who are part of professional communities
(van Bueren, 2009, pp. 51-52). Besides, networks and partnerships between government,
private firms, NGOs and civil society are levers for promoting sustainable development and
a greener economy (Lehmann, 2006). The network approach is also used in a study to
understand wave energy policy in the UK – which is argued to be still at an immature stage
in transitioning from demonstration toward a revenue-supported industry (Vantoch-Wood
& Connor, 2013). The network approach provides insight into interactions between different
sectors ranging from government bodies, energy and technology companies, associations
and universities. Shafii and Othman (2006) also recommend that knowledge networks and
multi-stakeholder partnerships are a vital mechanism with which to develop a workable
solution for sustainable buildings. Therefore, the partnership among government agencies
and other actors including academia and industry players would play an essential role in
formulating policies to accelerate the GB adoption. The main industry players involved in
the GB adoption are quite similar across studies from different nations, including property
developers, design consultancy companies, construction contractors, building material
suppliers, R&D or engineering and technology firms, financial institutions, building owners
and real estate agents (Elforgani & Rahmat, 2010; Mulligan et al., 2014; Shafii & Othman,
2006; Yang & Yang, 2015; Zuo et al., 2012). The government agencies involved, on the
other hand, differ among countries. Thus, it is crucial for this study to explore the existing
institutional structure involving different departments currently in charge of GB, to initiate
the policy networks.
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2.4.3. The existing institutional structure relating to green building
In terms of sustainable development, a National Council on Sustainable Development

and Competitiveness Improvement (SDCI) was set up by the Prime Minister. The Council
is chaired by a deputy Prime Minister and composed of 40 members representing National
Assembly Government bodies, Ministries, Agencies, social and professional organisations,
businesses, and the government-owned mass media. Its responsibility is to ‘serve as a think-
tank and advisor to the Prime Minister on sustainable development and competitiveness
enhancement’ (Vietnam Government, 2012, p. 26). To implement the climate change
policies, the government set up the National Committee on Climate Change (NCCC) in 2011
and the Vietnam Panel on Climate Change (VPCC) in 2015. The NCCC works as an advisor
for the government in response to climate change. The VPCC is set up under the Ministry
of Natural Resources and Environment to consult the NCCC during ‘the design of policies
and application of advanced science and technology to cope with climate change in
accordance with Vietnam’s socio-economic development strategies’ (USAID Mekong
Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change Project, January 2015). It will be a facilitator
for the collaboration among governmental offices, leading Vietnamese scientists,
international agencies and enterprises in areas related to climate change assessment and
relief and greenhouse gas emissions reduction (Ministry of Natural Resources and
Environment, 2015).
MOIT Other Ministries,

GDE & VUSTA
National Steering
Committee
EE&C Office
Provinces’ People Committees
EE&C Centres
(established in selected provinces and cities)
Supporting network
(testing laboratories, certified
energy auditing organisations)
Figure 2-5: Institutional structure for energy efficiency implementation (adapted from
Nguyen, 2015, p. 627)
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A similar structure was also established to implement the National Target Program on
Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EE&C) at the ministerial level, including a National
Steering Committee chaired by the Minister of Industry and Trade (MIT) incorporating with
nine agencies from MST, MPI, Ministry of Construction (MOC), Ministry of Finance
(MOF), other Ministries, General Department of Environment (GDE) and Vietnam Union
of Science and Technology Association (VUSTA) (Figure 2-6).
With regards to construction and buildings, the Minister of Construction (MOC) is in

charge of managing buildings on a national scale. In particular, MOC is responsible for
coordinating with other Ministries to develop the strategy and policies for GB. The National
Strategy for Green Building and the Green Building Assessment Criterion System are under
development by the Green Building Council Vietnam (GBCV). This is an organisation set
up by the Vietnam Construction Environment Association (VCEA) under the sponsorship
of MOC to bring 19 science elites to help designing policies. The institutional structure for
GB policy is not yet established. At the provincial level, in every province or cities under
the direct administration of the Central Government, there are two main offices responsible
for managing buildings and adopting the technology, namely the Construction Department
and the Science and Technology Department. The structure is identical in two metropolitan
cities – Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) (Figure 2-7).
Central Government
Other Ministries MOC People Committee of People Committee of

Hanoi Ho Chi Minh City
Hanoi Ho Chi Minh

Construction City Department
Science - Technology
Department of Construction
Related Agencies and Environment
Department
Department of Department of
Science & Science &
Technology Technology
Figure 2-6: Institutional structure for managing buildings and adopting technology in Hanoi
and HCMC
Page | 45
The development of the GB policy would be affected by the fragmentation and
complex nature of the political environment. To promote GB, it is crucial to promote its
benefits in terms of not only enhancing energy efficiency, reducing energy consumption and
GHG emissions, but also mitigating climate change impacts, contributing to the green
economy and sustainable development. As illustrated by the institutional structures of the
current legislation, different Ministries are responsible for different aspects of the future GB
policy. The GB policy will have to be carefully designed to establish productive and active
coordination networks for all of the relevant agencies and stakeholders.
2.4.4. Formulating green building instruments through learning in the policy

community
Current research in GB does not place much attention on the learning process of GB
policy involving the networks of a policy community. According to a systematic literature
review of nearly 150 publications conducted by Zuo and Zhao (2014), studies about GB so
far have focused on three central themes: the definition and scope of GB; quantification of
benefits of GB compared to conventional ones; and various measures to achieve GB.
Managerial factors are critical to the success of achieving GB, and at the market level,
numerous studies have stated the need for a policy framework, identified policy
implications, introduced public policy initiatives and analysed their impacts (Bohari et al.,
2015; Chan et al., 2009; Cupido, Baetz, Pujari, & Chidiac, 2010; Gou et al., 2013; Hoffer,
2015; May & Koski, 2007; Mellross & Bud Fraser, 2012; Mulligan et al., 2014; Pearce et
al., 2007; Qian & Chan, 2010; Shi et al., 2014; Wiryomartono, 2015; Zuo et al., 2012; Zuo
& Zhao, 2014, pp. 277-278). However, the process of putting those implications into GB
policies has not been fully uncovered. The network approach was utilised to study the
stakeholder-associated risks and their interactions in GB projects (Yang & Zou, 2014; Yang,
Zou, & Wang, 2016), yet this approach has not been applied to study GB policy-making
process.
True collaboration during the policy design and continuous learning among the policy
networks seem to be the key to successful policies. An analysis by van der Heijden (2014),
on the experimentation in policy design in the building sector in Australia, the Netherlands
and the USA, finds out that weak collaboration during the design of a policy is one of the
underlying reasons why many policies have failed to increase the number of buildings
constructed or retrofitted. The scholar also points out that sharing lessons and re-educating
Page | 46
actors in the building sector may be a better approach to achieve sustainable construction.
Based on the argument by Lundvall (2007), policy making is a process of learning; the above
process can be seen as a learning practice of core policymakers, or the sub-government.
Lundvall suggests that ‘policy learning can be viewed together with technological,
organisational and institutional learning as an integrated part of the learning economy’.
Learning is agreed to be the key to improving policy instruments and organisational capacity
(Perrels, Ostertag, & Henderson, 2006). Exchanging information and ideas between
government and the industry sector in the networks during policy design stages is also
believed to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of climate change and energy policies
(Stigson, Dotzauer, & Yan, 2009). Therefore, to formulate GB instruments within a policy
community, the decision-making process will involve learning inside the internal networks
in the government itself and between government agencies, scholars and industry players.
Several studies have revealed the significant influence of interactions between

different network actors with various interests, on the adoption of green policy initiatives.
At the network level, van Bueren (2009) notices that decision making was strongly
influenced by the rules set in the networks involved. Investigating the adoption of green
taxation in three Scandinavian countries having similar related political conditions –
Denmark, Norway and Sweden - Daugbjerg and Pedersen (2004) reveal that sectoral policy
networks adopt a policy initiative differently due to different interactions and power
relations of interest groups. Interactions in established networks can facilitate or inhibit the
learning and adoption of a policy. Stone (2001) unearths that the involvement of epistemic
community often facilitates learning policy initiatives, while Kasa (2000) reveals that the
links between industry organisations, parties and government bodies in policy networks can
impede the adoption of CO2-taxes in Norway. May and Koski (2007) explore the factors
affecting the adoption of GB mandates in different States of the U.S, namely interest
considerations (interest group advocacy, interest group opposition, construction sector size);
bureaucratic considerations (state energy agency, gubernatorial agency power); and energy
demands (electricity consumption, percent consumption that is commercial, commercial
power cost). The results from the analysis suggest that ‘state energy agencies provide an
attention-focusing role in drawing attention to GB practices’, ‘helping to foster state
adoption of green-building requirements’ (May & Koski, 2007, p. 63). This resonates the
argument of several scholars in the GB field, that the government should take the leadership
role in policy networks (Zuo et al., 2012).
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2.4.5. Learning practice in the policy-making process of the Vietnamese
government
The practice of learning within the policy networks and transnationally has been used
in the Vietnamese government and the MOC - the main agency responsible for developing
green building regulations. The primary process of drafting, submission and verification is
described in the Law on the Promulgation of Legal Documents requiring public consultancy
in developing every regulation (The Vietnam National Assembly, 2008). In practice,
learning in the policy-making process at MOC is often confined to engaging interest groups
and learning from overseas under specific conditions (Figure 2-8 - the steps that relate to
policy learning are highlighted with red colour):
• Analyse the status quo and the need for policy formulation;
• Frame strategies with a vision of 10-20 years or more;
• Research on lessons from other countries' policy if necessary. In this step, if the
policy is related to an international organisation, the lead drafting agency often
organises several policy-related fact-finding missions, excursions, and idea-
exchanged trips to a country where the problem is considered to be successfully curbed
(which is called ‘policy tourism’ in Pojani and Stead (2015, p. 1558).
• Draft the policy;
• Collect critical ideas of stakeholders about the policy through consultation

workshops, conferences, and public portal website of the government and the lead
drafting agency, or through mass media;
• Submit the policy for review and verification;
• Amend and promulgate the policy;
• Examine the policy's implementation periodically.
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Figure 2-7: Current policy-making process in MOC
Recently, scholars and the academia have been directly involved in drafting
strategies and goals to promote GB until 2030 under GBCV. According to Lee and van de
Meene (2012), an advisory committee as GBCV would facilitate the practice of learning
lessons from overseas’ policies.
2.5. Learning foreign green building instruments in the policy-making process
Policy-related research and publications revealed that governments and policy

entrepreneurs worldwide often seek out solutions from overseas to deal with their own
problems. Policy learning emerged in the political science literature in the late 1960s, and
was upheld by social scientists in Britain and the USA. Many authors considered it as a
theoretical approach to understanding the cognitive factors that drive policy change (May,
1992; van Bueren, 2009). This overlaps with the viewpoint of some other authors, who deem
this practice as a mechanism of policy-making where policymakers adjust the goals and/or
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instruments of a given policy in light of experiences or new information (Hall, 1993; James
& Lodge, 2003; Ngar-yin Mah & Hills, 2014; Sotarauta, 2012). The literature on policy
learning is argued as conceptually crowded (Dunlop & Radaelli, 2013) and the definition of
policy learning varies and remains ambiguous (Borrás, 2011).
GB is an innovation that contributes to solve the inter-connected challenges of

development. However, the concept and effects of GB are yet to be fully understood by the
policymakers and the foundation for GB regulations is criticised as being rather weak. As a
result, drawing lessons from the endogenous sources may not be useful. Besides, GB is a
part of climate change mitigation and sustainable development solutions, making it a trend
in many countries. GB policies are implemented widely in Europe (Perrels et al., 2006;
Retzlaff, 2010), United States, Canada (Qian & Chan, 2008), Asia (Chua & Oh, 2011; Shi
et al., 2014; Zhang, 2008), Australia (Love, 2012; Mitchell, 2010; Thomas, 2010). Rose
(2005, p. 4) asserts that observing how other countries deal with the similar problems gives
politicians fresh thoughts to ‘draw practical lessons and improve public policy at home’.
Moreover, given the emergence of transnational policy learning in domestic policy
development to deal with global issues (Evans, 2009; Howlett & Joshi-Koop, 2011; Pojani
& Stead, 2015), it is possible that Vietnam can learn GB policy from overseas to formulate
its own suitable regulations and financial mechanisms in the country’s contemporary
context.
2.5.1. Reasons of learning from foreign policies
Considering the ambiguous definitions of policy learning, scholars have attempted to

explain policy learning research from different origins, namely policy change analysis (Hall,
1993; May, 1992; Rough, 2011), organisation learning and learning capability of
government agents (Howlett & Joshi-Koop, 2011; May, 1992; Ngar-yin Mah & Hills, 2014),
policy networks (Sotarauta, 2012), comparative policy analysis and diffusion of policy
innovation (Benson & Jordan, 2011; Evans, 2009; Meseguer, 2005).
Due to the ambiguity in terms of definition and origin, policy learning research can be
found in linkage with a broad range of studies, including policy transfer, lesson drawing,
bandwagoning, convergence, diffusion, emulation, policy learning and social learning
(Evans, 2009). Although it is argued that there is a lack of a clear distinction between those
types of learning (James & Lodge, 2003), they could still be distinguished by where they
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might lie in the continuum of learning, from perfect rationality (voluntary learning) to direct
imposition (coercive learning) (Dolowitz & Marsh, 2000).
There are several explanations why policymakers or agents are engaged in this kind
of practice in the existing literature. In terms of domestic reasons, scholars started analysing
voluntary learning first as they noticed this practice utilised by policymakers to either find
solutions for the existing problems under public pressure or transform the status quo towards
new opportunities for better future performance. Heclo (1974) examines the ways in which
political learning leads to changes in the social policy and new policy innovations (May,
1992). May (1992) points out evidence of opportunities for policy learning, in the context
of widespread perceptions of USA policy failures. Van der Knaap (1997) perceives that
policy learning is the process towards public policy improvement and perfection through
detecting and correcting the perceived imperfections (van Bueren, 2009). Policy learning is
believed to result in ‘increased knowledge of the problem parameters and factors affecting
them’ (van Bueren, 2009). Policy learning is also a result of dissatisfaction with the existing
policy system, in which relevant problems are not effectively tackled by the public
organisations, so that they search for solutions from exogenous sources (Evans, 2009). Rose
(2005) depicts the need for learning policies from overseas countries so as to respond to the
changing status quo and arising problems, and to promote political satisfaction. For instance,
Dolowitz (1997) presents a case study in which the British government turned to the U.S. in
the development of their employment in order to solve their unemployment problems. Hall
(1993) in analysing three kinds of changes that took place in macroeconomic policy in
Britain during the 1970s, shows that the goal, instrument or instrument setting was altered
as a result of dissatisfaction with past experience or expectation of a better economic
performance. Evans and Cerny (2004) observe that the spread of internationalisation in
policy formulation has led to the transformation of the British State in order to benefit from
an open global economy (Evans, 2009). As well, May (1992), Meseguer (2005) and
Lundvall (2008, as cited in Radaelli, 2009) present a viewpoint that policy learning practice
might result from governmental emulation in which politicians seek to enhance their
creditability, status and modernity without genuinely enhancing the reflection of experience
or new knowledge on policy.
With regard to ‘intermestic’ reasons (Rose, 2005, p. 4), the emergence of learning
policies from abroad caught the attention from policy scientists. Dolowitz and Marsh (2000)
state that the effects of globalisation, the global economic forces, easier knowledge exchange
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through increased communications and the establishment of international organisations
facilitate the practice of learning policy among nations. Rose (2005) asserts that many
problems, which governments are currently confronting, are no longer confined within
national borders, but have taken on a decidedly global orientation. Levi-Faur and Vigoda-
Gadot (2004, p. 1) agree with this argument and state that the lessons on policy are
‘increasingly drawn from a cross-national basis’. The availability of knowledge about policy
initiatives and policy tourism through the Internet are taken into serious account by Evans
(2009). The author also affirms that global governance that was established to deal with
international public policy problems such as climate change, and ozone depletion due to
GHG emissions, is a fundamental reason. Similarly, internationalisation effects, including
international harmonisation, transnational communications and regulatory competition are
proved to have positive effects on policy learning (Howlett & Joshi-Koop, 2011).
Coercive learning was discussed by Dolowitz and Marsh (2000) as the result of
advocacy from international organisations and global economic institutions. National
governments may be compelled to adopt a program or policy by transitional organisations
and international aid agencies/donors. However, they also admit that this classification is
problematic and suggest that many cases could be viewed as negotiated learning. A notable
illustration of this can be seen in the impacts of EU on Portugal domestic education policy
due to the economic support dependence, compared to Denmark’s (Rasmussen, 2014).
Evans (2006) adds direct coercive policy learning, which he asserts was widespread in
formal imperialism when ‘a government is forced by another government to introduce
constitutional, social and political changes against its will and its people’s will’.
2.5.2. Honouring international commitments of Vietnamese government
Research has demonstrated that regional commitment increased the likelihood of

adopting renewable energy among members, particularly in the EU (Schaffer & Bernauer,
2014). Similarly, through observation of policy change in Vietnam since 1991, one could
argue that being a signatory to international agreements and commitments has heightened
the environmental protection, sustainable development and green growth policies in political
agenda. The remarked document – Socio-Economic Development Strategy 1991 - was
possibly developed in consideration of the event of Vietnam taking part in the Earth Summit
on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992.
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According to the Vietnam Government (2012), the country has taken part in and
signed the following GHG reduction-related commitments:
• Rio Declaration on Environmental Protection and Development in 1992;
• Global Agenda 21;
• UN Framework Convention on Climate Change;
• Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1994;
• Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer;
• Kyoto Protocol in 1998;
• International Declaration on Cleaner Production 1999;
• Follow-up agreements on sustainable development at the World Summit on

Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002.
Being a signatory of the Sustainable Development Goals, Vietnam government took

the initiative to follow the 21 Goals set out by the UN, among which, SDG 12 regarding the
sustainable consumption and production patterns has been integrated in The Law on
Economical and Efficient Use of Energy, National Strategy for Sustainable
Development (2011-2020), National Strategy on Green Growth (2022-2020) and Vision to
2050. Those three national policies are directly related to GB, and the term GB was
mentioned in the Green growth Strategy as one of the solutions.
Recently, Vietnam has also been one of 200 countries signing in the Paris agreement
of the 21st Conference of the Parties to sharply reduce the GHG emission in the second half
of the century towards a future of clean energy economy. This agreement marks vital
commitments among industrialised countries, developing and least developed countries to
engage in GHG emission cuts and collaboratively mitigate the anthropic climate change.
Sustainable development and GHG emission reduction policies, including GB policies, are
anticipated to spread on a wider scale as facilitated by this document.
Along with those commitments, Vietnam also received international support,

including technical assistance from Clean Development Mechanism projects, capacity
building and financial support from developed countries and international organisations. The
government has utilised those commitments and the funding available through research
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projects to enhance the existing sustainable legislation and institutional capacity. It is
recommended that this practice should be conducted for formulating GB policies as well.
2.5.3. Types and process of policy learning
• Types of policy learning
Many authors attempt to organise and analyse policy learning through different
approaches, based on their explanation about why learning takes place. Based on relatively
similar classifications of Hall (1993): first, second and third order social learning; May
(1992): instrumental, social policy learning and political learning; Fiorino (2000) and
Glasbergen (1996): technical, conceptual and social learning (Ngar-yin Mah & Hills, 2014),
it would be possible to classify three types of policy learning:
• Learning type 1: learning about the rule, technique or approach to achieve given
policy goals. This learning entails improvements in policy instrument without
adjustments of policy goals.
• Learning type 2: learning to define problems. This learning entails alterations in
policy instruments or adjustments in objectives and goals in a given policy context.
• Learning type 3: is concerned about fundamental values that may lead to a dramatic
shift in policy paradigm and change in all related political settings.
This study then utilises a widely known analysis approach developed by Bennet and
Howlett (1992) in an attempt to reconcile ‘political learning’ (Heclo, 1974), ‘policy-oriented
learning’ (Sabatier, 1988), ‘lesson drawing’ (Rose, 1993), ‘social learning’ (Hall, 1993), and
‘government learning’ (Etheredge, 1981). The approach consists of three dimensions,
namely subject of learning, object of learning and result of learning, summarised in Table
2-8 (Borrás, 2011).
Table 2-8: Three dimensions of policy learning (Borrás, 2011)

Levels Subjects of learning Objects or learning Result of learning
Government learning State officials Processes in policy Organisational change
making
Lesson-drawing Policy networks Policy instruments Policy programme change
Social learning Policy communities Ideas Policy paradigm shift
In terms of policy instrument learning, a recent study summarises four types of

instrumental governance learning by combining Sources of learning and Modes of learning
(Newig, Kochskämper, Challies, & Jager, 2015). The authors suggest that governance
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learning can be self-referential upon past experience (endogenous) or observed experience
from another jurisdiction (exogenous) – in the same field or in different fields, from a
sequential view of past experiences (serial) or ‘observing the parallel unfolding of
governance experience and its outcomes’ (parallel).
• The process of policy learning
Summarising rational learning activities conducted by policymakers, Lee and van de

Meene (2012) simplify the process of policy change due to learning through a three-stage
process (Figure 2-9).
Policy change
Information seeking Adoption
(learning outcome)
Figure 2-8: The simplified process of policy learning leading to policy change (adapted from
Lee & van de Meene, 2012, p. 204)
However, policy learning does not always result in policy change. As Rose (2005)
puts it, a lesson learnt from foreign policies could be rejected by all major relevant parties,
but it can still remain as an option and be applied later when the political environment alters.
Based on the discussion in section 2.4.4 and the voluntary policy learning process of Evans
(2009), the adoption process of policy learning could be seen as a decision making process
in which the policy community, including politicians, government officers and other
significant stakeholders decide whether a lesson could be adopted or it will remain as an
implication for future policy options.
2.5.4. Foreign policy learning in the development of green building policies
Foreign policy learning (FPL) studies utilising policy learning and lesson-drawing
have been conducted on economic policies such as banking policies; social issues such as
education, healthcare, crime policies, creative industry; science, technology and innovation
such as telecommunications, renewable energy policies, environment policies, sustainable
development - planning and transport policies (Benson & Jordan, 2011; Ison, Marsden, &
May, 2011; Klochikhin, 2013; Levi-Faur & Vigoda-Gadot, 2004; Marsden, Frick, May, &
Deakin, 2010; Marsden & Stead, 2011; Steinbacher, 2015; Timms, 2011). The cases
analysed have used empirical data from the UK, the USA, Europe, Australasia, and Asia
(Benson & Jordan, 2011).
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Policies for GB are related to but still different from policies for environmental issues,
sustainable planning and transport or technology innovation. While environmental policies
focus on the behaviour of firms, initial GB mandates often aim at the practices of public
offices as demonstration projects to show government leadership (May & Koski, 2007).
Sustainable planning and transport policies mainly identify responsibility of public
authorities, whilst GB policies often play an essential role in accelerating the GB adoption
pace in the market (Mellross & Bud Fraser, 2012; Pojani & Stead, 2015). Although GB and
technology innovation policies both concentrate on creating favourable conditions for R&D,
GB ones are involved with more complex stakeholders in the construction industry
(Sotarauta, 2012; van Bueren, 2009).
However, there is little research conducted into GB policy learning between nations
(Qian & Chan, 2010; Retzlaff, 2010). In a study by Retzlaff (2010), lessons that the U.S.
could learn from the Netherlands are identified and analysed. From the view of a developing
country seeking policy lessons from developed countries, there is one comparative study
comparing policies in China and three developed countries of Qian and Chan (2010). The
two studies only suggest lessons for the USA and China without further analysing the
contextual differences among those countries and the conditions affecting the adoption of
those lessons. The adoption stages remain unexplored as this is an internal process (Lee &
van de Meene, 2012), which is difficult to analyse without excellent connection with the key
informants (Evans, 2006). A study into more detailed identification of potential barriers to
successful FPL will provide vital insight, both academically and practically, in developing
learning organisations and evaluating FPL prospectively (Evans, 2006).
The FPL research has not yet focused on developing countries, given that ‘there are
differences in the rates at which countries are able to learn and adapt’ policies or initiatives
from other countries (Evans, 2009, p. 253). Vietnam is neither in the mainstream of political
research nor green building research. It is one of the small countries that attracted
insufficient attention in studies on GHG reduction measurement (Hong & Wang, 2012), yet
is one in the five most vulnerable countries to the impact of excessive GHG emissions-
climate change. From an international view, small countries as a whole represent a
substantial proportion of GHG emitters; thus, overlooking those nations in research is not
justified (Hong & Wang, 2012). Research about the learning process and the applicability
of foreign GB instruments in Vietnam will benefit both policy learning and GB literature,
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especially in the new context created by the Paris agreement, where developing countries
will actively take responsibilities for GHG reduction (Rogelj et al., 2016).
2.5.5. Utilising lesson drawing and policy transfer in foreign policy learning
Foreign policy learning, and in particular, cross-national policy learning, is often

analysed through lesson drawing and policy transfer (Newig et al., 2015). Lesson drawing
and policy transfer refer to a similar process that has been much more widespread in recent
decades: examining policy initiatives implemented elsewhere for potential utilisation in
another political system (Dolowitz & Marsh, 2000; Evans, 2009; Rose, 2005). Lesson
drawing is considered as voluntary learning based on rational examination of information,
while policy transfer covers both voluntary and coercive learning (Benson & Jordan, 2011).
The former ‘deepens the concept of rational policy making’ (James & Lodge, 2003, p. 181)
while the latter broadens the study on the practice of transferring policy (Benson & Jordan,
2011). The two approaches have been widely used in an exhaustive range of subjects in
European and American public policies, and then been employed in studies into Australasian
and Asian policies (Benson & Jordan, 2011; Dolowitz & Marsh, 2012; Evans, 2006)
a. Lesson drawing in foreign policy learning
Rose has developed the analysis of lesson drawing based on comparative politic
literature to provide practical guidance to apply foreign policies in a domestic environment
(Evans, 2006). It encompasses a step-by-step guide to foreign policy learning, depicted in
the book: ‘Learning from comparative public policy: a practical guide’ written by Rose
(2005, p. 8).
1. Learn the key concepts: what a programme is, and what a lesson is and is not.
2. Catch the attention of policymakers.
3. Scan alternatives and decide where to look for lessons.
4. Learn by going abroad.
5. Abstract from what you observe a generalised model of how a programme works.
6. Turn the model into a lesson fitting your own national context.
7. Decide whether the lesson should be adopted.
8. Decide whether the lesson can be applied.
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9. Simplify the means and ends of a lesson to increase its chances of success.
10. Evaluate a lesson’s outcome prospectively and, if it is adopted, as it evolves over time.
The primary concern of lesson drawing study is the comparison of three variables between
the two jurisdictions:
• Objectives of a policy or programme;

• Policy or programme design variables, including institutional structures of authority,
organisational characteristics and mix of tools;
• Wider societal variables (Page, 2000).
These steps are useful to guide the analysis of this study through three main issues:
• Conditions under which a GB policy in its indigenous/sender jurisdiction operates;

• Conditions under which the policy can be applied in a non-indigenous/learner
jurisdiction;
• Modifications needed to transpose between them (Page, 2000).
Lesson drawing takes into account not only the importance of relevant policy networks
but also the decision-making process, considering differences between sender and receiver
jurisdictions. By developing a generalised model of a programme and simplifying the means
and the ends of a lesson, this method is useful even when the sender and learner have
different objectives. For instance, a study by Steinbacher (2015) explores how Moroccan
agencies learn ideas about renewable energy policy from Germany, with the objective
difference only influencing the selection of policy instruments. According to the
modifications needed, the processes required are classified into: copying, adaptation, hybrid,
synthesis and inspiration with different levels of adopting the knowledge learnt (Rose,
1993).
Nevertheless, Page (2000) points out that ‘specific lesson-drawing examples are not
generally published in mainstream social science journals […but] tend to be publications in
organizations such as OECD’, which are not easily accessed. Based on the guidance, lesson
drawing is a comparative approach that contains ‘cross-national aggregate comparisons’,
and typically employs ‘qualitative descriptions in combination with quantitative methods’
(Pojani and Stead, 2015, p. 1560). However, comparative approaches are criticised for
providing little insight into the process of policy learning, and therefore, are best contained
within a mixed-methods approach (Evans, 2009). It is suggested that a lesson-drawing
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approach should be linked with the broader literature of policy transfer to provide a better
general theorisation of policy change in relation to the policy networks and their actors.
b. Policy transfer framework - Dolowitz and Marsh (2000)
Policy transfer framework is, on the other hand, an explanatory approach to study FPL.
It is founded on analyses seeking to ‘make sense of a process or set of processes in which
knowledge about institutions, policies or delivery systems at one sector or level of
governance is used in the development of institutions, policies or delivery systems at another
level of governance’ (Evans, 2009, pp. 243-244). This is based on the definition given by
Dolowitz and Marsh (2000) when the authors developed their policy transfer framework –
which is considered as a heuristic that should be improved by users (Dolowitz & Marsh,
2012).
The Dolowitz and Marsh framework for policy transfer was built around six key
questions (Table 2-9):
1. Why do actors engage in policy transfer?
2. Who are the key actors involved in the policy transfer process?
3. What is transferred? From where are the lessons drawn?
4. What are the different degrees of transfer?
5. What restricts or facilitates the policy transfer process?
6. How is the process of policy transfer related to policy ‘success’ or policy ‘failures’?
Policy transfer covers both voluntary and coercive policy learning. Although this
framework is instrumental to analysing the policy transfer practice and has been used more
than 2000 times in publications (Dolowitz & Marsh, 2012), it focuses on post-evaluation
rather than a prospective point of view, as in this study.
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Table 2-9: A policy transfer framework (adapted from Dolowitz and Marsh, 2000, p. 8)
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2.5.6. Potential factors affecting the foreign policy learning
Evans (2006) identifies three broad sets of potential obstacles to successful lesson
drawing: cognitive obstacles in the pre-decision phase, environmental factors in the
implementation phase, and domestic and international public opinions. Applying these
obstacles to identify factors affecting the FPL regarding GB policies, three sets of factors
are:
• Cognitive factors:
When deciding where to look for lessons, governments often look out for lessons from
best practices or the notion of best practices - ‘initial successes (representativeness
heuristic)’, their neighbours - ‘what is close (availability heuristic)’, and/or similar
conditions – ‘limit the number of changes in the implementation of foreign policy models
(anchoring heuristic)’ (Meseguer, 2005, p. 76). Evidence about this bias can be found in
numerous studies. Rose (2005) believes that FPL often occurs through the search for the
perceived best practices and the idea that it can be replicated in other settings. For instance,
governments from 16 countries go to the Netherlands to learn about sustainable planning
and the transport system because of the best practice notion - ‘the grass is greener in the
Netherlands’ – this country has been seen as successfully retaining its position in the
forefront of planning and transport innovation (Pojani & Stead, 2015). Nevertheless, Pojani
and Stead (2015) cite various authors to conclude that the reputation of a practice may be
leveraged even though the practice is not better than other practices from elsewhere, and
borrowers often focus on physical development rather than the institutional or procedural
aspects of policy learning. A study on policy learning in C40 cities’ climate networks reveals
that regional homophile (the preference for similarity in a geographical region, geographic
terrain and language) was observed among North American and European cities (Lee & van
de Meene, 2012). Klochikhin (2013) suggests that there are opportunities for mutual learning
between China and Russia based on the common problems that the two governments are
facing in developing science and technology policy. Cross-national FPL can also be
facilitated by global networks (Lee & van de Meene, 2012; Stone, 2001), international,
multilateral or bilateral agreements and trade ties between the two countries (Levi-Faur &
Vigoda-Gadot, 2004). Those collaborations can affect the policymakers when deciding
where to look for lessons. Policy learning occurring in this case often takes place under the
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form of policy emulation or negotiated policy transfer (Dolowitz & Marsh, 2000; Evans,
2009).
During the information seeking stage, policymakers too often find it hard to apply
foreign lessons and ideas in their situation. Ettelt, Mays, and Nolte (2012) present a case
study on the Department of Health – the UK revealing the difficulties in obtaining
information about foreign policies – which is exceptionally heterogeneous in content, form
and origin. Policymakers are required to justify ‘the relevance of the information, the breadth
and depth of information required, the appropriateness of time and effort invested and so
forth’ given the constraints of their time and resources (Ettelt et al., 2012, p. 501). Many
government officers are not confident about the information obtained, especially when its
origin is not familiar, there is a lack of trust between the lender and the borrower, and the
exchange of information only occasionally arises. There is also ‘uncertainty arising from the
risk of misinterpretation, the complexity of context and a general lack of familiarity with
important details of other country contexts’ (Ettelt et al., 2012, p. 502). Consequently,
information often serves only as inspiration and ideas for policymakers to generate their own
policies (Ettelt et al., 2012; Pojani & Stead, 2014; Pojani & Stead, 2015).
The searching practice of policy officers also considerably influences the quality and
adequacy of information they receive. In terms of online learning, Yeh (2015) reveals the
top five critical success factors in evidence-based policy learning behaviours, comprising of
Information resources, Communicative Efficiency, Search Task, User Characteristics, and
Standard for Accuracy. In reality, despite the rapid exchange of information on the Internet,
human interaction is still the most important source of policy learning because first, the
search technique is not seen as sufficient to deal with the complexity of policy examples and
second, data on the Internet usually centres on successful lessons and is subjected to some
bias (Marsden et al., 2010).
At organisational and individual levels, Borrás (2011, p. 733) argues that the
effectiveness of policy learning in developing innovation policies depends on the
organisational analytical and reflexive capacity. Howlett and Joshi-Koop (2011) analyse
deeper the analytical capacity of Canadian policy analysts in the environmental sector. The
authors find out a negative relationship between the likelihood of applying lessons learnt in
their decision-making process and their particular training, employment patterns and work
activities, and remark that significant policy analytical capacity is crucial to produce policy
learning.
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• Environmental factors:
Contextual differences between indigenous and non-indigenous policy environment,

including differences in regulatory and institutional systems, financial resources, language,
cultural attitudes and behaviours (Evans, 2009; Pojani and Stead, 2015) are considered as
barriers to FPL. Concerning learning of foreign GB policies, climatic conditions, unique
demands of the specific population such as aged people, students and teachers (Zuo and
Zhao, 2014) and the construction market maturity, can also affect learning practice.
In addition to the factors arising from the interactions of policy networks’ actors as
presented in section 2.4.4, the active involvement of government actors in policy networks
is important in facilitating FPL, especially in the transition from obtaining information to
idea adoption. Lacking policy elites’ participation in the policy networks could result in FPL
failure. In developing countries such as Vietnam, this issue is of particular importance due
to the ‘politicised planning environment, with decision making power concentrated in a few
hands’ (Pojani & Stead, 2015, p. 1573). Besides the policy learner and teacher, a relevant
epistemic community acting as facilitator and contributor (Dunlop & Radaelli, 2013) also
positively affects the adoption process of FPL (Steinbacher, 2015). For instance,
governments that are advised by multi-stakeholder committees are more likely to take part
in learning foreign climate change policies (Lee & van de Meene, 2012).
FPL could be obstructed by the usual technical implementation constraints. That

includes ‘coherent and consistent objectives; the incorporation of an adequate causal theory
of policy development; the sensible allocation of financial resources; hierarchical integration
within and among implementing organisations; clear decision rules underpinning the
operation of implementing agencies; the recruitment of programme officers with adequate
skills/training; sufficient technical support; and the use of effective monitoring and
evaluation systems, including formal access by outsiders’ (Evans, 2006, p. 486).
• Public opinion factors
FPL in Vietnam also depends on the funding support from international donors such
as WB, UNDP, JICA, and USAID, for projects and programmes facilitating the process of
learning and applying policy ideas. Therefore, it is crucial for the government to capture
international attention and fortify diplomatic relationship with significant donors. A societal
consensus across elites, domestic public and media reports on the programmes is equally
essential (Evans, 2006; Pojani & Stead, 2015).
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2.6. Chapter Summary
This chapter presents four key themes of the literature involved in this study. The
first theme is the current status of GB development in Vietnam, with barriers and drivers to
the adoption of these environmentally-friendly buildings. The development of GB is still in
early stages, and faces numerous challenges, including barriers that are also explored in the
developed and developing markets, and those only existing in Vietnam. Nine drivers to the
adoption of GB, which encompass incentives provided by the government and internal
motivations, are also revealed. However, studies on GB development in Vietnam are scarce,
and fail to address the large scale of construction stakeholders engaging in the development
of GB.
The second theme is commonly employed government interventions, and the current
policies relating to GB that have been enacted by the Vietnamese government. Public
policies are deemed as essential measures to accelerate the GB adoption pace, and
governments in many countries, such as the USA, Singapore, Malaysia, have issued
mandatory regulations, fiscal instruments, and advocacy incentives addressing GB. The
government of Vietnam has announced its legal support for GB through the Green Growth
Strategy, nevertheless, the GB supportive policies in Vietnam are scattered across many
fields, like sustainable development, climate change, and advanced technology. There is still
the lack of a policy package addressing GB development, although the Green Growth
Strategy was legislated in 2012.
The third theme is the policy-making process of GB policies and the interactions
between actors involved in the process. The study makes use of a policy community and
networks approach, which are commonly applied in related fields, such as sustainable
development, climate change, and the built environment, to identify the active actors in the
policy-making process, and how policies are developed through complex interactions in a
policy network. Although comprehensive research has addressed the need for public policies
and analysed their impacts, the process of GB policy-making has not been fully uncovered.
The last theme is foreign policy learning in the GB policy-making process, and
factors affecting the adoption of an exogenous GB policy in an existing jurisdiction. There
are various reasons for policymakers around the world to look for an effective policy idea
from other countries to deal with their problems in the policy-making process. Studies on
foreign policy learning are blooming in the fields relating to universal public policy
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problems, such as sustainable development, planning and transport, climate change
adaptation, and GHG emissions’ reduction. Lesson drawing and policy transfer are two
emerging approaches in policy learning studies. The lesson drawing approach provides
guidelines to learn policy from overseas countries, while policy transfer is an explanatory
approach to understand policy change. Potential factors affecting the adoption of a foreign
GB policy include cognitive factors, environmental factors, and public opinion factors.
Foreign policy learning is mainly investigated and reported between developed countries,
and from developed countries’ perspectives. Little research can be found that was conducted
on GB policies from the perspective of a developing country, and researchers have not
revealed factors affecting the adoption of a GB policy in a developing country setting.
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CHAPTER 3: Research design
This chapter provides and justifies the core approach and the methods applied to
design the study. The study followed a developmental approach, consisting of three stages
to build up information and scaffold its results. Mixed methods combining quantitative and
qualitative methods were used based on the purpose of each stage. The participants are
identified as construction stakeholders, who influence and are influenced by GB
development and GB policy in Vietnam, mainly in two metropolitan areas – Hanoi and Ho
Chi Minh City. The study used questionnaires, interview and legal document analysis to
collect and analyse the data. Ethical practices were considered carefully before the data
collection was conducted.
3.2. Research paradigm and the developmental approach
3.2.1. Research paradigm
Research methodology is closely related to ontology, which involves the philosophy

of reality, and epistemology, which is the philosophy of knowledge (Krauss, 2005). In simple
terms, ontology is the nature of reality, epistemology refers to how the reality is understood,
and methodology identifies the specific practices, employed to attain the knowledge of
reality. A research paradigm can be defined as the collection of basic beliefs to guide a
scientific investigation (Creswell, 2013; Krauss, 2005). There are three common paradigms
for research, namely, the constructivist paradigm (constructing theory via qualitative
methods), the post-positivist paradigm (deconstructing a phenomenon to examine its
components, using quantitative methods), and the pragmatism paradigm (mixed methods
combining qualitative and quantitative methods, concerning multiple perceptions of a single
and independent reality) (Denscombe, 2008; Krauss, 2005). Creswell (2013) refers to those
paradigms as worldviews, and adds another worldview – transformative – which is often
employed in political research, via linking political and social action, to advocate for changes
concerning the inequities based on gender, race, disability and so on.
This research investigates a current problem in both the literature and practice, and
aims to propose pragmatic measures, to curb the problems. It contains quantitative and
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Chapter 3: Research design
qualitative methods as complementary elements employed to achieve the research
objectives. First, the study observes the phenomenon, and attempts to explain it via scientific
approach, which is similar to studies employing post-positivism. Second, this research also
believes there is a reality, which researchers understand and act into as individuals. This
study involves the concept and practice of learning in the policy community, which itself is
an evolving entity comprising various actors, with complicated interactions within its
networks. This approach is of social constructionism – a branch of the constructivist
paradigm, which is dominant in social science, particular in organisation and management
studies (Cunliffe, 2008). The approach that incorporates both quantitative and qualitative
methods, where the researchers employ different instruments to collect and analyse data,
relates to the pragmatism philosophy (Denscombe, 2008).
3.2.2. The developmental approach
The approach is an iterative multistage process, designed to reveal issues behind a new
concept that has not been intensely studied. The process of the developmental approach
allowed the research problems to be gradually solved based on subsequent layers of analysis
and results, which would continue until the goals of the study were accomplished.
The reasons for developing and applying a developmental approach in this study are,
• the barriers and drivers to GB in Vietnam had not been covered systematically and
remain as assumptions of a small number of scholars and industry players;
• the goals and instruments of GB policies had not been identified;
• different results from the barriers and drivers might lead to different policy goals and
instruments needed to promote GB development;
• the policy community and networks involved in developing GB policies consist of

various stakeholders with unexplored interactions.
Although the lesson drawing (LD) approach is a guide to learning foreign policies, it
does not explain how policy learning occurs. The policy transfer (PT) approach covers this
aspect. However, it concentrates on explaining the occurrence of policy learning via a
retrospective analysis. Therefore, integrating these two approaches is essential, to conduct
this research into the possibility of foreign policy learning for GB development.
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The research is designed to firstly, identify what policy instruments are needed (step 1
in LD and question 3 in PT); secondly, identify the policy community and key policymakers,
and their roles in GB policy learning (step 2 in LD and question 2 in PT); thirdly, review
policy overseas to understand the means and ends of instruments in selected foreign
countries (step 3 in LD and question 3 in PT), generalise lessons from the analysis (step 5 in
LD); and finally, identify the factors affecting the learning from those instruments in the
policy-making process (question 5 in PT). The research was organised into three stages with
mixed methods
3.2.3. Quantitative methods: Web-based and interview questionnaire
In this study, a bilingual questionnaire (two versions: English – Vietnamese) was

developed and tested before being implemented. Two versions of the questionnaire are
attached in Appendix 2. Two types of questionnaires were applied, namely the web-based
questionnaire and the interview questionnaire. The web-based questionnaire was built on the
Internet. It is a more convenient platform to reach higher participation rates in a population
survey (Bryman, 2016). The number of industry stakeholders was large, and their locations
were scattered. A web-based questionnaire was employed to increase the coverage of this
research, reduce the travel time, minimise information loss and improve data quality. The
interview questionnaire, on the other hand, was adopted to obtain opinions and research-
relevant information, mainly from participants holding directorial and managerial positions.
3.2.4. Qualitative methods
In-person semi-structured interview
The interview method is often used when the questions are complicated, in that the
presence of the interviewer will help enhance the interviewer-respondent rapport. It also
helps the interviewees to clarify the questions and raise additional issues (Bryman, 2016).
The semi-structured interview works really well when dealing with ‘managers, bureaucrats
and elite members of a community-people who are accustomed to efficient use of their time’
(Bernard, 2013, p. 183). Semi-structured interview was employed in this research for two
separate purposes, and therefore, was divided into two rounds.
In the first round, which belongs to stage 2, questions were developed to partly validate
the preliminary results of questionnaires, investigate what policies are suitable for GB
development in Vietnam and also reveal further information regarding the issues that the
respondents of the questionnaires raised. Interviewees were given the primary results of the
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survey, including the highest ranked motivations and barriers based on their mean values. In
total, 18 government officers and construction professionals were interviewed in the first
round.
The second round of the interview, which was in stage 3, engaged policymakers to
voice their opinions about the suitable foreign GB policies for learning and the influence of
potential factors on the policy-learning possibility. The interviewees were presented with a
set of recommended foreign policies, which were chosen after the study analysed the results
of first-round interviews and reviewed foreign GB policies. The number of the interviewees
in this round is 2. The questions of the first and the second interview rounds were attached
in Appendices 3 and 4.
Legal document analysis
Official documents from the government are often referred to as qualitative data,
including textual materials and statistical information (Bryman, 2016). In Stage 3, legal
document analysis was applied to analyse and categorise foreign GB policies discovered
through search processes. The focus is divided into policies of peer countries and those of a
developed country. As Vietnam is one of the six most vulnerable nations to climate change
in the Pacific Rim region, the other five countries, namely Cambodia, Philippines, Fiji,
Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, are chosen as the peer countries. The developed country
was chosen as the case study in Australia because of the accessibility to information
regarding GB policies. Policies of the Federal Government, State and Territory Government
and Local Councils were obtained from the website of the Green Building Council of
Australia. Information of the Australian policies is attached in Appendix 1.
Seventy-two policies and programs in the five countries and thirty-three policies in
Australia relating to GB were found and categorised into groups of policies based on the
literature review. This data was then fed into a comparative study – for the five countries’
policies - and qualitative content analysis – for Australian policies - to unearth the possible
lesson for Vietnam. While qualitative content analysis is the most common approach for
analysing documents (Bryman, 2016), the main reason for carrying out comparative analysis
is the deficiency of information obtained from the five countries.
3.3. Visualised research design
The design of this study is visualised in the flowchart below:

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3.4. Stage 1: Literature review
Research projects should always begin with a literature review to identify the layers of
knowledge upon which the study is developed. The literature review also plays a crucial role
as a cornerstone in designing the study and setting out the research plan. The literature review
in this study was carried out in four major themes, including GB development and factors
affecting the adoption of GB, the government interventions to promote GB development, the
actors in the GB policy-making process, and the foreign policy learning in developing GB
policies. Literature was collected from different sources which may include, but are not
limited to the following types of materials: international and national publications written by
scholars worldwide, Vietnam’s advocacy groups and academia, government documents, and
websites. This review
• systematically reviewed GB publications to establish the current status quo of GB

development in Vietnam, and identify factors affecting the development of green buildings,
including barriers and drivers;
• categorised and analysed the current relevant policies of the Vietnamese
government, such as the environmental protection, sustainable development, green growth
and energy efficiency to find out the legislation foundation for GB policies and the factors
affecting the development of those policies;
• reviewed the policy-making process to develop GB policies, including, justifying

the research approach, reviewing the actors influencing the policy-making process;
identifying the government agencies in charge of the relevant policies and GB regulations
as well as identify other actors in the policy networks; reviewing the learning practices in
the GB policy networks, and the current policy-making process in Vietnam;
• reviewed policy learning literature with a strong focus on foreign policy learning to
understand its reasons, types and processes; identified and classified potential factors
affecting the adoption of foreign GB instruments; reviewed lesson-drawing and policy
transfer as two of different types of policy learning and integrated them into the research
design.
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3.5. Stage 2: Develop a framework for Green building policy-making process
The information from literature review was fed in the formulation of the second
empirical stage to explore the barriers and drivers to GB in Vietnam and the suitable policy
package. This stage was organised in two rounds, based on an initial analytical framework.
The first round was to identify and rank the barriers and drivers to GB adoption, and the
second round was to identify suitable policy goals and policy instruments required to help
GB overcome the barriers. The research instruments employed were a questionnaire and
semi-structured interviews. The results were analysed and used to inform stage 3.
3.5.1. Analytical framework for green building policy-making
An analytical framework is developed, based on the studies by Shi et al. (2014)

analysing GB policies’ goals and measures, and Zhang and Wang (2013) demonstrating a
relationship between GB barriers and policies; both of which were conducted in China. The
framework is fed with the literature review to guide the first empirical study, which aims at
identifying the needed GB instruments in Vietnam (Figure 3-1). The simplified framework
is Barriers, drivers, other impacting factors → Policy goals → Policy instruments to illustrate
the following sequence:
• Identify the input for policy-making: including verified technical, economic,

sociocultural and institutional barriers against the penetration of GB into the construction
market; verified driving factors that motivate construction stakeholders to engage in GB
development; and other identified factors affecting the GB policy-making process;
• Identify policy goals with the role of government as a vision provider;
• Identify policy instruments to achieve the policy goals given existing policies,
policy goals and based on the input to promote the development of GB, categorised in
coercive policies, economic incentive and advocator measures
• Map out the policy networks to implement those instruments;
This analytical framework has not illustrated the multiple linkages between barriers
and drivers, and between policy instruments. However, it is acknowledged that firstly, a
policy goal may require some policy instruments, secondly, a policy instrument may be
created to achieve different goals, and thirdly, a policy instrument can aim to remove a
number of barriers while the highly-influenced drivers are incorporated.
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Figure 3-1: Analytical framework for policy goals (developed based on Shi, et al., 2014;
Zhang and Wang, 2013)
3.5.2. First-round – Questionnaire – Exploring key barriers and drivers to GB

development
The barriers and drivers to GB revealed in the literature were integrated into a
questionnaire. The questionnaire was constructed using the Key Survey application provided
by QUT, and distributed through a combination of web-based questionnaire and interviewed
questionnaire.
Targeted participants - purposive and snowball sampling
The pre-identified participants of the questionnaire are policymakers, academics and

scholars, industry stakeholders sited mainly in two metropolitans - Hanoi and HCMC,
including property developers and real estate agents, design consultancy companies,
construction contractors, building material suppliers, and financial institutions.
Development phase
The list of the questions adopted a part of a survey in a study by Dr Zhengyu Yang,
2012 as part of his Doctorate at QUT into the critical factors affecting implementation of
sustainable housing in Australia. This questionnaire was sent to participants from
government agencies and construction industry stakeholders to obtain their opinions about
sustainable housing and rankings of the barriers to the implementation of sustainable
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housing. It also used parts of the literature review, section 2.2.2., about barriers, 2.2.3., about
drivers, and 2.4.3., about policy community for issues relating to GB. The questionnaire
classified the long list of barriers into four initial categories according to Yang and Yang
(2012). The list of drivers, on the other hand, is short because it was adopted from a
systematic review of GB incentives in a study by Olubunmi et al. (2016). The questionnaire
used the driver list to explore and compare the influence of GB incentives on organisational
and individual perspectives of participants with diverse backgrounds. The questionnaire also
asked the participants to provide their suggestions for policies to promote GB development.
Pre-test phase
The questionnaire was deliberated through:
• Three discussions with a research fellow working in the GB field in Australia;
• One consultation with a scholar researching the organisational culture in

construction, and one discussion with supervisors;
Pilot phase
The questionnaire was translated into Vietnamese, and both versions were tested. The
English version was tested 10 times, each was with the same colleague in the pre-test phase;
a colleague researching the similar field; a construction professional in VGBC; a
professional working in environmental engineering and climate change studies in Vietnam;
an academic in GBCV; an academic in the environment management field; a colleague
researching the construction field; two supervisors, which led to a revision of the title; a
professional working in the architecture and project management field; a consultant
professional team working as a policy advisor for green growth plan for construction.
The Vietnamese version was tested six times; each was with a senior from Department
of Urban Development – Ministry of Construction – which led to a changed order; an
academic in GBCV – who provided feedback on the English version - which led to the
addition of a barrier; an academic in environment management field - who provided
feedback on the English version; a lecturer working in the architecture field with knowledge
about GB; a consultant professional working in the real estate field; a consultant professional
working in construction quality assessment, which led to the adjustment of some phrases
and a finalisation of a better translation version. In total, the questionnaire was tested 16
times with 17 professionals (two people were consulted twice for two versions, and three
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members of the policy advisor team provided feedbacks). After this phase, barriers with
multiple meanings that could confuse participants (such as ‘Inadequate/inefficient fiscal
incentives’) were separated until they each presented a single meaning. The resulting 48
barriers were then finalised and re-coded as shown in the following section, with some
examples being added to clarify their meanings.
Finalised questionnaire
As can be seen in the Appendices, the finalised questionnaire consists of 4 parts and
25 questions. Part 1 solicits the respondents’ opinions about the current GB market and their
familiarity with the GB concept, projects and certification; part 2 investigates the motivation
for participating in GB projects and suggested solutions; part 3 involves scoring the barriers
to GB, and part 4 is concerned with details of the respondents’ organisations. The
questionnaire introduces the concept of GB used in the study and illustrates an example with
an image demonstrating measures involved in greening a building attached at the end. The
questionnaire also uses open-ended questions to give participants the freedom to respond to
and comment on issues concerning the situation and recommendations for GB adoption with
quantitative questions. The purpose of quantitative questions is to rate the GB drivers and
the barriers on a Likert scale from 1 (not at all influential) to 5 (extremely influential)
(Croasmun & Ostrom, 2011) with a side choice of 0 (donot know) (Bryman, 2016).
Respondents were also encouraged to suggest possible initiatives of promoting GB adoption
in open-ended questions (question 6).
Implementation phase
The questionnaire was distributed to:
• 66 lecturers and professors in four large construction related Universities (Hanoi

Architectural University, National University of Civil Engineering, Hanoi University of
Technology, Mientrung Civil Engineering University, Ho Chi Minh Architect University);
• 51 senior officers and experts in the Ministry of Construction;
• 55 companies and organisations in an Environment and Modern technology

exhibition;
• Three companies in an EDGE– Property distributor association seminar;
• 15 experts in a meeting on green growth action plans for the construction sector;
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• 130 experts in three Energy efficiency workshops;
• Ten professionals from personal connections in the construction field;
• 170 construction firms, whose information was obtained from a general enterprise
database - website http://trangvangvietnam.com/ with their addresses, email addresses and
phone numbers. This website contains more than 250,000 verified companies with 2,500
different sectors;
• 20 VGBC members;
• Three VGBC executive members;
• Ho Chi Minh City Green Architecture Club social website;
• Press organisation of Vietnam Urban Development and Planning Association

(Ashui) social website;
The total identifiable recipients of the questionnaires were 523. The total number of
completed responses received was 225, and the overall survey response rate was 43%.
Analysis process
Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25 was used to analyse the
quantitative data. All the barrier items were treated equally, regardless of their initial
categories to explore the underlying factors of barriers. Exploratory Factor Analysis was
used to find out the primary constructs of the barriers to GB development. Data about the
influence of GB drivers were used in non-parametric mean comparative analysis, to find out
the most influential items to participants and how to motivate them to take part in GB
projects. The content of suggestions of policy instruments for GB is used as a supplement in
the thematic analysis of the second round. NVivo version 11 was used to find out the linkage
between common themes in the interview and the content of those suggestions. Detailed
analysis and results of the questionnaire were provided in Chapter 4, 5 and part of Chapter
6.
3.5.3. Second-round – Interview – identify GB policy goals, policy instruments,

policy community and networks
The government officers and policy consultants were provided with the results of the
first round, and then invited to validate barriers and drivers to GB, recommend and justify
the policy goals, as well as, the policy instruments for promoting GB.
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Targeted participants – purposive and snowball sampling
Both sampling techniques were applied. First, the government interviewees were
targeted selectively from the agencies identified in the literature review. The government
agencies include the Urban Development Agency and Property Management Agency from
the MOC; the Department of Science and Technology for Economic Technical Branches of
the Ministry of Science and Technology (MST); the Institute of Strategy, Strategy and Policy
on Natural Resources and Environment, Department of Hydrology Meteorology and Climate
Change of the MONRE. This research approached Construction and Architecture
Universities as academia; and GBCV, VGBC, relevant associations and NGOs who have
been actively involved industry stakeholders in adopting GB as industry actors. Industry
players such as GB developers, architecture firms, builders, project management companies
and consultancy firms were also included. Second, snowball sampling process was also
applied to recruit more relevant interviewees from the participating interviewees of
stakeholders of GB projects.
Selection criteria
• Active involvement in adopting GB in Vietnam;
• Experience and knowledge in sustainability, GB development and political

environment, particularly in Vietnam;
• Willingness to participate in and contribute to the research.
Recruitment and Interview process
All potential participants were initially invited via their phone numbers or email
addresses, followed by sending an initial letter giving the name and status of the researcher
carrying out the study, a brief rationale of the study including its purpose and value, why the
individual is being invited to take part in the study, and the document of consent prior to the
actual interview. The number of interviewees agreed to participate in this step was 18.
Interviews were conducted face-to-face and recorded; with the consent form being
signed before the interview. One of the interviewees in a government agency objected to
being recorded. A typical interview lasted approximately 35-50 minutes. All the government
officers noted that their answers were personal and objective opinions, and did not represent
the perspective of their departments.
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Analysis process
The content from interviews was transcribed and applied in thematic analysis. It was
grouped into common themes and sub-themes based on the literature and results of the first
round. For example: ‘Weak enforcement of legislation’ was categorised under ‘Legislation
and Institutional barriers’. The themes were noted while each interview transcription was
analysed, and subsequently the emerging common themes and sub-themes of all interview
transcriptions were selected. This process follows a thematic analysis reported in Bryman
(2016). The result of this interview round is provided in Chapter 6.
3.6. Stage 3: Integrating policy learning in the process of Green building policy-
making, and inaugurating a framework of factors affecting the policy learning
during the policy-making process.
In the first phase, the study reviewed foreign GB policies, including policies in the five
countries most vulnerable to climate change in the Pacific Rim region – Cambodia, the
Philippines, Fiji, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea as Vietnam’s peer countries, and policies of
Australia, one of the leading countries in GB development.
3.6.1. First-round – Legal document analysis – A review of foreign green building

policies
Targeted policy documents
Policies relating to GB in Cambodia, Philippines, Fiji, Indonesia and Papua New

Guinea were found via an inquiry process on a third party platform – Google search. The
process involved entering keywords such as ‘green building’, ‘energy efficiency’,
‘renewable energy’, ‘sustainable development’, ‘sustainability’, ‘climate change’ and
‘environmental protection’. Language differences between the countries and the limit of
locating formal sources posed difficulties on searching for information. While much English
language literature exists, academic sources from Cambodia, the Philippines and Indonesia
are less accessible. The extensive searching process resulted in seventy-two policies and
international programs relating to and supporting GB development in the five countries.
The information about GB policies in Australia, on the other hand, was obtained
initially from one single source – the website of the Green Building Council of Australia,
with a regular check for update or adjustments. The policies were issued by the Federal
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Government, State and Territories Governments and Local Councils in a 15-year period,
from 2002 to 2017. A list of thirty-four policies was obtained.
Selection criteria
GB policies in five peer countries in the Pacific Rim region and Australia were then
filtered based on two criteria: first, the policy should be actions of the government to provide
incentives (both positive and negative) in favour of GB development; second, it is active at
the time of conducting the study.
Analysis process
There are two types of analysis being applied to draw lessons for Vietnam. First, due
to the insufficiency of information about the policies in the five countries, a comparative
study is applied with reference to Vietnam’s policies where possible to investigate whether
and to what extent they support the GB market by deploying policy tools. Second, for
policies in Australia, the qualitative content analysis is used to find out the objectives of GB
policies and the instruments used at different levels of the government. The results of the
analysis are presented in Chapter 7.
3.6.2. Second-round – Interview - Exploring the possibility and factors affecting

the adoption of a foreign green building policy as a case study
Analytical framework for factors affecting the adoption of a foreign GB policy in the policy-
making process
The adoption of a foreign GB instrument depends mainly on the decision of a key sub-
government, with its interaction with the attentive public, relevant ministries and
departments in charge of developing GB policies, the academia and industry players, in a
policy community. Therefore, this framework, illustrated in Figure 3-2, integrates the
process of policy learning into the three levels of a policy community – network level,
including sub-government and attentive public, organisational and individual levels - with
potential factors affecting the adoption of foreign GB instruments – cognitive factors,
environmental factors and public opinion factors.
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Figure 3-2: Analytical framework for factor affecting the adoption of foreign GB policy
instruments
Potential impacts of those factors to the three levels are summarised below:
• The cognitive factors in the pre-decision phase, including the rationality of the
search for ideas, receptivity of policy actors and systems to policy alternatives, and the
complexity of choosing an alternative, mainly affect the information seeking stage.
• The environment factors in the adoption stage, including contextual differences

between the policy learner and the policy teacher jurisdictions and interactions between
actors in the policy network, would affect the decision whether a policy could be adopted
during the process of policy-making.
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• The public opinion factors often influence the policymakers and other actors in the
policy community during the adoption stage until the decision phase.
Targeted participants and selection criteria - purposive sampling
The targeted interviewees are policymakers who are involved in formulating green
building policies in Vietnam. For the sake of this research, the selection criteria were much
more complicated. This interview round required the interviewee to be fully aware of the
current GB development agenda, GB policy in Vietnam and be experienced in cross-country
policy learning. The number of the targeted interviewees, therefore, was narrowed down to
senior government staff in managerial and directorial positions, who were directly involved
in GB policy development.
Recruitment and Interview process
Five government officers in MOC were contacted. However, only two senior policy-
makers agreed to engage in this interview round; the remaining three refused, due to their
concerns regarding insufficient in-depth knowledge of the research topic. Interviews were
conducted face-to-face and recorded; with the consent forms signed by the participants
before the interviews. One of them objected to being recorded due to the concerns about the
complex political environment and the sensitivity of the issue. The interviews were
conducted in around 45 to 70 minutes. They were given a list of seven recommended GB
policies, which covered both regulations, incentives and advocacy policies, and were asked
to rank the policies on a feasibility scale of 1 (not at all feasible) to 5 (highly feasible). Then
they were requested to select one or two policy instruments that Vietnam will most likely
learn from overseas, and provide reasons for their selection. After that, based on the chosen
policies, the interviewees continued, giving their opinions regarding factors affecting the
possibility of policy learning.
Analysis process
A case study consisting of one specific foreign GB policy was selected based on the
chosen policies and the lessons from reviewing foreign GB policies. The research then
carried out a thematic analysis to analyse the possibility that the exogenous second level
learning would occur, to adopt selected green building instruments. Analysis and discussion
were presented in Chapter 8.
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3.7. Ethical considerations for conducting research
This research was categorised as a negligible/ low-risk research study involving human
participants according to current QUT policies. Ethics clearance application for the data
collection was approved before questionnaires and two rounds of interviews were conducted.
Ethics number is 1600000255, with clearance until 18/04/2021. Main points of ethical
considerations were:
3.7.1. Minimising the risks for the participants
• This research only conducted questionnaires and interviews with people who were
fully aware of their actions and responsibilities;
• The participation in the questionnaire was entirely voluntary;
• The questionnaire was designed and structured to take up to only 30 minutes, and
many of the questions asked the respondents to choose a provided answer;
• The questions were sent to the interviewees before the interview took place so that
they would have sufficient time and information to make an informed decision about whether
to take part in the research or not;
• The interview was scheduled based on the interviewees’ preferred time;
• The interview’s location was chosen according to their preferred venue, limited to
their offices or a public area, such as a coffee shop;
• Participants were ensured that all the personal information would be treated as
strictly confidential. Their real names will not be documented and will not be published in
any document or publication produced from the research, and only the organisation of the
interviewees might be mentioned.
• All participants were informed about the audio recording and the available option
of not being recorded;
• During the interview, the researcher asked questions in an appropriate manner to

encourage them to talk about their experience, expectations and opinions so that they did not
feel they had wasted time.
• In any case that the interviewees would like to stop the interview (due to discomfort
or sudden change in their schedule), the interviewer would arrange another date and time for
them to continue the interview.
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3.7.2. Minimising the risks for the researcher
• Family members or friends of the researcher would be notified of the whereabouts

of the researcher during the interview process. A family member or friend would be the
driver for the researcher and would wait outside during interviews.
• The recruitment email and participant information sheet stated clearly that the result
would be released after the project was allowed to publish. The project was not externally
funded, and the data collected was stored only at QUT and in a QUT database, therefore, the
domestic government was under no circumstance allowed to obtain the data before the thesis
was allowed to be published according to QUT’s policies.
3.8. Chapter Summary
This research design chapter has outlined the developmental approach that carried out
in three stages to achieve the study objectives and detailed every approach and tool applied.
The The first stage is conducting a literature review about the need for green building
policies, policy networks for formulating GB regulations and the application of cross-
national policy learning. In the second stage, the research applied the web-based
questionnaire and interview questionnaire, and then semi-structured interviews with
governnnment officers, scholars and the industry players in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City
(HCMC), based on the analytical framework for GB policy-making. From the results, the
study proposed the GB policy goals and the instruments needed, and developed the full GB
policy-making framework. In the third stage, the quantitative content analysis was used with
foreign GB policies’ documents to understand the instruments’ means and ends; and
subsequently interviews were conducted to yield insights into the occurrence possibility of
foreign GB policy learning, and factors affecting the learning and adoption of those policies
in the current policy-making process of Vietnam. Ethical considerations were described from
both sides; the participants and the researcher.
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CHAPTER 4: Barriers to Green building –
Exploratory Factor Analysis
This chapter reveals the current barriers to GB in Vietnam through analysing a dataset
collected from 215 participants who are construction professionals and government officers.
They believe that GB is still a new concept and the number of GB is growing slowly. Most
of the GB is industrial facilities of international organisations. The ten most challenging
barriers are associated with government and cost issues, such as slow policy-making process
and high initial cost. Principal Component Analysis in Exploratory Factor Analysis is used
to reveal that, while legislative and institutional barriers are widely perceived as the most
challenging obstacles; social and cognitive barriers as a whole represent the main hindrances
involved.
4.2. Data screening
Of the 225 completed responses, one was unable to be opened due to technical issues
in the database, eight were duplicates and therefore deleted and one contained over 30%
missing critical data and was also deleted - leaving 215 responses available for further
analysis (Hair, 2006). The maximum missing data (either unanswered or answered as 0) for
a barrier is 6.48%, indicating that all barriers may be retained according to the ‘rule of thumb’
in Hair (2006). Mean substitution is used to handle missing values as this is the most widely
used method and considered appropriate for less than 10% missing data (Hair, 2006).
4.3. Analysis of respondent profiles
Table 4-1 summarises the respondents and their organisations’ profiles. The majority
(79.53%) are working in multiple cities/provinces and above; therefore, they are expected to
understand the construction industry and the GB situation in different contexts in Vietnam.
The survey covers a diverse background of construction organisations comprising all
relevant stakeholders. A total of 47.91% of the respondents work at the managerial and
directorial levels, and 46.05% have worked for more than ten years.
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Chapter 4: Barriers to Green building – Exploratory Factor Analysis
Table 4-1: Demographic background of respondents
Demographic characteristics
Frequency Valid Percent (%)
Organisation scale International 38 17.67

National 83 38.60
Multi-cities/provinces 50 23.26
Within a province/city 43 20.00
Other 1 0.47
Industry players Architecture consultant firm 16 7.44
Building contractor 7 3.26
Building owner 17 7.91
Engineering consultant firm 18 8.37
Environment consultant firm 7 3.26
Estimation audit firm 2 0.93
Financial institution 2 0.93
Real estate developer 4 1.86
Real estate distribution agency 2 0.93
Other professional 24 11.16
Government Government agency 76 35.35
Education Construction related University 40 18.60
Position in organisation Directorial level 30 13.95
Managerial level 73 33.95
Expert level 97 45.12
Other 15 6.98
Years of experience Less than 5 years 58 26.98
5 - 10 years 58 26.98
10 - 15 years 29 13.49
15 - 20 years 39 18.14
More than 20 years 31 14.42
(n=215)
Their high positions and long working experience in the construction industry signify
the validity and reliability of the responses. Among the respondents, there are nine
participants surveyed via interview: four from education institutes (A, B, C, and D), two
from government agencies at national and city level (E, F) and three other from the industry
(G, H, I). They are all at directorial and managerial positions. The opinions of those who
were interviewed, further clarified the drivers to GB.
Regarding the respondents’ familiarity with GB, Table 4-2 indicates that 62.79% of
the respondents have been engaged in a GB project at least some of the time, however,
88.84% of all respondents are either unaware of the type of GB certificate for their most
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recent project, or none was issued. The number of certificates does not equal the number of
projects, as five respondents mentioned seeking multiple GB certificates from two different
rating tools.
Table 4-2: Involvement in GB projects and certificates
Frequency Valid Percent

GB involvement Always 17 7.91
Often 45 20.93
Sometimes 73 33.95
Rarely 36 16.74
Never 44 20.47
Certificate(s) of the most recent project LEED 5 2.33
LOTUS 5 2.33
EDGE 3 1.40
HQE 1 0.47
LEED and LOTUS 4 1.86
LEED and EDGE 1 0.47
QCVN 09:2013, LOTUS 1 0.47
Others 4 1.86
None/Don't know 191 88.84
(n=215)
Cronbach’s alpha is 0.954 for the 48 listed barriers, which is very good according to
Nunnally (1978), indicating that the data is reliable and suitable for further analysis.
Investigating the item-total statistics for individual variables also shows that Cronbach’s
alpha value cannot be improved by deleting any variables.
4.4. Perspectives of the respondents on the current situation of GB adoption
Some 147 respondents stated their opinions regarding the GB status quo. Overall, they
believed that after six years, green buildings were still a new concept and that their number
grows slowly. This growth was mainly attributed to industrial buildings of international
organisations, as one questionnaire respondent put it, ‘[the GB market is] pushed by
international clients, rather than locals’. Many others also claimed that local investors lack
motivation to pursue GB, as it was widely perceived that profits or economic benefits were
valued over other sustainable aspects in the form of social and environmental benefits.
Interviewee B clarified that ‘generally, the project owner would try to achieve the highest
land-use ratio for best commercial gain’. Interviewee D explicitly stated that there have been
many words and established goals toward GB, but that, there was little implementation on
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it; greenwashing, especially, was a problem. Interviewee F expressed that GB practices were
happening ‘on the surface’, which means those buildings were not genuinely green. The
main reason why GB certifications were sought was to increase the market value of a
company or its building. ‘They honestly do not care about GB. They just [want to] apply this
to raise the building level, and it is an aspect of attraction’. In a more detailed response,
Green factories were built by multi-national corporations […] to sign contracts with high
standard markets such as the U.S. or Singapore. Green offices are built aimed at international
companies while green multi-storey residential buildings are invested in for marketing reasons
and are targeted at middle-high income households.
Some noticed that investments involving public budgets are unwilling to adopt GB, as
one respondent added, ‘public spending on this type of building is unlikely to be approved
due to the high initial costs of GB’.
There were unified opinions of the popularity of information about GB, and it is
noteworthy that the perception of stakeholders has started to change. GB was attracting
increased attention from the government and Architecture Universities. Many responses
pointed out that most construction professionals had a raised awareness of GB through
conferences, workshops and television programmes. Interviewee A mentioned, ‘among
construction professionals, GB concept is quite popular’. In contrast, the public had limited
information, leading to a lack of interest from customers and investors. As one respondent
commented, ‘seeking GB information takes a long time, and there is no reliable source’.
GB was believed to have a great potential to become the inevitable trend in

construction. The reason, as interviewee C expressed, is that ‘Vietnam is a tropical country
and energy production would face a decrease in the near future and environment pollution is
a serious issue in cities’. Respondents identified numerous challenges it was facing, such as
the lack of available suppliers and local consultants, (investors and project teams)
unfamiliarity with GB requirements, lack of knowledge sharing and awareness, and
hesitance to commit to a higher investment. The need for policy was also stressed, as it was
crucial in giving a clear signal to the market. Interviewee C supposed that comprehensive
policy would significantly influence the adoption of GB practices.
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4.5. Descriptive statistics of the barriers to GB
Table 4-3 presents key descriptive values of the 48 barriers from 1 (not at all
influential) to 5 (extremely influential). The mean values range from 2.95 (BR33. Larger
homes and smaller households (e.g. a one generation household may increase energy
consumption) to 4.14 (BR40. Slow and unwieldy administration process in policy-making).
Seven out of 10 highest-ranking items are related to government and policy, while the
remaining three are cost related. The standard deviations of the barriers are generally above
1 (0.9 to 1.28) indicating a considerable difference in responses regarding the influence of
listed barriers.
Table 4-3: Barriers influencing the adoption of GB
SD.
Code Barriers Mean
Dev
BR40 Slow and unwieldy administration process in policy-making 4.14 0.9
BR41 Lack of comprehensive code/policy package to guide action on sustainability 4.08 0.93
BR20 Lack of explicit financing mechanism 3.99 0.93
BR21 Inadequate fiscal incentive 3.97 0.91
Price sensitivity (e.g. developers/ owners hesitate to pay more for up-front
BR26 3.96 1
costs)
BR45 Inappropriate attitude of governmental agencies 3.96 1.01
BR16 High initial costs 3.95 0.97
BR38 Lack of collaborative integration between related government agencies 3.9 1.02
BR22 Inefficient fiscal incentive 3.89 0.93
BR6 Insufficient cost-benefit data from interdisciplinary research 3.85 1.08
BR13 Lack of technical understanding of designers, builder and project teams 3.85 1.1
BR43 Confusion arising from parallel policies/legislations 3.85 1
Split incentives due to ownership structure (e.g. developers pay for up-front
BR19 3.84 0.98
costs, while operation costs’ saving belongs to the occupants)
BR46 Weak enforcement of legislation 3.84 1.08
BR9 Lack of professional education and training 3.79 1.04
BR10 Lack of methods to consistently define and measure ‘green’ features 3.78 1.01
BR28 Lack of public awareness about GB 3.76 1.1
BR17 Long payback period 3.75 1
Lack of information about the options/practices related to GB when projects
BR5 3.74 1.16
start
BR11 Lack of reliable tool to assess GBs 3.74 1.11
BR48 Lack of well- known sources of information 3.72 0.93
BR39 Lack of stakeholder communication network 3.71 1
High risks associated with investment (e.g. no guarantee in being certified after
BR15 3.7 1.17
registration, uncertainty in a higher return on investment)
BR7 Lack of integrated design for lifecycle management 3.69 1.01
BR29 Lack of expressed interest from clients 3.64 1.13
BR44 Negative impacts of public policy (e.g. subsidies for domestic materials, 3.64 1.1
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inappropriate tariff system)
BR30 Lack of expressed interest from project teams 3.59 1.08
BR37 Different level of regional economic development 3.59 1.15
BR42 Duplication of policies/legislations 3.58 1.05
Lack of renewable energy application in the existing infrastructure (e.g. solar or
BR14 3.56 1.16
wind power)
BR18 Incurred cost in seeking for certification (e.g. registration and assessment fee) 3.55 1.06
BR2 Unreliable sustainable technology 3.54 1.2
BR27 Misconception about GB 3.52 1.2
BR47 Unorganised nature of the construction industry 3.5 1
Inappropriate pricing of electricity and other energy commodities (e.g. it is not
BR23 3.48 1.17
high enough to push energy efficiency)
BR12 Lack of demonstration projects 3.46 1.13
BR36 Lack of GB movement 3.46 1.1
BR1 Unavailable sustainable technology (e.g. solar panels) 3.43 1.22
BR34 Lack of social science in climate change 3.36 1.18
BR25 Insufficient brand recognition and competitive advantage 3.34 1.09
Behaviour of occupants (e.g. occupants consume more electricity when using
BR32 3.34 1.21
energy saving equipment)
BR35 Lack of social science in natural resource preservation 3.34 1.16
BR4 Unreliable sustainable materials 3.33 1.17
BR8 Different accounting methods in estimation of the project's cost 3.33 1.2
BR24 Reluctant to adopt changes (e.g. new concepts, new construction technologies) 3.33 1.33
BR31 Contested functionality for end users 3.3 1.14
BR3 Unavailable sustainable materials (e.g. unbaked bricks) 3.14 1.28
Larger homes and smaller households (e.g. a one generation household may
BR33 2.95 1.19
increase energy consumption)
Slow policy-making and the lack of a comprehensive policy package for sustainability
in Vietnam are perceived as the most prominent challenges to GB. This finding is different
from studies in other developed and developing markets, in which the economic and cost
barriers are the highest ranked. Responses to the open-ended questions in this study show
there is considerable concern over the slowness of the government response to changes in
the construction market. According to the respondents, despite GB becoming a focus in
academic forums and attracting the attention of both construction professionals and the
public, there has not been an explicit program to promote the adoption and development of
GB. ‘Price sensitivity’ and ‘High initial costs’ are ranked relatively highly at 3.96 and 3.95/5,
respectively, indicating the similarity between the perception of Vietnam construction
professionals and the respondents involved in studies in other countries. Lack of data and
knowledge is also perceived as a large hindrance to the application of GB with ‘Insufficient
cost-benefit data’ and ‘Lack of technical understanding between the project stakeholders’
having the same mean value of 3.85/5. It is noteworthy that ‘Larger homes and smaller
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households’ was ranked the lowest with several respondents stating that this is not happening
in Vietnam’s high-density cities. ‘Reluctance to adopt changes’ was also given a low mean
value of 3.33, signifying that the construction market in Vietnam is perceived as sufficiently
dynamic.
4.6. The perspective of the interviewed questionnaire’s respondents
This section uses an interview questionnaire to clarify the top ranking barriers based
on the results of the web-based questionnaire and the presented remarks from the nine
interviewees about the barriers to GB.
Regarding policy-related barriers, interviewee B, head of faculty at a university,

responded that ‘the policy is generally good, but the problem lies in inefficient
implementation and lack of enforcement mechanism’. Interviewee D, head of faculty at a
university, noticed that the government had not promulgated any GB criteria or guidance,
which evidenced the ‘Slow and unwieldy administration process in policy making’.
Responding to this barrier and to ‘Lack of collaborative integration between related
government agencies’, interviewee E, director in the central government, agreed absolutely
‘It is true, this is extremely influential, not just very influential’. Interviewees A, head of
faculty at a university, and E, claimed that there was no financial incentive nor any funding
mechanism in place for GB so ‘Lack of explicit financing mechanism’ and ‘Inadequate fiscal
incentive’ are both influential to the adoption of GB practices.
Interviewee A and E firmly believed that the ‘high initial cost’ was a challenging
barrier; however, it could be remedied by long-term benefit. According to interviewee E,
‘Price sensitivity’ was extremely influential, while it was not highly regarded by interviewee
C, head of faculty at a university, as this could be alleviated by the availability of cost-benefit
estimation. Interviewee B asserted that economic-related barriers are the critical challenges
to GB development, while technical barriers are not. Specifically, four interviewees from
education institute and interviewee E clarified that ‘Unavailable/ unreliable sustainable
technologies/ materials’ barriers did not apply in Vietnam as they were available, but their
cost was high, so the project team was not willing to apply.
Additionally, Interviewee F, director in a city government, stressed that limited

understanding of green architecture and GB, which related to ‘Misconception about GB’ and
‘Lack of well- known sources of information’, was the key barrier. The interviewees
presented different viewpoints upon ‘Reluctance to adopt changes’, as some said it was not
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influential in Vietnam, while some asserted that it was a challenging obstacle with the
general public.
4.7. Exploratory Factor Analysis of barriers to GB
Exploratory Factor analysis (EFA) using Principal Component Analysis was carried
out to reduce the number of barriers to a set of significant variables, examine the
interrelations among the variables and identify the underlying structure of those variables.
To assess the suitability of the data for EFA, a preliminary test was conducted, including
correlation analysis, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) Measure of Sampling Adequacy
(MSA) and Bartlett's Test of Sphericity.
The correlation matrix shows the 10 variables correlate highly (r >0.7). As this may
mean the two variables explain each other instead of being explained to any great extent by
other variables (Hair, 2006), five variables were removed from the analysis. The selection
of which variables to be removed was also based on suggestions of the survey respondents.
The KMO and Bartlett values for the reduced dataset reaches 0.902 (‘meritorious’ according
to Hutcheson & Sofroniou, 1999, cited in Field, 2009) and 5141.092 (df=903) respectively.
Through the Anti-image Matrices, the minimum KMO value for individual items is 0.782,
which is well above the 0.5 thresholds (Field, 2009). The Bartlett's Test of Sphericity is
significant at 0.000 levels, and therefore the set of 43 variables has sufficient correlations
and is suitable to proceed to factor analysis.
Principal component analysis (PCA) was initially conducted using Varimax rotation
under the presumption that there is no relationship between factors. Loading the 43 items
freely into various factors with an eigenvalue higher than 1 resulted in the extraction of nine
factors, explaining 65.06% of total variance. The Component Transformation Matrix (Table
4-4) shows the correlations between factors, rejecting the assumption that the factors are not
related.
Carrying out PCA again using Direct Oblimin rotation results in nine factors being
extracted with an eigenvalue greater than 1, explaining 65.06% of total variance. From the
scree plot in Figure 4-1, the point of inflexion is at five components, which suggests that the
extraction of four components is appropriate according to Field (2009).
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Table 4-4: First EFA result - Component Transformation Matrix
Component 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 .516 .491 .409 .278 .292 .239 .238 .152 .158
2 -.510 .546 -.198 .570 -.144 -.193 -.080 .055 .106
3 .462 -.385 -.458 .558 -.028 -.103 -.073 .305 -.084
4 -.438 -.487 .348 .396 .498 .152 .147 -.025 .000
5 -.088 -.204 .449 -.008 -.548 -.177 .159 .566 .268
6 -.189 .111 -.092 -.137 .068 .603 -.362 .580 -.298
7 -.127 .002 -.468 -.271 .325 .037 .376 .286 .601
8 .026 .098 .147 -.181 .485 -.674 -.344 .334 -.127
9 .090 -.107 .108 .067 .000 .144 -.703 -.174 .648
Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.
Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization.
Figure 4-1: Second EFA result - Scree plot of components
EFA is then repeated iteratively following two conditions; first, the number of factors
is fixed at 4; second, items with factor loading less than 0.4 or cross loading higher than 0.4
are deleted (using the suggestion of (Hair, 2006) applied to a sample size of more than 200).
Deleting items sequentially in this way until all conditions are met results in a set of 39 items
loaded under four components. This accounts for 51.89% of the variance of the reduced
dataset.
Component 1 with nine variables represents social and cognitive barriers (SB); it is the
most influential factor with the highest eigenvalue of 12.737, explaining more than 32% of
the total variance. The six variables in component 2 reflect economic and cost barriers (EB)
– the second most crucial factor, with an eigenvalue of 2.945, explains 7.5% of the variance
in the dataset. Component 3, comprising of 11 variables, seems to represent legislative and
institutional barriers (LB). Component 4 is associated with the technical requirements and
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knowledge for GB, consisting of nine variables that all have negative loadings, signifying
that they are technical and knowledge barriers (TB). LB has an eigenvalue of 2.578 while
TB’s eigenvalue is 1.976, explaining approximately 6.6% and 5% of the total variance
respectively. To distinguish the four components further, all variables are recoded into four
groups. Table 4-5 shows the final EFA analysis with factor loading values greater than 0.4
bolded.
Table 4-5: Summary of Final EFA results

Old New Rotated factor loadings
code code 1 2 3 4
Lack of public awareness about GB BR28 SB1 .710 -.138 .048 -.123
Lack of expressed interest from project teams BR30 SB2 .685 -.111 -.060 -.177
Misconception about GB BR27 SB3 .678 -.121 .050 -.098
Contested functionality for end users BR31 SB4 .671 .118 .111 .088
Larger homes and smaller households (e.g. 1
BR33 SB5 .629 .201 .064 .122
generation household, increases energy consumption)
Lack of expressed interest from clients BR29 SB6 .627 .176 -.182 -.160
Behaviour of occupants (e.g. occupants consume
more electricity when using energy saving BR32 SB7 .624 .153 .078 .102
equipment)
Lack of social science in climate change BR34 SB8 .593 .053 .182 -.014
Reluctant to adopt changes (e.g. new concepts, new
BR24 SB9 .583 -.134 .058 -.083
construction technologies)
Insufficient brand recognition and competitive
BR25 SB10 .575 .057 -.068 -.136
advantage
Lack of well-known sources of information BR48 SB11 .494 -.038 .280 -.063
Lack of GB movement BR36 SB12 .491 -.026 .133 -.192
Different level of regional economic development BR37 SB13 .431 .215 .085 .025
Long payback period BR17 EB1 -.005 .809 .080 .011
High initial costs BR16 EB2 -.063 .796 -.012 -.048
High risks associate with investment (e.g. no
guarantee in being certified after registration, BR15 EB3 -.072 .696 .046 -.197
uncertainty in higher return on investment)
Split incentives due to ownership structure (e.g.
developers pay for up-front costs , whilst operation BR19 EB4 .165 .664 -.133 -.106
costs belong to the occupants)
Incurred cost in seeking for certification (e.g.
BR18 EB5 .236 .650 .067 .159
registration and assessment fee)
Lack of explicit financing mechanism BR20 EB6 -.112 .471 .197 -.209
Weak enforcement of legislation BR46 LB1 -.077 .028 .822 -.031
Inappropriate attitude of governmental agencies BR45 LB2 -.033 .008 .811 .021
Confusion arising from parallel policies/legislations BR43 LB3 .079 .017 .801 .031
Duplication of policies/legislations BR42 LB4 -.026 .073 .771 .050
Negative impacts of public policy (e.g. subsidies for
BR44 LB5 .154 -.021 .761 .098
domestic materials, inappropriate tariff system)
Slow and unwieldy administration process in policy
BR40 LB6 .022 .022 .700 -.106
making
Lack of comprehensive code/policy package to guide
BR41 LB7 .103 -.029 .507 -.249
action on sustainability
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Lack of collaborative integration between related
BR38 LB8 .221 .020 .507 -.111
government agencies
Unorganised nature of construction industry BR47 LB9 .330 -.048 .412 -.022
Lack of stakeholder communication network BR39 LB10 .389 -.068 .411 -.091
Inefficient fiscal incentive BR22 LB11 -.109 .228 .404 -.251
Insufficient cost-benefit data from interdisciplinary
BR6 TB1 -.059 .066 -.040 -.813
research
Lack of integrated design for life cycle management BR7 TB2 -.050 -.046 .071 -.800
Lack of technical understanding of designers, builder
BR13 TB3 .042 -.042 -.035 -.751
and project teams
Lack of demonstration projects BR12 TB4 .095 .117 -.079 -.680
Lack of professional education and training BR9 TB5 .258 -.048 .080 -.600
Lack of renewable energy application in the existing
BR14 TB6 -.030 .058 .063 -.554
infrastructure (e.g. solar or wind power)
Lack of information about the options/practices
BR5 TB7 .149 -.017 .208 -.540
related to GB when projects start
Lack of reliable tool to assess GBs BR11 TB8 .142 .154 .016 -.539
Different accounting methods in estimation the
BR8 TB9 .157 .076 .033 -.530
project's cost
Eigenvalues 12.737 2.945 2.578 1.976
% of variance 32.659 7.551 6.611 5.067
α .896 .827 .904 .881
Rotation Method: Oblimin with Kaiser Normalization.
Rotation converged in 10 iterations.
KMO MSA = 0.902
Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity = 4570.601
Significance = 0.000
Table 4-6: Component Correlation Matrix

Component SB EB LB TB
SB 1.000 .220 .463 -.420
EB .220 1.000 .260 -.285
LB .463 .260 1.000 -.344
TB -.420 -.285 -.344 1.000
Rotation Method: Oblimin with Kaiser Normalization.
The Component Correlation Matrix in Table 4-6 shows the interrelationships between
the four components. It is evident that EB (economic and cost barriers) is relatively
independent while SB (social and cognitive barriers) correlated highly with TB (technical
and knowledge barriers) and LB (legislative and institutional barriers).
4.8. Validating the PCA results
The reliability of the scale is examined by assessing internal consistency with

Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and item-total statistics. The final dataset’s reliability is 0.944,
with Cronbach’s alpha values of the four components of SB: 0.896, EV: 0.827, LB: 0.904
and TB: 0.881 – all of which are well above the recommended value 0.7 (Field, 2009). The
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item-total statistics show that these values will not increase if any of the variables are deleted.
It is evident, therefore, that the scale is sufficiently reliable for the results to be interpreted.
The scale is assessed to check its convergent validity, and discriminant validity, where
‘Convergent validity is the degree of confidence that a trait is well measured by its indicators
and Discriminant validity is the degree to which measures of different traits are unrelated’
(Alarcon & Sanchez, 2015). To inspect the convergent validity of the scale, it is necessary
to assess the correlation matrix (Ngacho & Das, 2014). The mean value of inter-item
correlations is 0.303 and the minimum inter-item correlations within each component are
SB: 0.203; TB: 0.219, which are statistically significant at the 5% level (p<0.05, 1-tailed)
and EB: 0.294; LB: 0.242 statistically significant at the 1% level (p<0.01, 1-tailed),
indicating valid convergence. The discriminant validity of the scale is assessed through the
average variance extracted (AVE) using the pattern matrix (in Table 4-5) and component
correlation matrix (in Table 4-6). According to the Fornell-Larcker testing system, ‘the
levels of the AVE for each construct should be greater than the squared correlation involving
the constructs’ (Alarcon & Sanchez, 2015). As Table 4-7 indicates, the four components are
validly discriminant.
Table 4-7: Comparison of AVE and the squared correlations

Component Average variance extracted Component correlation Squared correlation
SB .365 SB-EB .048
EB .476 SB-LB .214
LB .423 SB-TB .176
TB .399 EB-LB .067
EB-TB .081
LB-TB .118
4.9. Description of the four main components and discussion
Component 1 represents the current social and cognitive conditions, which narrows
the entrance for GB, or in short as ‘Social and Cognitive Barriers’ (SB) containing 13
barriers.
SB accounts for 32.659% of total variance and is considered the most important of the
four constructs. The highest loading is ‘Lack of public awareness of GB’ (0.71), followed
by ‘Lack of expressed interest from project teams’ (0.685) and ‘Misconceptions about GB’
(0.678). As mentioned in section 4.4, the respondents believe there has been a rise in
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awareness of construction professionals, but the public has only been provided with limited
and sometimes misleading information. A number of property investors have advertised their
projects with posters filled with trees and named them either eco or green. Qian and Chan
(2010) stress Akelof’s (1970) conclusion that, if the public is given inappropriate
information about GB and green labelling remains unregulated, it will result in ‘an
asymmetric information environment, in which property developers and other market
players may engage in opportunistic behaviour and avoid genuine GBs and products’. In a
recently published article in the Architecture Magazine of Vietnam Association of Architects,
(Nguyen, 2016) elaborates eight misconceptions leading to this low public awareness. In
summary, there are six misconceptions: GB is perceived as having many trees, as ‘green’ is
literally understood; architects add trees in their perspective drawing of the buildings to make
them look attractive and call them green buildings or green architecture; GB only applies to
new or energy efficient buildings or buildings with certificates; GB is expensive; GB
depends solely on the clients or local governments; and GB is only a product of the
construction process. Although the article only claims to be the individual view of the author
and has not explicitly categorised those misconceptions, it provides insight into why the
public has low awareness of GB and the project teams express little interest in achieving GB.
Moreover, the survey participants explain that affordable housing is more critical than GB,
and GB is considered as a nice-to-have feature. Therefore the public pays more attention to
other criteria such as price and location.
Additionally, the item, ‘Lack of well-known sources of information’ can be

theoretically associated with either the institutional factor or knowledge factor since this
variable appears to be regarded as a reliable, established database. The analysis illustrates
that this variable is loaded under ‘Social and cognitive barriers’, indicating that lacking the
database makes it difficult to select and obtain correct information for GB, leading to
communication problems and ultimately hindering the raising of social awareness (Gou et
al., 2013).
Component 2 denotes ‘Economic and Cost Barriers’ (EB), the economic situation and
costs with six variables associated with GB that prevent its adoption
EB explains 7.551% of the total variance is ranked the second most important factor.
‘Long payback period’ has the highest loading of 0.809. The payback period is a critical
criterion measuring the economic efficiency of a project. The benefits of GB are mostly
gained from energy and water savings, and productivity increases in the operation phase,
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which may last several decades. Gou et al. (2013) claim that the return on investment
generally takes 20 years and accrues to the final owners or users of the building, not the
developers. Therefore, the developers are less likely to adopt GB solely because of its long-
term savings. Responses to the open-ended question concerning the status quo of GB
adoptions also agree that investors tend to focus on such economic benefits as attracting
more house-buyers/renters and rising real-estate prices. This aligns with the report of
Solidiance and VGBC (August 2013), which states that property developers in Vietnam
often prioritise short-term profit over a long-term return.
High initial costs are often listed as the most substantial obstacle in studies of the
barriers to GB in other markets (Mulligan et al., 2014; X. Zhang et al., 2011) and are the
second highest loading under EB at 0.796. Gan, Zuo, Ye, Skitmore, and Xiong (2015), while
investigating the opportunities for sustainable construction from the perspective of
buildings’ owners in China, note that, ‘high initial investment coupled with a long payback
period present significant barriers to owners’. GB is widely considered as requiring
additional costs for either design or green technologies and/or materials. Those costs are
borne by the investor and are not easily passed to tenants or end-owners (Gou et al., 2013).
In Vietnam, developers are highly sensitive to price and often favour low-cost designs or
conventional technical solutions from local suppliers without green building materials or
technologies (Solidiance & VGBC, August 2013). The short-term thinking of property
developers, who pay more attention to short-term profit than a long-term return, poses a
hindrance that improved public awareness of GB can help overcome. The slowdown in the
real estate market due to more restrictive lending conditions and oversupply across several
market segments increases price sensitivity and causes an increased hesitation of property
developers and buyers to invest in GB.
Component 3 with 11 variables embodies ‘Legislative and Institutional Barriers’ (LB).
LB is the third important construct, explaining 6.611% of the variance. The highest
loading is in ‘Weak enforcement of legislation’ (0.822), followed by ‘Inappropriate attitude
of governmental agencies’ and ‘Confusion arising from parallel policies/legislation’ (0.811
and 0.801, respectively). The findings are similar to the situation in mainland China, where
the government lacks serious enforcement or proper implementation of legal controls over
the Energy Conservation Law and building standards (Qian & Chan, 2010). As Vu (2015)
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points out, the building standards in Vietnam are not enforced or strictly followed,
considerably affecting its GB market and construction industry.
In terms of the inappropriate attitude of the authorities, Gou et al. (2013) review U.S.
GB development to find that the developers do not always take advantage of the nine popular
incentives offered by the government there. The reason is that the governments tend to ‘move
slowly and observe due process’, which cannot meet the demand for quick decision making
by developers. Furthermore, respondents in the survey claim that the authorities in Vietnam
follow a 5-year-period, which negatively affects short-term vision and decisions. Corruption
is another likely serious issue that prevents transparency in procurement and other
construction project processes (Kenny, 2007).
It is noteworthy that ‘Slow and unwieldy administration process in policy making’,

being ranked the highest of all the listed barriers, has a loading of 0.7. Evidenced from the
policies issued, the 2012 National Strategy on Green growth was the first to mention GB and
the objective of its promotion. Since then, there has been only one National Construction
Code enacted on energy saving in buildings, the QCVN 09:2013, which has been criticised
as difficult to follow and not adequately enforced. The regulatory environment is still
undeveloped, and support from the government for GB is limited to conferences and
orientation, providing little incentive to help GB penetrate the construction market
(Solidiance & VGBC, August 2013).
Component 4, containing nine items with negative loadings, represents the technical
requirements and knowledge necessary for adopting more GB, which implies that those
items are statistically ‘Technical and Knowledge Barriers’ (TB) to GB.
TB is the last component extracted and explains only 5.067% of the total variance. The
loadings are negative suggesting that those items are not market barriers to GB, but rather
being requirements for GB to develop. All of the items refer to human resources’ capacity
and information availability.
The highest loading is found in ‘Insufficient cost-benefit data from interdisciplinary

research’ (-0.813). This type of data is more obtainable in countries such as the U.S. (Kats,
2009; Nalewaik & Venters, 2009), U.K. (Chegut et al., 2014), Australia (BCI Economics,
2014) and China (Liu et al., 2014), where GB has occurred in large numbers and has been
the focus of research since the 2000s. In Vietnam, however, it is not yet thoroughly studied.
Respondents from the survey state that GBs have only been constructed in the last eight
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years and there is a lack of demonstration projects to collect and investigate the cost-benefit
data.
‘Lack of integrated design for lifecycle management’ and ‘Lack of technical

understanding of designers, builder and project teams’ are the second and third of the
variables under TB with rotated factor loadings of -0.800 and -0.751. The participants point
out that lifecycle management approach was not widely implemented, especially in
residential buildings, as the investors are not the end user. Given the split incentives where
the investors bear the construction costs and the occupants save operational expenses (Bond,
2011), the investors are less likely to push for integrated building design. Moreover, the
participants also commented that the project team and construction workers have not yet
acquired sufficient in-depth knowledge and the necessary skills related to GB design,
materials and technology. This also increases the cost and time of the design and construction
phase of GB projects, thus increasing the total cost.
GB in Vietnam is still in its early stages and facing numerous challenges/barriers. This
section of the study analyses the opinions of 215 professionals to investigate the current
situation and major challenges. Legislative barriers are ranked the highest. Both industry
players and government officers participating in the study expressed serious concerns
regarding the slow response and unwieldly policy-making process of the government in
reacting to changes and new trends in the market. As Vietnam is a one-party country and the
government maintains a high level of control over the market, the lack of a clear signal from
the authorities to either endorse or disapprove GB has had a considerable impact on both
construction professionals and the public.
PCA of EFA is applied to reveal four main components preventing GB adoption,

namely Social and Cognitive, Economic and Cost, Legislative and Institutional barriers and
Technical and Knowledge requirements. This is similar to the study of Yang and Yang
(2015), of sustainable housing in Australia, in which the barriers are also categorised into
four factors comprising technological and design, economic, sociocultural and institutional
factors. However, while these study findings show that the economic factor is the most
important influence in implementing sustainable housing in Australia, this study revealed
that social and cognitive barriers explain the largest amount of total variance, accounting for
the major challenges for GB adoption in Vietnam. It can be seen that when GB development
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is still in its early stages, the awareness of the construction industry and the market for
genuine ‘green’ features that distinguish between a GB and a conventional building are less
than adequate. This results in inappropriate information and false green labelling on
buildings. Consequently, the public is soon disappointed and sceptical of green labelling,
leading to other obstacles in the GB adoption pathway, such as low demand and hesitation
to invest in green properties.
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CHAPTER 5: Drivers for Green buildings –
Organisational and Individual perspectives
As part of the first steps implemented to solve the research questions, this chapter
presents the drivers for green building development. The study challenged the participants
to express their viewpoints from both organisational and individual perspectives, on the
influence of external and internal drivers for green building on a Likert scale from 1 to 5.
The two experimental conditions reveal the participants’ organisational perspective
regarding their viewpoint as large construction stakeholders, and their individual viewpoint
as construction professionals. A total of 172 samples are retained for analysis. A range of
non-parametric tests for mean and median comparison analysis is applied, including the
Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon Signed-rank test with p-value
correction via the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure. The main aim is to reveal the profoundly
influenced GB drivers, given the diverse background of the participants. The organisational
perspective is analysed thoroughly with an explanation of the test being used; then the
individual perspective is analysed in an analogous process. Finally, the two perspectives are
compared to each other. The result shows that, on average, all the participants rank the
monetary benefits provided by the government and health benefits of GB as the most
influential drivers in both organisational and individual perspectives, although their
organisations would be highly motivated by more drivers than they would, including societal
image and altruism relating to adopting GB.
5.2. Data screening
The same set of variables was ranked separately in two questions, based on
organisational (ORG) and individual (IND) perspectives (Table 5-1). The data screening
process of this chapter was similar to the process used in Chapter 4; however, due to its
different set of questions, the number of remaining samples is different. A more rigorous
data screening was used in this chapter’s analysis, as there is a smaller set of variables (9) in
comparison to the 48 variables in Chapter 4.
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Chapter 5: Drivers for Green buildings – Organisational and Individual perspectives
Table 5-1: Coding for drivers for green building
Descriptors
Organisational Individual Type and Name of incentives (Olubunmi et al., 2016)
perspective perspective
ORG1 IND1 External Financial benefits provided by the government
ORG2 IND2 incentives Economic benefits provided by the government
ORG3 IND3 Regulatory requirements, technical standards, energy
code
ORG4 IND4 Leadership and Assistance
ORG5 IND5 Internal Improved human well-being and comfortability
incentives advantages
ORG6 IND6 High market appeal of green buildings
ORG7 IND7 Societal gratification
ORG8 IND8 Altruistic or personal moral norms and values
ORG9 IND9 Conditional inspiration or persuasion to adopt green
building and practices
Of the 225 questionnaires completed, one was unable to be opened because of

technical issues in the database, and eight duplications were removed. According to Hair
(2006), samples missing over 30% of critical data are deemed to be inappropriate for
analysis. Therefore, 19 samples were deleted as they have more than two motivation
variables in each question unranked or answered as 0, which means the percentage of
missing data in those samples is 33.3%. Furthermore, 21 more questionnaires which have
standard deviation = 0, were removed; because all the 18 motivation variables were scored
the same may imply that there was a lack of engagement from the participants. Thus the
rating would not reflect the actual circumstances. Four further questionnaires that do not
indicate the type of organisation were also removed, leaving 172 for analysis. Missing value
analysis for all variables shows that the maximum data missing percentage is 4.7% in driver
ORG2, less than the 10% threshold, thus the study used a mean substitution approach to treat
all the missing data (Hair, 2006).
Cronbach’s alpha values of the listed 9 ORG and 9 IND variables are 0.886 and 0.866,
respectively; Cronbach’s alpha for the total 18 variables is 0.900, implying that the variables’
reliability is good and appropriate for further analysis (Nunnally, 1978). The reliability test
also reveals that deleting any variable will not improve these Cronbach’s alpha values.
5.3. Analysis of respondent profiles
The respondents’ profiles are summarised in Table 5-2. The majority of the survey
participants (82%) work in multi-cities/provinces and more developed locations.
Approximately 80% of the respondents work in the industry (43.6%) and the government
(35.5%). About 48% of the participants work at directorial and managerial levels, 44% is at
expert level, and approximately 75% of the participants have more than 5 years of experience
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in construction and/or real estate. Among the respondents, nine participants were surveyed
via face-to-face and phone interviews: four from education institutes (coded as A, B, C, D),
two from government agencies at national and city levels (as E, F) and three others from the
industry (as G, H, I). The opinion of those interviewed further clarifies the drivers to adopt
GB.
Table 5-2: Demographic characteristics of respondents

Demographic characteristics Frequency Valid Percent
Organisation scale International 25 14.5%
National 70 40.7%
Multi-cities/provinces 46 26.7%
Within a province/city 31 18.0%
Types of organisation Government 61 35.5%
Education 36 20.9%
Industry players 75 43.6%
Position in organisation Directorial level 23 13.4%
Managerial level 60 34.9%
Expert level 76 44.2%
Other 13 7.6%
Years of experience Less than 5 years 46 26.7%
5 - 10 years 47 27.3%
10 - 15 years 24 14.0%
15 - 20 years 33 19.2%
More than 20 years 22 12.8%
n=172
A tota of 172 samples are categorised into four sets and associating subsets according
to four different characteristics based on the respondents’ profiles.
Table 5-3: Set of respondents

Set No. Set name Subset No. Subset name
1 International
2 National
1 Organisational scale
3 Multi-cities/provinces
4 Within a province/city
1 Government officers
2 Type of organisation 2 Education sector
3 Industry players
1 Directorial level
Levels of position in their 2 Managerial level
3
organisation 3 Expert level
4 Other
1 Less than 5 years
2 5 – 10 years
4 Years of experience 3 10 – 15 years
4 15 – 20 years
5 More than 20 years
The drivers are now referred to as variables. As it can be seen from Table 5-4, set 1, 2
and 3 are categorical, while set 4 is ordinal; the analysis thus focuses on finding the
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significantly different subsets in three former sets, and finding a significant trend in the later
set.
5.4. The difference in participants’ perceptions of ORG drivers’ influence
5.4.1. Descriptive analysis
Descriptive analysis provides some insight into how the GB drivers are ranked in order
from the most influential drivers to those least influential. The statistical minimum,
maximum, mean, standard deviations and normality of the nine motivation variables are
presented in Table 5-3. Although the respondents used all options provided, from 1 to 5,
mean values of all the variables ORG1-ORG9 are over 3.806 out of 5.00. The participants
believe that their organisations are most likely to engage in GB projects provided those
incentives. However, the wide range of standard deviations from 1.049 to 1.143 indicates a
lack of consistency in responses. There is also a tendency for negative skewness, which
means all the drivers were scored more towards the higher end of the scale (Field, 2009).
Exploring the variables also showed the majority of participants rating the drivers 3, 4 and
5 out of 5.
Table 5-4: Descriptive features of ORG drivers with descending means

Std.
N Minimum Maximum Mean Skewness Kurtosis
Deviation
Std. Std.
Statistic Statistic Statistic Statistic Statistic Statistic Statistic
Error Error
ORG1 172 1.0 5.0 4.100 1.101 -1.026 .185 .067 .368
ORG8 172 1.0 5.0 4.088 1.102 -1.157 .185 .655 .368
ORG7 172 1.0 5.0 4.065 1.049 -.961 .185 .208 .368
ORG5 172 1.0 5.0 4.047 1.133 -1.117 .185 .400 .368
ORG6 172 1.0 5.0 3.970 1.072 -.975 .185 .474 .368
ORG2 172 1.0 5.0 3.951 1.143 -.970 .185 .152 .368
ORG9 172 1.0 5.0 3.929 1.068 -.787 .185 -.153 .368
ORG4 172 1.0 5.0 3.837 1.066 -.660 .185 -.210 .368
ORG3 172 1.0 5.0 3.807 1.118 -.673 .185 -.445 .368
However, the basic descriptive statistics provide little insight into whether the
participants perceive the influence of those drivers on their organisation differently,
especially while considering their different profiles, including their organisation scale,
organisation type, position level in the organisation and their experience. This section
focuses on analysing the responses of participants, taking into consideration their diverse
backgrounds, by grouping and ranking GB drivers based on the difference between
participants’ perception of the drivers.
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Testing assumption of normality
Selective tests to explore the difference between subsets in set 1, 2 and 3 are required
based on the distribution of data, the number of compared subjects and whether the variables
are independent or related. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test is commonly used to test
normality (Field, 2009) while the Shapiro-Wilk test is argued to provide better power than
the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, even after the Lilliefors correction (Ghasemi & Zahediasl,
2012). The results of normality tests (Table 5-5) show that all of the ORG data is
significantly non-normal (p < .001), therefore, non-parametric tests are required. According
to Field (2009), the non-parametric to compare three or more independent subsets is the
Kruskal-Wallis test and its post hoc test to find out the heterogeneous subset is the Mann-
Whitney U test, which is used to compare two independent subsets.
Table 5-5: Test of normality for ORG variables

Kolmogorov-Smirnova Shapiro-Wilk
Statistic df Sig. Statistic df Sig.
ORG1 .293 172 .000 .783 172 .000
ORG2 .233 172 .000 .821 172 .000
ORG3 .202 172 .000 .861 172 .000
ORG4 .194 172 .000 .865 172 .000
ORG5 .259 172 .000 .790 172 .000
ORG6 .221 172 .000 .826 172 .000
ORG7 .261 172 .000 .810 172 .000
ORG8 .273 172 .000 .785 172 .000
ORG9 .214 172 .000 .844 172 .000
a. Lilliefors Significance Correction
Regarding set 4, the Jonckheere-Terpstra test is applied to test the significance of

trends among the subsets. This test is used to determine whether the medians of the subsets
ascend or descend in the order specified by the coding variable (Field, 2009). If the test
provides a positive result with probability rate lower than 5%, the trend following the order
of coding variables is significant. If the test provides a negative result with probability rate
lower than 5%, the trend reversing the order of coding variables is significant. Monte Carlo
significance (2-tailed) is used, as this is a large sample set.
5.4.2. p-value correction procedure
For a single test, a conventional critical probability rate of 5% is usually applied,

however, for multiple comparison tests, the Bonferroni correction and Benjamini–Hochberg
procedure are often used to adjust the critical probability rate. According to McDonald
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(2014), the reason is that statistically, ‘[a] P value of 0.05 means that there’s a 5% chance of
getting your observed results if the null hypothesis were true. It does not mean that there's a
5% chance that the null hypothesis is true’. Therefore, there is approximately one test
providing a false significant result out of every 20 tests, which is a Type I error - or false
positives. To reduce this type I error in multiple tests, corrected critical p-value should be
used instead of a conventional rate of 5%.
The Bonferroni correction is the simplest form to produce corrected critical p-value by
dividing the conventional critical value of 0.05 for the number of tests being conducted
(Field, 2009). However, the Bonferroni correction becomes so restricted with a large number
of tests as the corrected p-value will be so small, thus increasing the probability of a Type II
error – false negatives (Perneger, 1998). Therefore, the study controls the False Discovery
Rate (FDR) with Benjamini–Hochberg procedure to produce the corrected p-value when the
number of tests is large. In a Benjamini–Hochberg procedure, a new critical probability rate
𝑖𝑖
for each p-value is calculated by the following equation: 𝑚𝑚 Q, in which i is the rank of
ascending input p-values, m is the number of tests and Q is a critical value for a false
𝑖𝑖 𝑡𝑡ℎ
discovery rate. The largest pi < Q is significant and all the p-values smaller than pi are also
𝑚𝑚
deemed truly significant (McDonald, 2014). Here the false discovery rate Q is chosen to be
0.25 similar to García-Arenzana et al. (2014).
Table 5-6: Demonstration of Benjamini-Hochberg procedure

Set X Kruskal-Wallis test Benjamini–Hochberg procedure
Corrected
Variable H df p i q
p = (i/m)Q
1 5.476 3 0.020 1 0.250 0.028
2 5.315 3 0.058 2 0.250 0.056
3 3.616 3 0.080 3 0.250 0.083
4 2.673 3 0.445 4 0.250 0.111
5 2.301 3 0.512 5 0.250 0.139
6 1.757 3 0.624 6 0.250 0.167
7 0.978 3 0.807 7 0.250 0.194
8 0.516 3 0.915 8 0.250 0.222
9 0.247 3 0.970 9 0.250 0.250
An example of a Benjamini–Hochberg procedure for this study is demonstrated above
with nine variables (1, 2... 9) with their p-values ranked from smallest to largest. As shown
in Table 5-6, p3 is the largest p-value that smaller than the corrected p (0.083) so p-values of
Kruskal-Wallis H values of variables 1, 2, 3 in set X are significant.
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5.4.3. Mean comparison of Set 1, 2 and 3
Set 1 - different organisations’ scale
There are four subsets under set 1 – organisation scale (SCL), from international
(subset 1), national (subset 2), multiple provinces/cities (subset 3) and within a province/city
(subset 4), indicating the participants’ level of exposure to the construction market.
Results of multiple K-W tests performed on nine ORG variables between subsets of
set 1 (Table 5-7) reveal no variable being perceived significantly differently by participants,
with a corrected critical p-value via Benjamini-Hochberg procedure. Therefore, all
participants across subsets of set 1 perceive ORG variables indifferently.
Table 5-7: Results of K-W tests on ORG variables in Set 1

B–H
Set 1 Subset 1 Subset 2 Subset 3 Subset 4 K-W test
procedure
Corrected
Variable M SD M SD M SD M SD H df p
critical p
ORG1 4.200 1.080 4.117 1.057 4.196 1.128 3.839 1.186 2.622 3 0.463 0.111
ORG2 3.958 1.274 3.784 1.202 4.301 0.964 3.805 1.077 6.828 3 0.077 0.028
ORG3 3.880 1.054 3.729 1.174 3.865 1.067 3.839 1.157 0.616 3 0.893 0.222
ORG4 3.800 1.155 3.750 1.095 3.971 1.022 3.866 1.024 1.266 3 0.737 0.167
ORG5 4.040 1.207 3.858 1.266 4.283 0.935 4.129 0.991 2.638 3 0.451 0.083
ORG6 4.080 1.077 3.942 1.166 3.977 1.000 3.935 0.998 0.579 3 0.902 0.250
ORG7 4.080 1.187 4.115 1.110 4.088 0.939 3.903 0.978 2.127 3 0.552 0.139
ORG8 4.200 0.957 3.887 1.258 4.370 0.853 4.032 1.110 3.832 3 0.275 0.056
ORG9 3.997 0.913 3.827 1.116 4.020 1.064 3.968 1.110 1.150 3 0.769 0.194
Set 2 - different organisations’ type
Set 2 – organisation type (TYP) encompasses three subsets: government (subset 1),
education (subset 2) and industry (subset 3). The nature of the organisations would show the
specific field that the participants work in and reveal their perceptions regarding GB
development. Adjustment to critical p-value was made via a Benjamini-Hochberg procedure.
K-W tests conducted on nine ORG variables result in no heterogeneous subset (Table 5-8).
The difference in the perception of participants in all three organisational types is not
significant.
Table 5-8: Results of K-W tests on ORG variables in Set 2

Set 2 Subset 1 Subset 2 Subset 3 K-W test B–H procedure
M SD M SD M SD H df p Corrected critical p
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ORG1 4.020 1.204 4.139 1.125 4.147 1.009 0.157 2 0.927 0.250
ORG2 3.803 1.289 4.161 1.029 3.971 1.065 1.131 2 0.578 0.139
ORG3 3.758 1.242 3.556 1.252 3.968 0.915 2.164 2 0.342 0.056
ORG4 3.847 1.195 3.713 1.135 3.889 0.924 0.642 2 0.731 0.167
ORG5 4.050 1.231 4.083 1.025 4.027 1.115 0.341 2 0.841 0.222
ORG6 3.902 1.136 3.860 1.125 4.079 0.997 1.171 2 0.555 0.111
ORG7 3.919 1.085 4.056 1.094 4.188 0.996 2.211 2 0.327 0.028
ORG8 4.100 1.165 4.139 1.046 4.053 1.089 0.366 2 0.830 0.194
ORG9 3.981 0.975 4.081 1.079 3.812 1.135 1.597 2 0.457 0.083
Set 3 - different level of position
Set 3 consists of four different position levels that participants hold in their
organisations, including directorial level (subset 1), managerial level (subset 2), expert level
(subset 3) and other position (subset 4). Different position levels in the organisation may
have an effect on the participants’ perception of the influence of ORG variables.
A Benjamini-Hochberg procedure is applied to produce corrected critical p-value =

0.028. Table 5-9 shows results of multiple K-W tests on nine ORG variables. Significant
differences are found in ORG1 (H(3) = 9.352) and ORG7 (H(3) = 9.271). Post hoc tests
using multiple M-W U tests are carried out to follow up with this finding and to find out the
heterogeneous subset of set 3 regarding ORG1 and ORG7.
Table 5-9: Results of K-W tests on ORG variables in set 3

B–H
procedure
Corrected
critical p
ORG1 4.435 0.843 4.317 1.017 3.911 1.145 3.615 1.325 9.352* 3 0.025 0.028
ORG2 3.998 1.206 4.113 1.152 3.894 1.102 3.458 1.197 4.856 3 0.187 0.167
ORG3 4.043 1.107 3.847 1.205 3.690 1.082 3.893 0.954 2.748 3 0.435 0.250
ORG4 3.913 1.125 4.011 1.066 3.665 1.062 3.911 0.954 4.245 3 0.233 0.194
ORG5 3.913 1.203 4.317 1.017 3.922 1.164 3.769 1.235 6.345 3 0.095 0.083
ORG6 3.912 1.203 4.133 1.112 3.882 0.993 3.844 1.143 3.683 3 0.301 0.222
ORG7 4.130 1.100 4.284 1.043 3.961 0.999 3.538 1.127 9.271* 3 0.025 0.056
ORG8 4.174 1.154 4.268 1.039 3.921 1.093 4.077 1.320 5.348 3 0.144 0.111
ORG9 3.957 1.065 4.132 1.033 3.747 1.084 4.000 1.080 5.337 3 0.146 0.139
*p < corrected critical p = 0.028
It appears from Table 5-10 that regarding variable ORG1, that there are significant
differences between subset 1 and subsets 3, 4 (U1/3 = 648.5, z1/3 = -1.989; U1/4 = 93.0, z1/4 =
-2.032), similarly, between subset 2 and subsets 3, 4 (U2/3 = 1805.0, z2/3 = -2.239; U2/4 =
260.5, z2/4 = -2.061). There is no significant difference between subset 1 and 2, as well as
subset 3 and 4. All six tests are reported at a corrected probability rate of 0.167.
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regarding variable ORG1
Corrected
Subset pair Mann-Whitney U Wilcoxon W z Exact p
critical p
½ 657.5 2487.5 -0.380 0.762 0.250
1/3 648.5* 3574.5 -1.989 0.047 0.167
¼ 93.0* 184.0 -2.032 0.046 0.125
2/3 1805.0* 4731.0 -2.239 0.025 0.042
2/4 260.5* 351.5 -2.061 0.037 0.083
¾ 428.0 519.0 -0.801 0.430 0.208
Table 5-11 shows three significant differences between sub set 1 and subset 4 (U1/4 =
98.5, z1/4 = -1.769), subset 2 and subsets 3, 4 (U2/3 = 1791.0, z2/3 = -2.292; U2/4 = 224.0, z2/4
= -2.606) in variable ORG7. There is no significant difference in the remaining subset pairs.
All six tests are reported at a corrected critical p-value of 0.125. Based on the above results,
heterogeneous subsets can be coupled into set 3_12 and subset 3_45 (shown in Table 5-12).
regarding variable ORG7
Corrected
critical p
½ 620.5 896.5 -0.787 0.433 0.250
1/3 770.5 3696.5 -0.903 0.370 0.208
¼ 98.5* 189.5 -1.769 0.080 0.125
2/3 1791.0* 4717.0 -2.292 0.022 0.083
2/4 224.0* 315.0 -2.606 0.008 0.042
¾ 384.5 475.5 -1.330 0.190 0.167
Table 5-12: Mean value and SD of variables ORG1 and ORG7 in set 3_12 and set 3_34
Std.
Variable Set N Mean
Deviation
3_12 83 4.349 0.968
ORG1
3_34 89 3.867 1.170
3_12 83 4.241 1.054
ORG7
3_34 89 3.899 1.023
5.4.4. Groups of ORG variables based on the difference in participants’

perceptions
ORG variables are grouped, based on how significant the difference between their
mean values is, taking into consideration the heterogeneous sets explored above (set 3_12,
set 3_34). The variables with significantly different sets (ORG1, ORG7) are re-coded to
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ORG1_3_12 and ORG1_3_34; ORG7_3_12 and ORG7_3_34 and placed into mean
comparison with other variables.
To group and rank all the ORG variables based on the difference between participants’
perception of the drivers, the study ranks all mean values of variables, including those of
heterogeneous sets. Then mean comparisons are conducted sequentially between the higher
ranked variable and lower ranked variables. First, the test checks for a significant difference
between 1st and 2nd ranked variable. If the difference is not significant, the test is then
repeated between 1st and 3rd ones. It continues until the significant difference is found at
1st and nth ranked variables. All nth-1 ranked variable(s) are placed in Group A. Then the nth
variable is used as a threshold for continuing mean comparisons. The process continues until
all variables are put into groups.
A non-parametric test for every two related variables is needed. Thus, Wilcoxon
Signed-rank tests are applied. Monte Carlo significance (1-tailed) is used as this is a pre-
conditioned test. An exception to the testing procedure is that a new variable is not put into
comparison with its original variables, but the one ranked next to them is. This is because
the new variables derived from the original variables, thus cannot be used in the comparison,
for example, ORG1_3_12 contains all scores of ORG1 in subsets 1 and 2 of set 3, so the
comparison is invalid. Wilcoxon Signed-rank test applied to check the significant difference
between the variables (Table 5-13). All tests are conducted separately and reported at
conventional critical rate of 0.05.
Page | 110
Table 5-13: Difference between all ORG variablesa
Pair Variable N M SD Z Monte Carlo p (1-tailed)
1 ORG1_3_12 83 4.349 0.968
-.845b 0.200
ORG7_3_12 83 4.241 1.054
2 ORG7_3_12 83 4.241 1.054
-.845c 0.206
ORG1 172 4.100 1.101
3 ORG7_3_12 83 4.241 1.054
-.214c 0.420
ORG8 172 4.088 1.102
4 ORG1 172 4.100 1.101
-.473b 0.315
ORG7 172 4.065 1.049
5 ORG1 172 4.100 1.101
-.513b 0.312
ORG5 172 4.047 1.133
6 ORG1 172 4.100 1.101
-1.734b* 0.041
ORG6 172 3.970 1.072
7 ORG6 172 3.970 1.072
-.287b 0.383
ORG2 172 3.951 1.143
8 ORG6 172 3.970 1.072
-.294b 0.373
ORG9 172 3.929 1.068
9 ORG6 172 3.970 1.072
-.052c 0.466
ORG7_3_34 89 3.899 1.023
10 ORG6 172 3.970 1.072
-.086c 0.465
ORG1_3_34 89 3.867 1.170
11 ORG6 172 3.970 1.072
-1.665b* 0.049
ORG4 172 3.837 1.066
12 ORG4 172 3.837 1.066
-.292b 0.384
ORG3 172 3.807 1.118
a. Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test
b. Based on negative ranks.
c. Based on positive ranks.
* p < 0.05
Based on the results of the Wilcoxon Signed-rank test presented in Table 5-13, a
significant difference is found between ORG1 and ORG6 (Z = -1.734, p < 0.05). Therefore,
all variables having mean values higher than ORG6 are placed in Group A. Continuing
comparisons reveal another significant difference between ORG6 and ORG4 (Z = -1.665, p
< 0.05), so all variables having mean values between ORG6 and ORG4 are placed in Group
B with ORG6. The remaining variables show no significant difference, and thus they are
placed in Group C.
Page | 111
Table 5-14: Groups and rank of ORG variables
Set 1, 2, 3
Group Rank Variable
N Mean SD
1 ORG1_3_12 83 4.349 0.968
2 ORG7_3_12 83 4.241 1.054
3 ORG1 172 4.100 1.101
A
4 ORG8 172 4.088 1.102
5 ORG7 172 4.065 1.049
6 ORG5 172 4.047 1.133
7 ORG6 172 3.970 1.072
8 ORG2 172 3.951 1.143
B 9 ORG9 172 3.929 1.068
10 ORG7_3_34 89 3.899 1.023
11 ORG1_3_34 89 3.867 1.170
12 ORG4 172 3.837 1.066
C
13 ORG3 172 3.807 1.118
5.4.5. Trend analysis of Set 4 - different years of experience
The experience set incorporates 5 subsets: less than 5 years (Subset 1), from 5 to 10
years (subset 2), from 10 to 15 years (subset 3), from 15 to 20 years (subset 4) and more than
20 years (subset 5). The years of experience participants have, may imply that their
expectations about the ORG variables for GB development would differ. Trend analysis is
applied to determine if there is a significant tendency in the participants’ perception about
the influence of ORG variables. Table 5-15 presents the mean values and standard deviation
of nine ORG variables categorised into five subsets of set 4. Jonckheere-Terpstra tests are
carried out with corrected p-value using Benjamini-Hochberg procedure.
Table 5-16 reveals that all ORG variables have a significant positive trend (all tests
are reported at a corrected critical p-value of 0.250). It denotes that the means follow the
coding variable significantly, especially variables ORG1, ORG5 and ORG7 (significant at p
< 0.001), ORG2, ORG3, ORG4, ORG8 and ORG9 (significant at p < 0.01). The trend of
mean values from ORG of Set 4 is shown in Figure 5-1 visualising the tendency of increasing
mean from subsets 1, 2, 3 (M1, M2, M3) to subsets 4, 5 (M4, M5). Based on the results, the
mean values of subset 1, 2, and 3 are approximately equal. Thus, the heterogeneous subsets
in set 4 can be coupled into set 4_123 and set 4_45 (Table 5-17).
Page | 112
Table 5-15: Mean values and Std. Deviation of ORG variables categorised by subsets in set 4
Set 4 Subset 1 Subset 2 Subset 3 Subset 4 Subset 5
M SD M SD M SD M SD M SD
ORG1 3.565 1.047 3.917 1.213 4.167 1.239 4.761 0.557 4.545 0.739
ORG2 3.671 0.919 3.956 1.179 3.954 1.197 4.241 1.174 4.089 1.342
ORG3 3.713 0.957 3.583 1.132 3.625 1.279 4.091 1.156 4.255 1.038
ORG4 3.685 0.782 3.528 1.194 3.952 1.042 4.303 0.951 3.993 1.273
ORG5 3.783 1.073 3.936 1.241 3.875 1.262 4.486 0.794 4.364 1.136
ORG6 3.674 1.055 4.000 1.063 3.875 1.154 4.392 0.900 3.999 1.155
ORG7 3.654 1.059 4.043 1.021 4.042 1.233 4.457 0.832 4.409 0.908
ORG8 3.806 1.108 3.957 1.160 4.125 1.262 4.394 0.827 4.455 1.011
ORG9 3.630 0.997 3.891 1.088 3.914 1.248 4.121 1.083 4.360 0.791
Table 5-16: Trend analysis for ORG variables in set 4

Set 4 Jonckheere-Terpstra test B-H procedure
Level N J z Monte Carlo p (2-tailed) Corrected critical p
ORG1 5 172 7623.0 5.419*** 0.000 0.028
ORG2 5 172 6831.5 3.010** 0.002 0.139
ORG3 5 172 6690.5 2.579** 0.009 0.222
ORG4 5 172 6896.0 3.164** 0.001 0.111
ORG5 5 172 6943.5 3.389*** 0.000 0.056
ORG6 5 172 6615.0 2.397* 0.016 0.250
ORG7 5 172 7084.0 3.782*** 0.000 0.083
ORG8 5 172 6875.0 3.205** 0.002 0.167
ORG9 5 172 6837.5 3.019** 0.002 0.194
* p < corrected critical p = 0.250
** p < 0.01
*** p < 0.001
5.000
4.500
4.000
3.500
3.000
2.500
2.000
1.500
1.000
0.500
0.000
M1 M2 M3 M4 M5
ORG1 ORG2 ORG3 ORG4 ORG5

ORG6 ORG7 ORG8 ORG9
Figure 5-1: Trend of mean values of ORG variables in Set 4
Page | 113
Table 5-17: Mean value and SD of Set 4_123 and Set 4_45
Set 4_123 Set 4_45
Variable M SD M SD
ORG1 3.830 1.169 4.675 0.638
ORG2 3.844 1.087 4.180 1.234
ORG3 3.643 1.092 4.157 1.103
ORG4 3.677 1.021 4.179 1.091
ORG5 3.863 1.174 4.437 0.938
ORG6 3.846 1.080 4.235 1.018
ORG7 3.889 1.089 4.438 0.855
ORG8 3.932 1.158 4.418 0.896
ORG9 3.793 1.087 4.217 0.976
5.4.6. The final ranking of ORG variables
Set 4_123 and set 4_45 are used as a supplement in the integrated result shown in
Table 5-18.
Table 5-18: Groups and rank of ORG variables with results of set 4
Set 1, 2, 3 Set 4_123 Set 4_45
Group Rank Variable
N Mean SD N Mean SD N Mean SD
1 ORG1_3_12 83 4.349 0.968
2 ORG7_3_12 83 4.241 1.054
3 ORG1 172 4.100 1.101 117 3.830 1.169 55 4.675 0.638
A
4 ORG8 172 4.088 1.102 117 3.932 1.158 55 4.418 0.896
5 ORG7 172 4.065 1.049 117 3.889 1.089 55 4.438 0.855
6 ORG5 172 4.047 1.133 117 3.863 1.174 55 4.437 0.938
7 ORG6 172 3.970 1.072 117 3.846 1.080 55 4.235 1.018
8 ORG2 172 3.951 1.143 117 3.844 1.087 55 4.180 1.234
B 9 ORG9 172 3.929 1.068 117 3.793 1.087 55 4.217 0.976
10 ORG7_3_34 89 3.899 1.023
11 ORG1_3_34 89 3.867 1.170
12 ORG4 172 3.837 1.066 117 3.677 1.021 55 4.179 1.091
C
13 ORG3 172 3.807 1.118 117 3.643 1.092 55 4.157 1.103
5.5. The difference in participants’ perceptions of IND drivers’ influence
5.5.1. Descriptive analysis
Overall ranking and summary statistic of the nine IND motivation variables are
presented in Table 5-19. The mean values of variables IND1-IND9 are ranging from 3.76 to
4.041 out of 5.00. Thus the GB drivers’ influence is prevailing to the participants as
construction professionals in Vietnam. Standard deviations, ranging widely from 0.979 to
Page | 114
1.134, imply that the opinions of the respondents varied considerably. A tendency for
negative skewness also appears similar to that of ORG variables as the participants mostly
rated the drivers 3, 4 and 5 out of 5.
To understand how the perception of the participants differs regarding the drivers’
influence on themselves as construction professionals, this section applied an analogous
analysing process as section 5.4, focusing on a mean comparative analysis between
participants while considering their different characteristics.
Table 5-19: Descriptive features of IND drivers with descending means

Std.
N Minimum Maximum Mean Skewness Kurtosis
Deviation
Std.
Statistic Statistic Statistic Statistic Statistic Statistic Std. Error Statistic
Error
IND1 172 1.0 5.0 4.041 1.005 -.957 .185 .474 .368
IND2 172 1.0 5.0 4.000 1.020 -1.170 .185 1.228 .368
IND5 172 1.0 5.0 3.901 1.090 -.924 .185 .258 .368
IND7 172 1.0 5.0 3.871 1.000 -.836 .185 .429 .368
IND6 172 1.0 5.0 3.866 .979 -.900 .185 .828 .368
IND9 172 1.0 5.0 3.856 1.050 -.870 .185 .168 .368
IND8 172 1.0 5.0 3.847 1.134 -1.007 .185 .433 .368
IND4 172 1.0 5.0 3.762 1.088 -.694 .185 -.208 .368
IND3 172 1.0 5.0 3.760 1.126 -.705 .185 -.304 .368
Valid N 172
(list wise)
Testing normality assumption
Normality assumption checked with all nine IND variables shows significant non-
normal distribution found in all variables (Table 5-20). The Kruskal-Wallis test and its post
hoc procedure Mann-Whitney U test are used for mean comparison analysis.
Table 5-20: Test of normality for IND variables

IND1 .231 172 .000 .824 172 .000
IND2 .267 172 .000 .810 172 .000
IND3 .235 172 .000 .864 172 .000
IND4 .226 172 .000 .870 172 .000
IND5 .245 172 .000 .838 172 .000
IND6 .258 172 .000 .846 172 .000
IND7 .249 172 .000 .854 172 .000
IND8 .251 172 .000 .832 172 .000
IND9 .252 172 .000 .846 172 .000
Page | 115
5.5.2. Mean comparison of Set 1, 2, and 3
Set 1 - different organisations’ scale
Multiple K-W tests performed on nine IND variables between subsets of set 1 (Table
5-21) show that participants perceive variables IND5 (H(3) = 8.423) and IND8 (H(3) =
7.792) having heterogeneous subsets, with a corrected critical p-value = 0.056 via a
Benjamini-Hochberg procedure. The remaining IND variables are perceived indifferently by
all participants across the subsets in set 1. Following up on this finding, a post hoc procedure
using a multiple M-W U test is conducted to find out the heterogeneous subset of set 1
regarding IND5 and IND8. Table 5-22 reveals that variable IND5 is scored differently
between subset 2 and subset 3, (U2/3 = 1152.0, z2/3 = -2.719), and between subset 3 and subset
4 (U3/4 = 523.0, z3/4 = -2.101), while there is no difference in the remaining pairs of four
subsets. All six tests are reported at corrected probability rate of 0.083.
Table 5-21: Results of K-W tests on IND variables in Set 1

B–H
procedure
Corrected
critical p
IND1 4.080 0.812 4.101 1.052 4.174 0.996 3.677 1.013 6.494 3 0.088 0.083
IND2 4.040 0.841 3.871 1.179 4.283 0.834 3.839 0.969 5.368 3 0.148 0.111
IND3 3.800 1.000 3.714 1.264 4.000 0.989 3.476 1.058 4.660 3 0.198 0.139
IND4 3.830 1.028 3.693 1.231 3.951 0.988 3.581 0.923 2.761 3 0.439 0.167
IND5 4.000 0.913 3.700 1.159 4.239 0.993 3.774 1.117 8.423* 3 0.035 0.028
IND6 3.920 0.862 3.957 1.055 3.739 0.929 3.806 0.980 2.770 3 0.440 0.194
IND7 4.000 0.866 3.886 1.097 3.845 1.010 3.774 0.884 1.049 3 0.798 0.222
IND8 4.080 0.909 3.684 1.302 4.152 0.942 3.576 1.056 7.792* 3 0.048 0.056
IND9 4.074 0.910 3.753 1.184 3.888 0.971 3.866 0.957 0.969 3 0.813 0.250
regarding variable IND5
Corrected
critical p
½ 763.0 3248.0 -0.989 0.327 0.167
1/3 468.0 793.0 -1.389 0.171 0.125
¼ 348.5 844.5 -0.677 0.514 0.208
2/3 1152.0* 3637.0 -2.719 0.006 0.042
2/4 1052.5 3537.5 -0.249 0.807 0.250
3/4 523.0* 1019.0 -2.101 0.035 0.083
Page | 116
Regarding variable IND8, Table 5-23 shows three significant differences between
sub set 1 and subset 4 (U1/4 = 282.0, z1/4 = -1.811), subset 2 and subsets 3 (U2/3 = 1304.0, z2/3
= -1.823) and subset 3 and subset 4 (U2/4 = 466.5, z2/4 = -2.709). No significant difference is
found in the remaining subset pairs. All six tests are reported at corrected critical p value of
0.125. Based on the above results, heterogeneous subsets can be coupled into set 1_13 and
subset 1_24 (Table 5-24).
regarding variable IND8
Corrected
critical p
1/2 753.5 3238.5 -1.072 0.290 0.167
1/3 539.0 864.0 -0.465 0.640 0.250
1/4 282.0* 778.0 -1.811 0.071 0.125
2/3 1304.0* 3789.0 -1.823 0.068 0.083
2/4 963.5 1459.5 -0.928 0.357 0.208
3/4 466.5* 962.5 -2.709 0.006 0.042
Table 5-24: Mean value and SD of variables IND5 and IND8 in set 1_13 and set 1_24
Variable Set N Mean Std. Deviation
1_13 71 4.155 0.966
IND5
1_24 101 3.723 1.141
1_13 71 4.127 0.925
IND8
1_24 101 3.650 1.228
Set 2 - different organisations’ type
K-W tests conducted on nine IND variables result in no heterogeneous subset of set 2
(Table 5-25) with adjusted critical p-value made employing a Benjamini-Hochberg
procedure. The difference in the perception of participants in all three organisational types
is not significant.
Table 5-25: Results of K-W tests on IND variables in Set 2

Set 2 Subset 1 Subset 2 Subset 3 K-W test B–H procedure
M SD M SD M SD H df p Corrected critical p
IND1 3.919 1.069 4.222 0.989 4.053 0.957 2.256 2 0.315 0.111
IND2 3.803 1.181 4.194 0.889 4.067 0.920 2.589 2 0.272 0.083
IND3 3.689 1.272 3.861 0.990 3.770 1.072 0.166 2 0.918 0.222
IND4 3.714 1.155 3.806 0.951 3.780 1.106 0.091 2 0.952 0.250
IND5 3.803 1.195 4.111 0.979 3.880 1.052 1.595 2 0.445 0.167
IND6 3.771 1.116 3.722 0.882 4.013 0.893 3.594 2 0.157 0.056
IND7 3.754 1.075 3.746 0.906 4.027 0.972 4.052 2 0.128 0.028
IND8 3.847 1.181 4.028 1.055 3.760 1.137 1.469 2 0.483 0.194
IND9 3.862 0.974 4.028 1.082 3.770 1.097 2.063 2 0.358 0.139
Page | 117
Set 3 - different level of position
Table 5-26 shows results of multiple K-W tests on nine IND variables in set 3 with
corrected critical p-value produced through Benjamini-Hochberg procedure. No significant
difference is found among participants’ perceptions in set 3.
Table 5-26: Results of K-W tests on IND variables in set 3

B–H
procedure
Corrected
critical p
IND1 3.913 1.203 4.283 0.739 3.882 1.107 4.077 0.954 3.526 3 0.326 0.111
IND2 3.739 1.251 4.083 0.996 4.026 0.979 3.923 0.954 1.666 3 0.649 0.222
IND3 3.609 1.340 3.933 0.989 3.642 1.174 3.923 1.038 2.071 3 0.563 0.194
IND4 3.783 1.278 4.046 0.929 3.510 1.124 3.886 0.955 8.034 3 0.043 0.028
IND5 4.000 1.044 4.100 0.877 3.776 1.162 3.538 1.506 2.711 3 0.440 0.139
IND6 3.957 0.928 3.933 0.841 3.803 1.059 3.769 1.235 0.389 3 0.945 0.250
IND7 3.957 1.022 4.050 0.790 3.816 1.080 3.221 1.159 6.140 3 0.106 0.056
IND8 3.870 1.180 4.078 0.927 3.724 1.150 3.462 1.664 2.648 3 0.451 0.167
IND9 3.863 1.179 4.079 0.908 3.667 1.087 3.923 1.115 5.028 3 0.170 0.083
5.5.3. Groups of IND variables based on the difference in participants’ perceptions
Analogous to the process of grouping and ranking ORG variables in section 5.4.8,
Table 5-27 presents the results of mean comparisons and significant differences between all
IND variables. Significant results are found between IND8_1_13 and IND7 (Z = -2.140, p <
0.05); IND7 and IND8_1_24 (Z = -1.786, p < 0.05), so variables IND5_1_13 to IND5 are
placed in Group A1, variables IND7 to IND5_1_24 are placed in Group B1, Group C1
contains only variable IND8_1_24 (Table 5-28).
Table 5-27: Difference between all IND variablesa

Pair Variable N M SD Z Monte Carlo p (1-tailed)
1 IND5_1_13 71 4.155 0.966
-.264b 0.436
IND8_1_13 71 4.127 0.925
2 IND5_1_13 71 4.155 0.966
-.417b 0.346
IND1 172 4.041 1.005
3 IND5_1_13 71 4.155 0.966
-.061c 0.466
IND2 172 4.000 1.020
4 IND8_1_13 71 4.127 0.925 -.264c 0.437
Page | 118
IND5 172 3.901 1.090
5 IND8_1_13 71 4.127 0.925
-2.140b* 0.020
IND7 172 3.871 1.000
6 IND7 172 3.871 1.000
-.077c 0.458
IND6 172 3.866 0.979
7 IND7 172 3.871 1.000
-.178b 0.438
IND9 172 3.856 1.05
8 IND7 172 3.871 1.000
-.123b 0.455
IND8 172 3.847 1.134
9 IND7 172 3.871 1.000
-1.133b 0.136
IND4 172 3.762 1.088
10 IND7 172 3.871 1.000
-.923b 0.179
IND3 172 3.76 1.126
11 IND7 172 3.871 1.000
-1.004b 0.161
IND5_1_24 101 3.723 1.141
12 IND7 172 3.871 1.000
-1.786b 0.033
IND8_1_24 101 3.65 1.228
* p < 0.05
Table 5-28: Groups and rank of IND variables

Set 1_13, 1_24, 2, 3
Group Rank Variable
N M SD
1 IND5_1_13 71 4.155 0.966
2 IND8_1_13 71 4.127 0.925
A 3 IND1 172 4.041 1.005
4 IND2 172 4.000 1.020
5 IND5 172 3.901 1.090
6 IND7 172 3.871 1.000
7 IND6 172 3.866 0.979
8 IND9 172 3.856 1.050
B 9 IND8 172 3.847 1.134
10 IND4 172 3.762 1.088
11 IND3 172 3.760 1.126
12 IND5_1_24 101 3.723 1.141
C 13 IND8_1_24 101 3.650 1.228
Page | 119
5.5.4. Trend analysis of Set 4 - different years of experience
Regarding set 4, trend analysis is applied to determine if there is any significant

tendency in the participants’ perception of the influence of IND variables. Table 5-29
presents the mean values and standard deviation of nine IND variables categorised into five
subsets of set 4. The Jonckheere-Terpstra test is carried out with a Benjamini-Hochberg
procedure.
Table 5-29: Mean values and Std. Deviation of IND variables categorised by subsets in set 4
Set 4 Subset 1 Subset 2 Subset 3 Subset 4 Subset 5
M SD M SD M SD M SD M SD
IND1 3.978 0.856 4.001 1.063 3.708 1.367 4.424 0.792 4.045 0.899
IND2 4.000 0.816 4.021 0.967 3.667 1.239 4.182 1.103 4.045 1.133
IND3 3.864 0.909 3.553 1.176 3.250 1.189 4.242 1.119 3.818 1.140
IND4 3.647 1.036 3.479 1.117 3.333 1.204 4.424 0.663 4.080 1.067
IND5 3.652 1.100 3.660 1.166 3.792 1.318 4.455 0.564 4.227 0.922
IND6 3.761 0.970 3.830 0.963 3.500 1.216 4.061 0.899 4.273 0.703
IND7 3.565 1.003 3.915 0.929 3.495 1.350 4.333 0.692 4.136 0.774
IND8 3.671 0.989 3.635 1.292 3.500 1.319 4.485 0.667 4.091 1.065
IND9 3.761 0.947 3.732 1.071 3.625 1.377 4.117 0.961 4.182 0.853
Table 5-30: Trend analysis for IND variables in set 4

Set 4 Jonckheere-Terpstra test B-H procedure
Level N J z Monte Carlo p (2-tailed) Corrected critical p
IND1 5 172 6232.5 1.311* 0.192 0.194
IND2 5 172 6157.5 1.102 0.274 0.222
IND3 5 172 6159.5 1.083 0.287 0.250
IND4 5 172 6865.5 3.082** 0.001 0.056
IND5 5 172 6973.0 3.421*** 0.000 0.028
IND6 5 172 6505.0 2.100* 0.033 0.167
IND7 5 172 6818.5 2.988** 0.003 0.111
IND8 5 172 6874.5 3.133* 0.002 0.083
IND9 5 172 6535.0 2.167* 0.029 0.139
** p < 0.01
*** p < 0.001
Table 5-30 shows that IND variables, excluding IND2 and IND3, have a significant
positive trend. All tests are reported at a corrected critical p-value of 0.194. The result means
that the trend of variables’ means following the coding variable is significant, especially in
variables IND5 (significant at p < 0.001), IND4, IND7 (significant at p < 0.01). Figure 5-2
visualises the increasing trend of mean values from subsets 1, 2, 3 (M1, M2, M3) to subsets
4, 5 (M4, M5).
Page | 120
It can be seen that the mean value of subset 3 approximately equals mean values of
subset 1 and 2. Thus, the heterogeneous subsets in set 4 can be coupled into set 4_123 and
set 4_45 (Table 5-31).
5.000
4.000
3.000
2.000
1.000
0.000
M1 M2 M3 M4 M5
IND1 IND4 IND5 IND6

IND7 IND8 IND9
Figure 5-2: Trend of mean values of IND variables in Set 4
Table 5-31: Mean value and SD of IND variables in Set 4_123 and Set 4_45
Set 4_123 Set 4_45
Variable M SD M SD
IND1 3.932 1.056 4.273 0.849
IND4 3.515 1.101 4.287 0.856
IND5 3.684 1.164 4.364 0.729
IND6 3.735 1.020 4.145 0.826
IND7 3.691 1.062 4.255 0.726
IND8 3.621 1.179 4.327 0.862
IND9 3.722 1.087 4.143 0.912
5.5.5. The final ranking of IND variables
Table 5-32 presents the combined result of grouping and ranking IND variables and
set 4’s significant trend.
Table 5-32: Groups and rank of IND variables with results of set 4
Set 1, 2, 3 Set 4_123 Set 4_45
Group Rank Variable
N M SD N M SD N M SD
1 IND5_1_13 71 4.155 0.966
2 IND8_1_13 71 4.127 0.925
A1 3 IND1 172 4.041 1.005 117 3.932 1.056 55 4.273 0.849
4 IND2 172 4.000 1.020
5 IND5 172 3.901 1.090 117 3.684 1.164 55 4.364 0.729
6 IND7 172 3.871 1.000 117 3.691 1.062 55 4.255 0.726
B1 7 IND6 172 3.866 0.979 117 3.735 1.020 55 4.145 0.826
8 IND9 172 3.856 1.050 117 3.722 1.087 55 4.143 0.912
Page | 121
9 IND8 172 3.847 1.134 117 3.621 1.179 55 4.327 0.862
10 IND4 172 3.762 1.088 117 3.515 1.101 55 4.287 0.856
11 IND3 172 3.760 1.126
12 IND5_1_24 101 3.723 1.141
C1 13 IND8_1_24 101 3.650 1.228
5.6. The difference between organisational and individual perspectives of

participants
This study questioned the respondents on their opinion regarding their organisation’s
decision to engage in GB projects given the GB drivers (organisational perspective), and
their own opinion regarding the influence of GB drivers (individual perspective). The
integrated outcome of final groups and ranks of GB drivers is presented in Table 5-33.
Table 5-33: Groups and rank of all variables combined with results of set 4
Set 1, 2, 3 Set 4_123 Set 4_45
Group Rank Variable
N Mean SD N Mean SD N Mean SD
1 ORG1_3_12 83 4.349 0.968
2 ORG7_3_12 83 4.241 1.054
3 ORG1 172 4.100 1.101 117 3.830 1.169 55 4.675 0.638
A
4 ORG8 172 4.088 1.102 117 3.932 1.158 55 4.418 0.896
5 ORG7 172 4.065 1.049 117 3.889 1.089 55 4.438 0.855
6 ORG5 172 4.047 1.133 117 3.863 1.174 55 4.437 0.938
7 ORG6 172 3.970 1.072 117 3.846 1.080 55 4.235 1.018
8 ORG2 172 3.951 1.143 117 3.844 1.087 55 4.180 1.234
B 9 ORG9 172 3.929 1.068 117 3.793 1.087 55 4.217 0.976
10 ORG7_3_34 89 3.899 1.023
11 ORG1_3_34 89 3.867 1.170
12 ORG4 172 3.837 1.066 117 3.677 1.021 55 4.179 1.091
C
13 ORG3 172 3.807 1.118 117 3.643 1.092 55 4.157 1.103
1 IND5_1_13 71 4.155 0.966
2 IND8_1_13 71 4.127 0.925
A1 3 IND1 172 4.041 1.005 117 3.932 1.056 55 4.273 0.849
4 IND2 172 4.000 1.020
5 IND5 172 3.901 1.090 117 3.684 1.164 55 4.364 0.729
6 IND7 172 3.871 1.000 117 3.691 1.062 55 4.255 0.726
7 IND6 172 3.866 0.979 117 3.735 1.020 55 4.145 0.826
8 IND9 172 3.856 1.050 117 3.722 1.087 55 4.143 0.912
B1 9 IND8 172 3.847 1.134 117 3.621 1.179 55 4.327 0.862
10 IND4 172 3.762 1.088 117 3.515 1.101 55 4.287 0.856
11 IND3 172 3.760 1.126
12 IND5_1_24 101 3.723 1.141
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C1 13 IND8_1_24 101 3.650 1.228
Based on the result from the mean comparison, it can be seen that the ranking of GB
drivers in the organisational perspective is generally different from that in the individual
perspective. In this section, these two perspectives are compared against each other to help
understand further the perceptions of participants when responding to ORG and IND
variables. The normality test on the differences between two experimental conditions –
organisation and individual perspectives is conducted, where the difference is computed by
deducting the scores of IND variables in its paired ORG variables (Field, 2009). The result
from the tests shown in Table 5-34 found that the distributions of all the differences between
the two perspectives are significantly non-normal (p < 0.01). A nonparametric test is required
to compare the two perspectives – related variables; therefore, Wilcoxon Signed-rank tests
are applied here.
Table 5-34: Test of normality for differences between ORG and IND variables
DIF1 .246 172 .000 .901 172 .000
DIF2 .238 172 .000 .891 172 .000
DIF3 .260 172 .000 .888 172 .000
DIF4 .212 172 .000 .920 172 .000
DIF5 .263 172 .000 .856 172 .000
DIF6 .213 172 .000 .902 172 .000
DIF7 .291 172 .000 .831 172 .000
DIF8 .273 172 .000 .850 172 .000
DIF9 .266 172 .000 .825 172 .000
Table 5-35 presents the mean values and associated statistics when two conditions –
organisational and individual perspectives - are put together in pairs, with the results from
the Wilcoxon signed rank tests and adjusted critical p-value from the Benjamini-Hochberg
procedure.
The median comparison test indicates that there are significant differences in the
responses of participants regarding variables 5, 7 and 8. The differences between variable
ORG5 and IND5, ORG7 and IND7, ORG8 and IND8 are significant based on negative
ranks, meaning the majority of the tests are positive ranks – ORG5 > IND5 (Z = -1.930, p <
0.083), ORG7>IND7 (Z = -2.760, p < 0.083), and ORG8>IND8 (Z = -2.904, p < 0.083).
There was no significant difference found in the comparisons of six other pairs of variables.
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Table 5-35: Difference between organisational and individual perspectivesa
Monte Carlo p Corrected
Pair Perspective N M SD Z
(2-tailed) critical p
1 ORG1 172 4.100 1.101
-.610b 0.539 0.194
IND1 172 4.041 1.005
2 ORG2 172 3.951 1.144
-.936c 0.350 0.167
IND2 172 4.000 1.020
3 ORG3 172 3.807 1.118
-.214b 0.828 0.250
IND3 172 3.760 1.127
4 ORG4 172 3.837 1.067
-.473b 0.639 0.222
IND4 172 3.762 1.088
5 ORG5 172 4.047 1.133
-1.930b* 0.057 0.083
IND5 172 3.901 1.090
6 ORG6 172 3.970 1.073 -1.275b
0.204 0.111
IND6 172 3.866 0.979
7 ORG7 172 4.065 1.049
-2.760b** 0.006 0.056
IND7 172 3.871 1.000
8 ORG8 172 4.088 1.102
-2.904b** 0.003 0.028
IND8 172 3.847 1.134
9 ORG9 172 3.929 1.068
-.978b 0.342 0.139
IND9 172 3.856 1.050
** p < 0.01
5.7. Findings and Discussion
The final groups and ranking of a set of nine GB driver items were established, based
on similarities and differences between the opinions of participants with diverse
backgrounds whilst being asked to express their organisational and individual perspectives.
From the results, three critical findings are discussed below.
5.7.1. Ranking of GB drivers in compare with the literature
The highly influential ORG and IND drivers are placed in Groups A and A1, which
are rated significantly higher than the moderately influential ones (placed in Groups B and
B1), and the relatively less influential drivers (in Group C and C1) in organisational and
individual perspectives, respectively.
Organisational perspective
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Regarding the organisational perspective, there are three groups of GB drivers. Group
A includes four original variables (financial benefits provided by the government and
societal image, altruism, occupants’ well-being,) and two new variables (financial benefits
and societal image scored particularly by directors and managers) with mean values ranging
from 4.047 to 4.349. This suggests that in the participants’ perception, their organisations
would be strongly incentivised to engage in GB projects, through both financial instruments
and internal motivations associated with GB. Especially, financial incentives and societal
reputation being rated highly by directors and managers (M = 4.241 to 4.349/5), confirms
that the organisations will be most likely to adopt GB, and participate in GB projects if the
drivers are in place. Altruism and improved occupant well-being are also regarded highly
among the GB motivations in the organisational perspective of the participants. The
participants consider that both the mindset of favouring environmentally friendly
construction, and the benefits of a GB in creating a better microclimate for its occupants play
an important role in driving their organisation towards GB development. Referring to the
opinions of the participants in the interviewed questionnaire, interviewee A and B, heads of
faculties at a university, stated that with financial benefits from the government, their
organisation would engage in GB projects without hesitation. Interviewee F, director of a
local government department, also expressed willingness to participate given this incentive.
Interviewee G, director of an engineering firm, replied that from the perspective of a
consultant, the incentive is essential to motivate industry players, especially consultants, to
pursue GB while ensuring their income and profit. Interviewee C, head of a faculty at a
university, explained that to an education institute, a positive brand image associating with
GB would help to attract more students, thus enhancing the university’s image in the society
in general. This motivation was also the main driver for interviewee I, a director and GB
owner, to seek GB certification, as being green will attract more customers and differentiate
themselves from other competitors in the market. Interviewee E, director of a central
government department, interpreted ‘Improved human well-being’ as an important factor
influencing government agencies to go green and become a model for the public as they are
‘doing the right thing’, which links to improved societal reputation.
Group B has three original variables (high market appeal, economic incentives,
conditional inspiration) and two new variables (financial benefits and societal gratification
scored by experts and others) with means from 3.867 to 3.970. These drivers are observed
by the participants as being moderately persuasive to their organisation to play a role in a
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GB project. Differing from the directors and the managers, experts and other officers rated
financial benefits from government, and brand reputation, much lower in driving the
organisation to GB adoption.
Group C, comprising non-monetary external incentives provided by the government -

leadership and assistance (M= 3.837) and regulatory requirements (M = 3.807), is ranked
the least among all the drivers in Vietnam. Interviewee B, head of a faculty, and interviewee
G, director of an engineering firm, recognised that guidance from the government would
make it less complicated to adopt GB practices. On the contrary, interview A, head of a
faculty, believed that leadership and assistance provided by the government is inadequate to
drive their education institute to join any GB project, noting that if the guidance is
inapplicable, it will become another barrier to GB. This participant cast doubt over the
quality and suitability of GB guidance by the government, should it be issued. This could be
because the government lacks credibility and reliability, or there is a lack of trust in the
government in terms of policy-making. Regarding regulatory requirements such as GB
standards and codes, interviewee A expressed the view that if the requirements are
appropriate, the university will engage in GB projects.
It is proven that participants from different organisational scales and different types of
organisation regard the influence of all the drivers to their organisations similarly. It implies
that the scale of an organisation, being either multi-national or within a city does not affect
how they respond to the GB drivers. Participants from education institutions, government
and industry share a similar perception about the effect of the GB drivers on their
organisations. This suggests that the policy instruments relating to these incentives will
likely drive all three sectors toward GB adoption. Significant differences revealed between
opinions of the surveyed directors, managers and experts and others signify that the internal
policy of the organisation is not sufficiently clear to all the position levels regarding financial
incentives and brand image. There is no difference found in other GB drivers, implying that
the responses are quite reliable, as the lower level respondents expect the same as the high-
level ones in terms of their organisations engaging in GB project.
Individual perspective
There are also three groups of GB drivers in individual perspective. Group A1 consists
of three original variables (financial benefits and economic benefits provided by the
government, occupants’ well-being), and two new variables (occupants’ well-being and
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altruism rated by participants from international and multi-cities organisations) with means
from 3.901 to 4.155. This implies that individually, the participants are concerned with
monetary issues relating to GB projects, and a grant, a soft loan or a reduction in tax/fee
could strongly drive them towards GB practices. They will also be driven to adopt GB
provided the health-related benefits of GB, especially those from international and multi-
cities scaled organisations. To the participants of the interview questionnaire, financial
incentives are extremely influential on the participants to participate in GB projects. The
reason is that ‘[GB and green city projects] are being experimented and if [we] receive a
grant from the government, it will be really influential, and we will engage in those projects
immediately’, according to interviewee A, an urban planner and head of a faculty.
Interviewee B, an engineering professional and head of a faculty, indicated that without
government’s incentives, GB development in Vietnam would face many challenges.
However, interviewee E, a policymaker and director of a department in national government,
expressed concerns that there is little financial support from the government and, the
possibility of such support in current circumstance is low.
Group B1 includes the remaining original variables (societal image, high market
appeal, conditional inspiration, altruism, leadership and assistance and regulatory
requirements) and one new variable (occupants’ well-being rated by participants from
national and within-city organisations) with means ranging from 3.723 to 3.871. Although
the government non-monetary assistance and the requirements are rated relatively low
among the others, interviewee E (a policymaker) remarked that if those incentives are in
place, they will be extremely influential to GB development. This is because the legal
procedure, including construction-permitting process, is lengthy and complicated, causing
delays and overrun costs. Group C1 has only altruism/moral norms rated by participants
from national and within-city organisations (M = 3.650).
There are significant differences revealed between the opinions of participants from
different organisational scales regarding the improved occupant well-being and moral norms
favouring the environment. Participants from international firms and multi-cities
organisations tend to rate these two drivers significantly higher than those from national and
with-in city organisations do. This case is apparent with moral norms being ranked the
second highest by the former and ranked the lowest by the latter.
Difference and similarity in comparison with the literature
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The results show that monetary and market-based incentives are ranked highly and
moderately in both organisational and individual perspectives. This is similar to studies in
the field, as they can offset the premium costs of GB and technology and catalyse the
adoption of GB. Chan, Darko, and Ameyaw (2017) conduct a survey on 104 international
GB experts and reveal that those incentives are among the top four promotion strategies for
promoting the adoption of GB technology in the world.
Governmental provision of financial and economic benefits such as soft loans, grants,
rebates and tax deduction are strong drivers in both developed and developing countries in
the world, including the United States (Arabshahi, Akhavian, & Gaedicke, 2018; Olanipekun
et al., 2017) and China (Jung, Sui, & Xi, 2012). A possible reason is the associated cost
premium of GB, which is a challenging barrier. The extra cost can vary greatly from - 0.4%
to 21% (Dwaikat & Ali, 2016) and economic returns, which is about 4% in presale stage and
10% in the resale stage for Green Mark residential buildings (Deng & Wu, 2014). The figures
indicate that real estate developers bear most of the cost premium while they only share part
of the benefits. The GB developers also pay transaction costs, including additional
production costs, learning costs, information search and risks such as potential contractual
hazards, and uncertainty with government approvals (Qian, Chan, & Choy, 2013). Xia,
Skitmore, Wu, and Chen (2014) state that when the contractor bid is evaluated base on the
price focus, the public owners in the USA are more likely to consider sustainability
requirements less important. Given that property developers generally focus on short-term
benefits, and are sensitive towards cost premiums (Solidiance & VGBC, August 2013),
monetary incentives from the government will not only offset part of the additional costs but
also indicate the government’s support for GB, thus mitigating risks of investing and
purchasing GB products (Choi, 2009). This reduces the transaction costs and ultimately
facilitates supply and demand in the GB market (Qian, Chan, Visscher, & Lehmann, 2015).
Organisations, in general, are concerned about their public relations, and delivering a
GB project is often associated with being an environmental steward that offers positive brand
image and reputation (Choi, 2009), thus, differentiating themselves from other competitors.
The presence of social gratification as a highly ranked motivation is also similar to study on
international experts by A. Darko et al. (2017), and the report by Solidiance and VGBC
(August 2013) interviewing construction professionals in the industry about GB in Vietnam.
In the report, sales and marketing strategies that directly regard the social image of a
company are one of the primary drivers for green building initiatives. Investing in GB is
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often associated with the positive social image, which plays an essential role in enhancing
brand value, increasing occupant rate, and ultimately attracting premium rental value
(Solidiance & VGBC, August 2013). Market strategy benefit is also one of six important
driving factors for green property supply in Malaysia and Nigeria (Joachim, Kamarudin,
Aliagha, Mohammed, & Ali, 2017). Altruism and moral norms relating to environment are
also a form of environmental stewardship that links to a societal image of ‘doing the right
thing’ and leading the market (Olubunmi et al., 2016). Improved occupants’ health relates
to absenteeism reduction and production increase, which translates to better work outcomes
and financial earnings of the organisation (Choi, 2009). This applies to public, commercial
and industrial buildings.
Government leadership, assistance and mandatory requirements being ranked low

among the drivers is a critical difference in comparison to GB research, as those drivers are
often regarded as strong motivations for GB in the world (Chan et al., 2017), the USA
(Olubunmi et al., 2016) and Malaysia (Joachim et al., 2017), for example. Moreover, this
study proves that the motivations for GB could be geographically different. Although using
the same set of GB drivers obtained from Olanipekun et al. (2017), the finding of this study
is different from the original study. Olanipekun et al. (2017) find that financial incentives
from the government are deemed to be less effective than the government’s assistance, such
as density bonus and expedited permits, and the internal motivations are more important than
external motivations among Green Star accredited professionals in Australia.
No heterogeneous subset being found in the organisational perspective between

different organisational scales provides conflicting insight to the report by Solidiance and
VGBC (August 2013), in which the international firms were dominant in the GB market
while domestic and local companies were criticised for being sensitive over cost premiums
associated with GB. Since there has been more information and more GB been built, the
result of this study may present the new circumstance of GB development in Vietnam, and
it serves as evidence for the shift in the mindset of domestic construction professionals and
stakeholders. Another possible reason is the international companies accounting for only
14.5% may not represent their actual perspective.
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5.7.2. The difference in perception of participants with different years of
experience regarding the influence of GB drivers
Differences were presented consistently in the perception of participants regarding

how their organisations respond to the drivers. The ones with less than 15 years of experience
in the construction industry scored all the drivers significantly lower than the ones with more
than 15 years of experience. The lesser experienced often have insufficient knowledge, and
less exposure to the industry in comparison to the more experienced, so their opinion may
not reflect the actual circumstances. However, as discussed above, there are only two
significant differences between participants of different position levels, which often relates
to their experience. There were also fewer differences when they scored the drivers from an
individual perspective. Therefore, this may not be the case when the opinion of the less
experienced should be weighted less than the more experienced. The possible reason is those
with less experience have less expectation with their organisation, or they have more
expectation with the drivers, especially financial incentives from the government, improved
occupant well-being and societal image. The former reason suggests that the organisation
lacks a commitment or an announcement to support GB development as discussed above,
while the latter implies that there should be a more comprehensive package of drivers to
motivate their organisation.
The noteworthy point is that in individual perspectives, those who were less
experienced rated incentives relating to the health benefits of GB and altruism linking to
environmental stewardship among the three lowest drivers, while those more experienced
placed them as the highest and second highest ones. The economic incentives and regulatory
requirements from the government are regarded indifferently between those participants.
5.7.3. The difference and similarity between the organisational and individual
perspectives of the participants regarding the influence of GB drivers
As construction professionals, the participants believe that the GB drivers influence

their organisation more than themselves. The mean values’ range of Group A is generally
higher than that of group A1, and the number of drivers being ranked as highly influential in
group A is also larger than group A1. The result shows that the participants regard the
influence of financial benefits from the government, societal image, altruism and occupants’
well-being on their organisation as significantly higher than the influence of remaining
drivers. However, in individual perspectives, the highly influencing incentives focus on
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financial and economic incentives from the government and the health benefits of GB.
Comparing the difference between the two perspectives, it was found that the participants
believe their organisations are significantly more likely to take part in GB projects given
health benefits, societal image and altruism relating to GB, than they are themselves.
The possible reason is that the participants, as well as a majority of the public, are on
the demand side, while the organisations are on the supply side of the GB market. Therefore,
the participants themselves are concerned more about the affordability of residential
buildings and apartments while their organisations concentrate more on the reputation,
public relationship and boosting their sales. Low and middle-income segments, making up
the majority of the society, have low purchasing power, thus, struggle to pay for their housing
needs, and are more likely to aim for affordable housing (The World Bank, 2015). Therefore,
financial and economic incentives from the government will motivate the public to adopt
GB stronger than other incentives.
Additionally, the percentage of self-built housing up until 2014 still accounted for
more than 75% of the housing market (Seo & Kwon, 2017). An owner of a self-built house
is generally much less likely to adopt GB without sufficient knowledge about GB practices,
such as green design, environmentally friendly material and energy efficient applicants, and
their benefits.
Besides, the environmental pollution, especially degrading air quality, which is

becoming a severe issue in many large cities in Vietnam, would explain why the participants
are more likely to be influenced by the health benefits of GB. The air pollution, evidenced
by the high concentration of VOC in Hanoi (Do et al., 2013), and Can Tho City (Bang, Khue,
Tam, & Lasko, 2018), has adverse effects, particularly on infants and young children
(Luong, Phung, Sly, Morawska, & Thai, 2017).
The development of GB practices in Vietnam has attracted the growing attention of

construction professionals and the government. However, stronger motivation is needed to
encourage GB development among construction professionals. This section of the study
provides insight into the motivation for GB practices in the Vietnam construction industry.
The study adopts a set of nine driver items for GB proposed by Olubunmi et al. (2016),
which are Financial incentives and Economic incentives provided by the government;
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Regulatory requirements, technical standards, energy codes; Leadership and Assistance;
Improved human well-being and comfortability advantages; High market appeal of green
buildings; Societal gratification; Altruistic or personal moral norms and values; and
Conditional inspiration or persuasion to adopt GB practices.
This chapter applies non-parametric tests to compare mean and median values of each
characteristic’ set (Table 5-36).
Table 5-36: Statistical tests used to reveal the effect of GB drivers on participants based on
(Field, 2009)
Tested
Testing purpose Type of test Test name Outcomes
subject
H value
Comparing variables Monte Carlo p
between subsets to identify Independent Nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis (2-tailed)
set with heterogeneous variables Mean comparison (K-W) test Outcomes based
subsets on 10000
sampled tables
Comparing variables U value
between subsets to identify Independent Post hoc procedure Mann-Whitney z value
significantly different variables of K-W test (M-W) U test Exact p (2-
subsets tailed)
Benjamini–
Reduce Type I error in Probability Corrected
p value Hochberg (B-H)
multiple comparison tests correction critical p value
procedure
J value
Identify significant trends of Independent Nonparametric Jonckheere-
Monte Carlo p
set 4 variables Trend analysis Terpstra
(2-tailed)
Related Wilcoxon Z value
Identify groups of variables Nonparametric
variables Signed-rank test p (1-tailed)
Identify significantly
Related Nonparametric Wilcoxon Z value
different variables between
variables Median comparison Signed-rank test p (2-tailed)
ORG and IND variables
The result reveals a high level of agreement among construction stakeholders across
different organisational scale and different organisation types on how influential the
motivation items are, on a Likert scale 1 to 5. The high profile participants, who are directors
and managers, expect financial incentives and societal image relating to GB to influence
their organisations significantly more strongly than those with a lower profile, experts and
other officers. Significant differences were found between participants working in
international and multi-city organisations, and those working in national and within-city
organisations, regarding health benefits and altruism relating to GB. Concerning the
experience set, the study reveals that those with less than 15 years of experience ranked the
influence of all the drivers to their organisations significantly lower than those with more
than 15 years of experience. Except for economic incentives and regulatory requirements,
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the less experienced are also less influenced by the GB drivers than the more experienced.
Those less experienced seem to expect more from the GB drivers, or have lower expectation
about the willingness of their organisation to adopt GB, given the drivers.
Ranking and clustering mean values of the drivers prove that financial incentives,
societal image, altruism and improved well-being are highly influential in motivating
organisations to adopt GB. Financial and economic incentives from the government and
health benefits of GB drive the participants toward GB adoption more strongly than other
drivers, with only an exception for altruism highly ranked particularly, by those working in
international and multi-cities organisations. The supply-demand relationship in the GB
market and the deteriorating environment in Vietnam could serve as an explanation for this.
The participants rated leadership and assistance from the government and regulatory
requirements the least persuasive drivers to their organisation. This may stem from a lack of
trust in the government’s policy-making in the participants’ perception.
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CHAPTER 6: Framework and Policy networks
for Green building Policy-making
This chapter focuses on analysing the results of interview round 1 and the development
of a framework for GB policy-making process in Vietnam. The 18 construction stakeholders
engaged in the interview round are experts occupying senior and directorial positions in the
education sector, government agencies and the industry sector. They are active contributors
to GB development and also very influential in the GB policy-making process. This chapter
utilised results of the mixed-methods tools: interview and questionnaire. The responses of
interviewees in the interviews are complemented by 93 responses to an open-ended question
in the questionnaire (Question 6), which encouraged participants to provide policy
recommendations. Thematic analysis is used to group and analyse all responses based on
their common themes. Here the developmental approach helps to inform the interviewees
about results from the questionnaire, then validate the barriers and drivers to GB adoption,
and obtain their proposals for GB policy goals, policy packages and actors in the policy
networks.
6.2. Profiles of the interviewees
The participants in this interview round were targeted selectively from those
organisations identified in the literature review, including government agencies,
construction universities, industry players, NGOs and associations. All 18 interviewees are
experts in their field and have been directly involved in or closely influenced the GB
development in Vietnam. They are all senior construction professionals working as
policymakers, researchers and industry experts who have been dealing with sustainability in
construction. Most of the directorial members of associations are former directorial officers
of various departments and institutes in the government. The interviewees possess different
backgrounds and viewpoints - industrial, education, consultancy and government;
nevertheless, they are all critical stakeholders in the policy community for GB policy. The
profiles of interviewees were presented in Table 6-1; they are coded as E[number] for
education sector, G[number] for government sector, and I[number] for industry sector.
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Chapter 6: Framework and Policy networks for Green building Policy-making
Table 6-1: Background of the interviewees
Organisation Description Position level Number of Code
interviewee
Education
Hanoi University of Science leading university for Senior 1 E1
and Technology researching advanced and Lecturer
green technology
National University of Civil leading university for Senior 1 E2
Engineering researching green design and Lecturer
construction
Government
2 departments in Ministry of in charge of making policy Directorial 2 G1; G2
Construction (MOC) for construction activities Managerial 1 G3
2 departments in Ministry of in charge of making strategy
Natural Resources and and policy for climate Directorial 1 G4
Environment (MONRE) change adaptation, carbon Adviser 1 G5
emission and environmental (former
protection directorial)
A department of Ministry of in charge of developing Expert 1 G6
Science and Technology policy for new technology in
(MST) urban development
Industry
Architecture firm a pioneer in green design Directorial 1 I1
Non-Government advocating for GB; GB Senior 1 I2
Organisation assessment system; Adviser
(Vietnam Clean Energy suggesting policy for GB Former 1 I3
Program, VGBC) directorial
GB developer investing in commercial/ Expert 2 I4; I5
residential GB projects
Project manager contractor – being involved directly as Managerial 1 I6
GB project the project manager in GB
project
Associations (GBCV, advocating for sustainable Directorial 4 I7; I8;
Sustainable Development, development, Green design I9; I10
Architecture, Construction) and GB
Grand Total 18
6.3. Questionnaire data screening
Participants of the questionnaire were asked to provide recommendations for the

government to promote GB in Vietnam. This was designed as an open-ended question so
that the participants could express their opinions freely (Question 6).
Similar to the data screening processes of Chapters 4 and 5, there are nine samples
which were removed due to technical error and duplications, leaving 216 samples for
analysis. There were 109 responses to this question, in which 98 suggestions are presented.
Further scanning through the responses shows five incomplete answers, resulting in 93
responses with policy recommendations.
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6.4. Factors affecting the development of Green building - Input for the policy-
making process
The interviewees verified the barriers and the drivers that were explored through the
questionnaire in Chapter 4 and 5. Generally, the interviewees unanimously agreed that GB
is facing many impeding factors and the current primary driver for GB adoption is brand
reputation, urging the government to regulate the GB market.
6.4.1. Social and Cognitive barriers
Social barriers are identified as the most substantial obstacle among the four main
components of GB barriers. This is confirmed by seven interviewees from both government
agencies, education institutions and industry.
• Lack of public awareness
The interviewees shared the same perception that the public is not fully aware of GB.
Interviewee G2, directorial officer of a department in MOC, and interviewee I7, directorial
member of GBCV, claimed that the public is not aware of GB. Interviewee E2 from a
university described that there is little interest from the public in GB conferences. A former
directorial member of VGBC, interviewee I3, expressed that more and more local house
buyers are interested in GB, but there is a small demand because ‘they still buy apartments
with rooms which have no windows and little ventilation, far from being green’. This
industry expert noted that these apartments are expensive and not affordable housing. It can
be seen that GB is gradually attracting the public’s attention; however, they may not be
aware of specific requirements of GB and genuine GB. As discussed in Chapter 4, this stems
from ‘green’ being literally assumed as the colour of trees and plants on buildings, such as
green roof, vertical garden or simply trees added in architecture drawing of building design
and urban planning (Nguyen, 2016). Similar to the concept barrier of carbon-neutral building
in Australia (Zuo et al., 2012), the confusion in the conception of GB in Vietnam presents a
serious obstacle for genuine GB in the market. Many different GB rating tools being used
concurrently (Solidiance & VGBC, August 2013) (presented in Table 2-1), are not always
comparable and could result in difficulties in raising public awareness about GB (Nguyen &
Altan, 2011; Ting, 2012).
• The ‘greenwashing’ problem
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The above barrier links to the problem of ‘greenwashing’. A directorial member of an
association, interviewee I9, mentioned that the public has a little understanding about
genuine GB, which is all about optimising energy and resources consumption in buildings
and not just planting some trees. Interviewee 9 stressed that it is the biggest barrier to GB
development. This situation, coupled with the opportunistic behaviour of a number of market
players, results in ‘greenwashing’, as interviewee I3 pointed out: ‘residential developers
have to change marketing strategy, and they take up green […] they focus on the green label,
not because they change their environmental mindset’. This, in addition to lack of public
awareness, presents a bigger problem – an asymmetric information environment where the
supply side avoids genuine GB and products, warned by Qian and Chan (2010). Lang (2013)
claims that in the market, ‘no few opportunists are wearing the ‘green’ mask to take
advantage of incentive policies or create a fake label of using new energy efficient
technology that is actually non-existent’.
• Insufficient realisation of benefits
A possible reason for the greenwashing problem is that the benefits of GB are not yet
fully realised. Interviewee G1, directorial officer of a department in MOC, expressed a
concern that GB development would not be sustained when the investors and other
construction stakeholders cannot see the immediate benefits of GB. Interviewee I6, working
as a project manager in a GB project, acknowledged that the benefits of GB have not been
sufficiently realised by property developers and investors.
• Lack of interest from the project team
Other stakeholders in construction projects have not paid adequate attention to GB

either. Interviewee I6 acknowledged that the project team, especially its building designers
and contractors, lacks interest in GB and the project stakeholders lack information about
specific criteria of GB. Except for contractor specialising in exporting interior timber
furniture, most of the building contractors have not paid attention to GB technology and
materials. When participating in tendering, some contractors ‘borrow’ GB accredited
professionals’ certifications only to meet the requirements for bidding.
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6.4.2. Economic and Cost barriers
Economic barriers are recognised by the participants of the questionnaire as the second
most impeding factor to GB adoption. This view is, however, divided between ten
interviewees.
• High initial cost
GB being associated with the higher investment is still a topic for discussion. The extra
costs being a challenging barrier receive an endorsement from five interviewees, while two
interviewees argued against it. Interviewee E2, a senior lecturer from university, stated that
GB generally incurs an extra cost that hinders many investors and makes them hesitate to
adopt GB. A directorial member of an association, interviewee I10, believed that the most
prominent concern of investors is profit and they will ignore all requirements relating to
green construction. Interviewee I7, a directorial member of GBCV, observed that the cost
premium and split incentives cause developers to be hesitant to construct GB as they believe
main benefits of GB belong to the occupants and end-users, which is consistent with the
study of Gou et al. (2013).
On the other hand, from the side of a GB investor, interviewee I4 commented that
unexpected costs are incurred due to lack of experience in GB adoption. Interviewee I5,
another GB investor, claimed that building design would significantly affect the cost of
buildings, and subsequently, the price. If the price is high, it not only narrows the targeted
segment of the market, but also obstructs the penetration of the products to the market. This
is the reason why cost premiums require serious consideration when the current real estate
and office market is saturated, according to interviewee I3, a former directorial member of
VGBC. It also explains why the developers are sensitive to price, as reported by Solidiance
and VGBC (August 2013).
An opposite opinion was presented by two interviewees. Interviewee I9, directorial

member of an association, commented that there is undoubtingly extra cost, but it is not as
high as to require support from the government. Interviewee I6, a GB project manager,
claims that the initial cost of a GB project can be equal or even lower than conventional
projects thanks to the optimisation of resources, including reducing the consumption of
materials, recycling, reusing materials and equipment, and lean construction.
• Lack of an explicit financing mechanism
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A senior lecturer of a university, interviewee E1 claimed, ‘Up to now, there is no
financing mechanism established by the government, I think saying there is a lack of
financing mechanism is insufficient; there is actually none’. Interviewee I4 claimed the
financial institutions and banking system have an insufficient understanding about GB so
they cannot offer any soft loans.
• Low design fee
Two interviewees raised an issue that was not mentioned in the questionnaire – the
low design fee. Interviewee I1, director of an architectural firm, emphasised that the design
fee allocated to architects and building designers in a project is too low, being inadequate
for them to study more in-depth and create more appropriate solutions that incorporate green
elements. Interviewee I10, directorial member of an association of architects, also declared
that low fees are discouraging architects and designers to develop their skills, particularly
relating to new requirements about GB.
6.4.3. Legislative and Institutional barriers
Although this factor is not as important as the two factors above, the legislative barriers
are ranked among the critical obstacles to GB development.
• Weak enforcement of legislation
Currently, there is a National technical regulation on energy efficient buildings

(QCVN09:2013) mandatory to every large building with a gross floor area (GFA) larger than
2500m2. Interviewee I3, a former directorial member of VGBC, in a revelation of the
regulation’s lack of implementation, pointed out that
The construction department at the local level only checks if the design follows urban planning,
which is vague, and fire preventive requirements. There is no guidance from the government,
and the developers do whatever they want.
No requirement of QCVN09:2013 was mentioned by interviewee I4, an expert from client

side working in a GB project when providing information about the permission process. The
disclosure is in line with a survey result, presented by Nguyen et al. (2017), conducted on
six local construction departments, permitting offices and senior officers. The results show
that 90% of officers have not applied this QCVN09:2013 in practice when issuing the
permits for building designs. The remaining 10% of officers only checked lighting
requirements. Although most of them agree about the benefits of this regulation, the reason
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why it is not implemented fully is that there is no positive or negative incentive, whether the
building designs pass satisfactorily or not, thus it does not have an effect on the permission
process (Nguyen et al., 2017). This aligns with criticism by Vu (2015) and similar situations
in mainland China (Qian & Chan, 2010).
• Inappropriate attitude of governmental agencies
The attitude of different agencies in the government is commented directly by

interviewee G5, a former directorial officer of a department in MONRE, and interviewee I2,
a senior adviser of an NGO. Interviewee G5 shared a belief that there is no leading agency
and the attempt to develop a GB policy is fragmented among MOC and other ministries.
Interviewee I2 was concerned that
I don’t see anybody within the government who has the personal driver to do it properly […] or
maybe the system is too negative. […] The [former directorial officer] of [a department relating
to GB policy within MOC] was very good, but even he could not get the higher up to agree to
what he wanted to do.
Although all interviewees consistently believed that MOC should take the lead and
promulgate a policy on GB, they also claimed that other ministries and agencies are required
to share responsibilities. MST and MONRE are mentioned numerous times by interviewees
working in the government. Interviewees from NGO and associations noted that this also
involves the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT), the Ministry of Finance (MOF), and the
Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI).
From an insider viewpoint, interviewee G1, a directorial officer from a department in

MOC, observed that the department in charge of making GB policy in the MOC is not
equipped with enough expertise, while other agencies are blaming the MOC for not issuing
any legal documents. From an NGO view, interviewee I2 regarded ‘Lack of a comprehensive
code/policy package to guide action on sustainability’ is the lack of effective action within
an agency and stated that the structure of the government is also a barrier, but noted that they
are barriers only at the national level. Interviewee I3 confirmed this observation and
commented that the MOC is not capable of developing the policy alone, especially the
incentive policy, and is in dire need of assistance from the MOF and the MPI.
Additionally, the interviewee mentioned that the government initially wanted to handle
everything, including developing their own GB assessment system. However, the tool
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developed by GBCV did not fulfil their expectations. Interviewee I9 confirmed this
comment, stating that the rating tool is not quantifiable and not applicable.
• Lack of a comprehensive policy package and lack of specific GB policy
Seven interviewees claimed that there had not been any policy package or detailed
policy for GB issued. Interviewees from MONRE and MST, G5 and G6, explicitly stated
that the current policy for GB is fragmented and non-comprehensive, and there is no
particular policy for GB. This echoed comments by Lang (2013) that there is no official legal
framework to incentivise project stakeholders to comply with green design and buildings.
Interviewee G6 elucidated that relevant laws have not directly addressed GB practices,
construction standards and codes lack GB elements, developing benchmarks for GB is facing
difficulties and is not up-to-date. The characteristics of each type of building are different
when there is no specific policy for GB given the many strategies promulgated. Hence, the
policy could not be applied in any given case.
This viewpoint is supported by interviewees from industry and from the MOC.
Interviewee I7, directorial member of GBCV, stated that different kinds of building are
insufficiently regulated in relevant laws. Interviewees I6, a GB project manager, and I9,
directorial member of an association, and G1 pointed out that other policies vital for the
development of genuine GB are still lacking. These policies include quantitative and
qualitative assessment criteria for GB, a mechanism/guidance identifying the assessment
process and authorised agency, a monitoring mechanism for all phases in GB projects from
design, construction, to material production. A directorial member of an association,
interviewee I10, believed the lack of detailed policy leads to unregulated GB development
and thus relevant stakeholders.
• Slow and unwieldy administration process in policy making
This barrier interestingly links to ‘Inappropriate attitude of governmental agencies’

and ‘Lack of comprehensive policy package and lack of detailed policy’. There are
conflicting opinions among the interviewees. Outsiders expressed their frustration while
insiders showed an attitude of helplessness. Interviewee I2 agreed when responding to this
barrier ‘MOC has done nothing. […] They are too slow’, then moved on to express serious
concerns about the insufficient response of the Vietnamese government regarding the shift
in the construction market toward GB: ‘I don’t have a very high opinion of the government
here in terms of policy making for green building; there were a lot of words but no action’.
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Interviewee E2 also remarked that there had been a delay in the developing GB policy in the
MOC. Interviewee G2, directorial officer of a department in the MOC, acknowledged that
Vietnam is behind other countries in terms of GB policies. Regarding GB investors,
interviewees I4 and I5 revealed that there was no incentive from the government when they
carried out their GB projects, adding that their competitive advantage would be lost if they
expected the supportive policies from the government. This is somewhat similar to the
situation of developers in the USA where the incentives offered by the government are not
always utilised because the developers’ rapid pace of decision-making is not met by the
government’s policy-making (Gou et al., 2013).
From an insider’s viewpoint, interviewee G3, a managerial officer in a department

in the MOC, believed that the general policy-making process is relatively fast. Interviewees
I9 and I3 revealed the reasons why there is a delay, particularly in GB policy-making. A
directorial member of an association, interviewee I9, explained that there was a draft of a
GB strategy developed in the MOC, but it could not be ratified because the strategy was
drafted improperly, and was not clear about the aim, objectives, and implementation
measures. Interviewee I3 clarified further that the problem lies in the current policy-making
structure for GB in the MOC,
‘Currently, there is one vice minister in charge and all the work on the ground is put on the
shoulders of one department with limited resources, money and human resource. Although this
is a revolution in construction, we need a cross-ministry to work. Because the people in charge
at MOC, how can they manage, how can they be qualified enough to define what type of
incentive, they need to work with people at MOF and MPI.[…] There is a lot of goodwill trying
to push this agenda forward, but they will need much stronger back up from the higher level in
the government. They have no experience in their role [regarding green building policy], so the
policy-making should be started from a ministerial level. The department is doing a lot, whatever
they can with all they have. I can say they are assigned minimal means to do the work.’
Clearly the tentative steps taken by the government stem from the internal institutional
issues, and those steps result in an unregulated GB market, worsening the social barriers to
GB.
6.4.4. Technical and Knowledge barriers
The technical factor accounts for a small proportion of the identified barriers; however,
given that the project team plays a vital role in delivering a GB project, the lack of
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understanding about technical requirements of GB is an impeding factor to the development
of genuine GB and products.
• Insufficient cost-benefit data from interdisciplinary research
Only interviewees from the government explained further about this barrier.
Interviewee G1 asserted that the majority of supportive tools for design are developed in
countries with different climates and enclosed microclimates, which are not simulated in
Vietnam. In-depth study via laboratory experimentation is much needed, while there is no
facility and equipment to conduct such a study. Interviewee G3 believed that there is data
available, but it is mainly qualitative. Interviewee G6 provided an example about the
unbaked brick, which was trialled and supported by the government, facing numerous
challenges because its price is higher than the conventional brick, and this type of brick has
not proven its reliability in the market.
• Lack of technical understanding by designers, builders and the project team
There is a continuing debate concerning genuine ‘green’ elements in Vietnam.

Interviewee G1, directorial officer of a department in the MOC, asserted that
environmentally friendly features have always been integrated into building design in
Vietnam. Addressing cultural and social elements in the design of rural housing, Lang (2013)
and Nguyen (2013) state that traditional design in housing has had green experience at a low
technological level, and provides valuable lessons for modern green architecture and
building models. Le and Park (2011) suggest the application of ecological elements of
traditional Vietnamese houses, such as south and southeast orientation, penetrative
ventilation as a passive cooling system and sieve-like façades in designing contemporary
urban high-rise buildings. Interviewee I10, an architect and directorial member of an
association, argued that the traditional design for buildings is already ‘green’, simple and
appropriate for the specific climatic conditions of the region while acknowledging that green
architecture criteria are different from GB criteria. LOTUS or LEED is mostly a marketing
strategy, according to interviewee I10.
On the other hand, interviewee G3 claimed that it is environmentally friendly

technology turning a conventional building into GB. Nguyen et al. (2017) claim that no
building designers working in the seven architecture firms surveyed are considering the
national code for energy efficient building for reference when designing their projects.
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In actual GB certified projects, interviewees I5 and I6 stated that the design ability of
many architect firms is unsatisfactory. Interviewee I5 claimed that local architect firms could
not compete with international ones, while interviewee I6 specified that both designers and
builders are not sufficiently aware of GB requirements. Designers lack knowledge and
experience to create proposals following GB criteria, leading to project delays. Builders have
no personnel specialising in GB resulting in them missing out on essential documents.
6.4.5. Monetary drivers provided by the government
Based on the questionnaire results, financial and economic benefits are the most
influential drivers for GB adoption; the interviewees agreed with this finding but were
concerned that such a provision might not be possible. Government provision of financial
benefits is essential to GB, as the public are motivated by tax deductions and preferential
loans, claimed interviewee E2. GB investors I4 and I5 expressed their hope that the
government will offer economic incentives such as tax breaks, import tax deductions, land
tax exemption, and expedited permits for GB. The monetary incentives have proven
effective in other countries. Interviewee I2, a senior adviser at an NGO, provided an
example.
In the U.S., they give building owners money [upfront] to apply energy efficiency practices in
buildings, and more money at the end when they confirm. In California, there have been 15,000
buildings that have gone through this process.
However, the government is facing fiscal constraints that limit their capability to provide
such incentives. Interviewee I2 mentioned that the financial capacity of the government is a
blocking factor.
I don’t see [government providing financial incentives] happening unless money comes from the
outside. It might be one government agency would have money for some buildings, and maybe
MOC will do one large building.
It is confirmed by interviewee G3, a managerial officer in a department of the MOC, that the
fiscal capacity of the government is limited. Thus it is unlikely that there will be a financing
mechanism to promote GB.
6.4.6. Internal motivations
Regarding the primary motivations that drive companies to adopt GB, interviewee I2
commented:
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Big firms and small firms that want to project the positive environmental image for business
purposes to sell their products, they will do green buildings or green building for their head-
quarters, like Big C. They want to attract people and more foreign people to the green [image],
it is good business.
Interviewee E2 presented a similar viewpoint, while interviewee I3 believed it is the

marketing strategy for most of the developers in the residential segment, but the driver for
those in hospitality, and in the industrial segment is actual efficiency and energy saving.
Information from interviewee I4, as a corporation adopting GB for their head-quarters
building, confirmed the opinions of interviewees I2, E2 and I3, stating the building they are
constructing is symbolic of their corporate social responsibility (CRS). The investor hopes
that the building will meet all stringent international requirements for a GB - it acquired both
LEED Gold and LOTUS Silver for its design - and will also save operational and
maintenance costs later on. This finding is consistent with many other GB driver studies in
the world, reviewed by Amos Darko et al. (2017).
6.4.7. Factors affecting the development of Green building policies
Factors affecting the policy making, as mentioned in section 2.3.4, include an

opportunity-oriented goal toward climate change mitigation policies, uninformed energy
efficiency targets, a lack of an efficient policy evaluation and enforcement system, the long
policy-design and approval process, the complex nature of the political environment and
other priorities that the government has to consider, such as poverty and affordable housing.
6.5. Green building policy packages – thematic analysis
6.5.1. Strategic planning - Goals of green building policy
The interviewees provided various opinions concerning the ultimate goals of GB

policy. Generally, there were two main goals for GB policy being pointed out by the
interviewees (demonstrated in Table 6-2), except two interviewees, I1 and I5, who presented
no remark regarding this question. The interviewees from all sectors shared a prevailing view
that promoting GB is the short-term goal while the long-term goal is broader, and focussed
on the environmentally friendly practices relating to GB and sustainable construction.
The immediate goal of GB policy should be promoting the adoption of GB. Overall,
this centres on increasing the number of buildings certified as GB and raising the public
awareness about GB. Four interviewees from the education sector and industry agreed that
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the public should be made aware of the proper information about GB; similarly, the project
investors should be encouraged to adopt genuine GB practices. Interviewees E1 and E2 from
universities suggested that the government should raise public awareness and encourage the
public to adopt GB. Recommendations from industry players, interviewees I6 and I10, focus
on the construction stakeholders, especially developers, being inspired to initiate GB
projects. Interviewees G3 and G4 from government departments stated unequivocally that
the policy goal was to grow the quantity of GB, both certified and un-certified ones, given
that they meet a particular set of GB criteria.
Table 6-2: Suggested GB policy goal

Interviewee Promote GB Promote environmentally friendly practices
E1 ✔ ✔
E2 ✔
G1 ✔
G2 ✔ ✔
G3 ✔
G4 ✔
G5 ✔
G6 ✔
I1 - -
I2 ✔
I3 ✔
I4 ✔
I5 - -
I6 ✔
I7 ✔
I8 ✔
I9 ✔ ✔
I10 ✔ ✔
Total 10 10
In the long-term, GB policy should aim to promote environmentally friendly practices

relating to GB and sustainable construction. As such, different interviewees presented their
viewpoint on different aspects such as energy efficiency, occupants’ wellbeing, and
environmental protection. In particular, interviewees G1 from the MOC and G6 from the
MST stated that GB policy should encourage the application of advanced environmentally
friendly technology in construction. Interviewee G2 from the real estate department of the
government, focussed more on the financial benefit, suggested that the policy should aim to
reduce the operational costs of buildings in parallel with environmental protection. From a
broader viewpoint, interviewee I2 stated that ‘from a society perspective, the goal of GB
policy would be to minimise the negative impacts of buildings on the environment; this
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means energy, CO2 and other GHGs, and the use of negative materials’. Interviewee G5
from the MONRE and interviewee I7 believed that the policy should improve the wellbeing
of occupants, reduce the consumption of fossil fuel, promote eco-system preservation, and
improve environmental protection towards sustainable socio-economic development.
6.5.2. Policy instruments to engage construction stakeholders to achieve the GB

policy goals
These recommendations were categorised into three groups following the categories
in the literature review, namely, coercive regulations, fiscal instruments and advocacy
incentives. There are 14 policy packages recommended by the interviewees and participants
of the questionnaire (Table 6-3).
a. Coercive regulations
• Integrate GB in construction codes and standards or issue GB standards
There are eight interviewees across three sectors providing recommendations that the
government should enact GB standards or incorporate GB criteria into the current
construction code and standards. In particular, interviewee G5 believed the authorised
agencies should start with consolidating the existing construction codes and standards
system. Interviewee E2 suggested the MOC collaborate with the GB council or associations
to develop GB standards. Interviewee G2 emphasised that codes and standards for GB
should be prioritised before other policies, and suggested that the GB standards should
include energy saving, rainwater utilisation, and green space features. Interviewee I3 also
recommended that ‘the government can issue regulation requirements such as energy
efficiency, water management, pollution, and wastewater management; those should set
minimum legal standards’. According to interviewee I4, GB criteria should be mandated for
every building. The 26 recommendations from questionnaires’ participants suggest that
different types of buildings and all phases of the lifecycle of a project should be considered
when developing such GB standards. The implementation of such standards needs to take
account of the different levels of regional economic development across the country.
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Table 6-3: Policy instruments suggested by interviewees and questionnaire participants
Interviewees E1 E2 G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 I1 I2 I3 I4 I5 I6 I7 I8 I9 I10 Interview Questionnaire
No
Instruments Frequency Frequency
Integrate GB into codes and
1 standards or issue GB ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ 8 27
regulations
Coercive
standards
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Regulate/endorse GB
2 5 2
assessment system
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Strengthen monitoring
3 5 5
system
Reduce land tax, import tax
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Fiscal instruments
4 and Deduct enterprise 7 7

income tax
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Subsidy/ set higher price for
5 4 1
green materials
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Provide preferential loan/
6 4 5
grant
7 Increase design fee ✔ ✔ 2 1
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Launch a green awareness
8 15 39
campaign
Provide training and Assist
9 with design and technology ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ 8 14
and Fund research
Advocacy incentives
Deliver demonstration
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
project /Apply GB criteria
10 8 9
/green procurement on
public buildings
Mandate ratio of GB/tree
11 area in urban planning/ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ 5 8
Offer density/GFA bonus
✔ ✔ ✔
Introduce expedited
12 3 5
permitting
13 Offer awards/recognition ✔ ✔ ✔ 3 2
✔ ✔ ✔
Establish institutional
14 3 1
system
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• Regulate green labelling and endorse volunteering GB rating scheme(s)
Five interviewees shared an opinion that the government should recognise voluntary
GB rating schemes, as long as they pass a standard, or use internationally recognised
schemes, and encourage applying as many environmentally friendly measures as possible.
Interview I3 remarked that the government currently acknowledges that they are not capable
of developing an appropriate GB standard. Interviewee G3 believed that formulating a GB
standard is not necessarily the responsibility of the government, as a rating scheme of an
independent organisation could be applied. Using third-party GB rating schemes aligns with
Choi (2009)’s suggestion. The benefit of such practice is to provide a useful framework for
implementing ‘go-green’ strategy and to help consumers recognise the value of GB.
Interviewee G4 envisaged a roadmap for applying a GB rating scheme,
I think we should follow the internationally recognised GB assessment and using international
certification system such as LEED. Initially, when we are not able to meet LEED criteria, we
could apply less stringent requirements then raise to equal to LEED in the next 10 to 15 years.
[…] We need clear criteria for genuine GB based on the Vietnamese standards; then gradually
those standards should be equated to international standards.
Interviewee I2 suggested that the MOC could allow at least two voluntary rating systems to
be used, and it could be either LOTUS, LEED, Green Star, or Green Mark. This expert,
having extensive experience in GB in the USA, informed us that
The problem with LEED is the version 4 […] which will be required at the end of [2016], is
more complicated than version 3 and has some material problem that will make it difficult to
use in Vietnam, [such as] higher cost, higher expectation, and higher complexity.
Participants of the questionnaire also recommended the LOTUS or more than one rating
scheme should be endorsed by the government. According to interviewee I3, who has been
involved in developing LOTUS, the government should choose to endorse the rating scheme
that is relevant at both local and international levels. It will be more viable to impose it on
the developers.
• Establish monitoring system
A supervision system, including a ‘watchdog’ agency and significant penalty, is

needed to ensure that GB criteria are being applied properly and avoid ‘greenwashing’,
according to interviewee I3 and I6. Interviewee I6 provided an example specifically for
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builders, that there should be precise requirements concerning GB criteria in bidding
documents and contracts. The government should also evaluate, and rank GB designers and
builders based on their capability, via examination, for example. Questionnaire participants
also suggested that buildings with a green label should be assessed, and there must be fines
applied to buildings that do not comply with GB criteria and energy efficiency requirements.
Interviewee I1 raised a point that increased responsibility and supervision of designers
throughout GB project lifecycle should be required to ensure that the construction phase
follows the design.
b. Fiscal instruments
• Reduce land tax, import tax and deduct enterprise income tax
Seven interviewees advised the government to introduce taxation incentives for GB,
which include land tax abatement, import tax alleviation, stamp duty exemption, and
business income tax deduction. Concerning the land tax, four interviewees from all sectors,
including E2, G4, I5 and I6, mentioned that there should be a reduction in taxes, levies and/or
fees on land acquired for GB and a reduction in the land rental price for GB projects. The
land administration system in Vietnam indicates that the ownership of land resides with the
State; the users are issued with a land use certificate; the type of land use purpose determines
the taxes, levies and fees on land (The World Bank, 2012). Therefore, the government is
recommended to apply taxation policy to catalyse GB development. In terms of the import
taxes, interviewee I4 claimed that many required materials for their project are not produced
domestically, due to the limited capacity of manufacturers. Thus both interviewees I4 and
I5, as GB developers, suggested that an incentive via lower tax for advanced and
environmentally friendly materials would be highly beneficial.
Business income tax is advocated by interviewee G1, and I3. The directorial officer
from a government department (G1) proposed that a reduction in income tax would signal a
clear incentive for property developers, while the industry expert (I3) advised that a tax
rebate structured for different segments would be more appropriate than an equal tax cut.
The latter believed the taxation policy should target both the public and the developers.
Interviewee I9, however, warned that there is an imbalance in the developers’ response
to GB; they tend to either remain ignorant or apply excessive technology that skyrockets the
costs. Hence, tax incentives would unintentionally encourage the latter and worsen the
notion of GB being associated with high prices. Interviewee I3 mentioned that collaboration
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between the MOC, the MOF and the MPI is vital to the formulation of GB taxation policies.
Additionally, questionnaire participants proposed that the value-added tax on GB products
should be deducted.
• Subsidy/set higher price for green materials
Interviewee G1 advocated strongly for incentivising the supply chain of green

technology and materials, asserting that the development of a localised green material supply
chain is fundamental to sustaining GB development. Three more interviewees, E2, I6 and
I9, shared this perspective and proposed subsidy and higher price set for manufacturers of
environmentally friendly materials and technology, such as unbaked brick, and solar panels.
• Provide preferential loan/ grant
There are two opinions concerning the demand and supply side being incentivised by
soft loans. Interviewee E2 proposed preferential loans and/or eased access to the loans being
provided to GB house-buyers to encourage the public to demand green residential buildings.
Participants of the questionnaire explained that if the interest rate for purchasing green
apartments was low or equalled to zero, the public would pay more attention to the GB
market and create a demand-pull force regardless of their actual knowledge of GB.
Regarding the supply side, interviewees I6 and I7 suggested developers of eligible GB

projects should be offered low interest loans to offset their costs. This is also suggested by
the questionnaire participants, in that the government should create favourable conditions,
including soft loan accessibility for developers to pursue GB, then when the benefits of GB
are widely realised, the incentives can be withdrawn. The resources for those incentives can
be taken from the Green Climate Fund based on Decree 19/2015, according to interviewee
G4.
The provision of grants could also stimulate the interest in GB and accelerate the
supply-push force in the market, according to interviewee I2, who is experienced in energy
simulation training for architects and engineers. The interviewee advised that monetary
incentives should be offered to building designers and building owners to pursue GB. The
expert believed that
‘The problem here is there is no way to get the power companies to do this because the power
companies are not mature enough to do this. So [NGO] bringing money from the outside and
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giving [it] directly to the building owners and designers associating with green certification,
while coordinating with the government but not running the money through the government
[might be a better solution]’.
• Increase design fee
Interviewee I1 and I10, as architects and at the directorial level of architectural

organisations, claimed that the design fee for architects to invest intellectually in GB project
should be higher in comparison to that of a conventional building project.
c. Advocacy incentives
• Launch a green awareness campaign
Raising awareness was repeatedly mentioned by interviewees and participants of the

questionnaire. Most of the interviewees, 15 out of 18, and numerous participants in the
questionnaire, 39 out of 93, advocated for a GB awareness campaign to address the social
and cognitive barriers. Interviewee G6 and I5 stressed that it is of primary importance to
raise the public awareness about GB. Similarly, access to the information about GB was of
paramount importance to developers, other stakeholders and the public in the U.S. in the
early time of GB development (Simons, Choi, & Simons, 2009). Interviewee I6 suggested
the campaign should target all stakeholders of the construction industry, including the
government, the private sector and the universities.
Regarding the message of the campaign, interviewee G3 proposed that the need and
benefits of GB, with clear demonstrations, should be included. The questionnaire
participants explicated that the campaign should provide information about what constitutes
a genuine GB, its importance to occupants’ health and the environment and its efficiency.
Interviewee G5 added that the information about GHGs emission of conventional building
and technology should be disclosed in CO2 equivalent terms to inform the public about the
negative effect of ‘business as usual’ on climate change.
Interviewee G2 recommended the campaign be carried out via multi-channels such as

documents, broadcasts, and conferences. Interviewees E2 and I3 believed that the policy
should help the public realise the benefits of GB and demand the developers to deliver more
GB projects: ‘if the buyers only want green buildings then the developers have no choice
but go green’. Interviewee G1, on the other hand, suggested using the media to advertise for
GB developers to incentivise them to strive for more GB projects.
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• Provide design and technical training guidance, assistance, and support research
Interviewees G1 and I6 commented that this policy would be beneficial in the long-
term, as it improves the human resources needed to sustain GB development. Research
investigating environmentally friendly technology should be provided with funds and
support, according to interviewee G6. Interviewee G3 proposed that a clear guideline on
how to achieve green building, including green design, should be released so that all
households can implement energy efficiency measures. Assistance with building design is
also mentioned by interviewee E2.
To deliver a GB successfully, the criteria should be specified at the beginning of a

project, interviewee I7 stated. A practical approach to achieve GB is an integrated design
that requires all stakeholders to get involved in the project from its early stages. This holistic
approach in the design process is considered the critical factor for delivering a successful
GB project - CH2 building in Melbourne reported by Bond (2010). According to Simons et
al. (2009), government assistance in the U.S., especially at local level, is the key to the
penetration of GB into the market. Thus, design guidance with an integrated approach,
should be released by local governments. It is noteworthy that the integrated design should
not be substituted by a third-party rating system (Choi, 2009).
In terms of training, there are two perspectives among the interviewees. On the one
hand, training should be incorporated into the curriculum of the universities to help students
become acquainted with the GB concept, design and technology. This idea is advocated by
interviewees E2, I6 and several questionnaire participants. Interviewee E2 suggested that
authorised agencies should enact requirements for construction and architectural universities
to introduce GB in their programs. On the other hand, interviewees I3, I5, I9 and several
other participants of the questionnaire advised short professional development courses for
all stakeholders, especially designers. This training aims at capacity building, according to
interviewee I3. Interviewee I9 suggested the course could be provided by associations to
reduce the workload for students; moreover, learners would be awarded certificates upon
course completion. Questionnaire participants also recommended that the course should
invite international experts for technology exchange purposes.
• Deliver demonstration projects/Apply GB criteria and green procurement for public

buildings
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Eight interviewees as well as a number of participants in the questionnaire called for
a leadership role played by the government through lead-by-example. Government
investment in GB demonstration projects is proposed by interviewees G3, I19 and I10. In
particular, interviewee G3 from the MOC urged the MONRE to apply GB criteria for the
headquarters building, while interviewee I10 recommended that a public building become a
model for GB.
Five other interviewees recommended state-owned buildings apply GB criteria.

Interviewee E2 advised that GB should be mandated on iconic state-owned buildings. This
interviewee believed that a GB funded by the government would encourage enterprises to
follow. Interviewee I3 proposed that both new and renovation projects funded by the
government should follow environmentally friendly principles because ‘the government is
a long-term investor, they can save money from state budget with energy efficiency and also
send a strong signal to the public.
Interviewee I6, I2 and I7 advocated for stronger action from the government such as
requiring specific state-funded buildings to meet specific GB criteria. Interviewee I2
provided an example from another country: ‘in the U.S., one of the big factors for the success
of the Green building system, LEED, is that the government requires the use of LEED for
government buildings’. This is documented by Simons et al. (2009), that government
buildings and/or school buildings are required to be LEED certified and/or ENERGY STAR
rated. The interviewee strongly encouraged the MOC to ‘require the use of GB system on
every public building or certain public sites, the same thing as the QCVN09:2013’, and
recommended LOTUS and the GB assessment system of GBVC to be used for those sites.
• Institutional establishment for GB
Interviewees from government and industry advocated for an institutional system to

be established specifically for GB development. However, its structure is still a matter for
discussion. Interviewee I3 proposed that policy for GB should be discussed and cultivated
at the ministerial level where all relevant ministries share responsibility and create a
comprehensive package for GB. Interviewee I10 also believed that a national committee for
GB should be established with a long-term roadmap for the development of this type of
building, and the MOC should play a key role in the policy-making process. Interviewee I2
anticipated that the policy for GB might start from the local level.
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Several of the major cities such as Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho will move much faster
on GB than the MOC [because] the government at the city level is much more effective than the
Vietnamese government at the national level.
In terms of assessment agency, interviewee G4 tentatively suggested,
We should conduct research and develop a pathway to apply GB certificate system. We may
conclude that Vietnam should establish an assessment agency, which will be under government
or independent – the independent agency will be better so that it will alleviate the government’s
tasks.
In contrast, participants of the questionnaire commented that certifications and licences in

the construction field are issued by a government body so that its legal effect is ensured.
Therefore, it is less likely that a private organisation would be authorised to issue GB
certificates, while it is more viable to establish this under government.
• Mandate ratio of GB/tree area in urban planning/ offer density and floor area ratio
bonus
Integrating GB policy into urban planning is another advocacy incentive that appears
in recommendations from the interviewees. Interviewee E2 suggested the percentage of GB
should be determined in the planning of cities and urban areas. Questionnaire participants
recommended different policies for existing areas and development areas, stating GB criteria
such as energy efficiency, solar panels, and waste recycling measures should be encouraged
when renovating existing buildings and mandated in new buildings. Interviewee G2 and I9
proposed increasing vegetation coverage in urban areas by restricting construction area/total
land ratio at 60%, for example. Regarding bonus for eligible GB projects, interviewees G1
and I3 proposed a Gross Floor Area (GFA) bonus while questionnaire participants also
suggested a density bonus. Interviewee I3 mentioned that if the developer gets a very high
level of GB certificate in Singapore, they are given 5% more GFA, which translates into
more money.
• Introduce expedited permitting
Interviewee E2 commented, ‘People are most afraid of the administrative and

permitting procedures due to it being lengthy and complicated’. If GB requirements are
added without any assistance, this will only increase the complexity. Expedited permits are
needed to simplify the current process and encourage the public to apply GB features in
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residential buildings. Interviewee I4, as a GB developer, expressed an expectation that the
administrative procedures would be eased for GB certified projects like theirs.
• Offer awards and recognitions
Offering awards for genuine GB and feasible GB design is another low-cost incentive
proposed by the interviewees. Interviewee I6 believed that organising annual awards at a
national level would give a clear message about the long-term benefits of GB to developers.
Questionnaire participants suggested that the government should offer awards to recognise
the contribution to GB development of organisations and individuals. GB design
competition should be encouraged, and highly feasible initiatives should be given funds in
order to demonstrate workable and affordable GB.
6.6. Policy community and its networks for green building development
The policy community, as defined in the literature, comprises two main parts: sub-
government and an attentive public in a policy arena. According to interviewee G1 and I3,
who are knowledgeable about the structure within the Ministry of Construction (MOC), one
vice minister is assigned to supervise and make decisions for GB policy. Hence, it would be
practical to suggest that the sub-government here should consist of one vice-minister of the
MOC. The attentive public comprises departments within ministries in charge of GB related
aspects, departments in provincial government, the education sector, and industry players in
the construction field.
Table 6-4: Frequency of appearance of GB policy network actors in interviewees’ responses

Mentions by the interviewees (coded as below)
E1 E2 G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 I2 I3 I4 I6 I8 I9 I10
Actors in policy community
MOC              
MOF       
MONRE      
MST     
MPI    
MIT    
MET   
MCST 
Industry   
Education  
Based on the actors in the GB policy community as mentioned by the interviewees

(Table 6-4), there are seven other ministries involved in the GB policy-making process. They
are the Ministry of Finance (MOF), the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
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(MONRE), the Ministry of Science and Technology (MST), the Ministry of Planning and
Investment (MPI), the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT), the Ministry of Education and
Training (MET) and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST).
The actors in the policy community are advised by the interviewees to play various
roles in developing GB policies. A national committee at the ministerial level is proposed to
coordinate decision making in various relevant ministries and push forward GB policy
initiatives. The proposed actors in the policy community for GB and their roles are presented
in Table 6-5. The MOC is believed to be the principal actor in the policy community because
this ministry is responsible for buildings and urban construction in general. Within the MOC,
the Department of Science and Technology is involved directly in the GB policy-making
process. The interviewees suggested the collaboration between the MOC and relevant
agencies in seven mentioned ministries.
Table 6-5: Identification and suggested roles of actors and their network interactions in GB
policy community
National level Organisational level Roles Interaction in the
networks
National Coordinate decision making of Collaborate with vice
committee for various relevant ministries and ministers of all
GB development push forward GB policy relevant ministries,
initiatives mainly with MOC
Ministry of Department of Science Develop policy for GB in Collaborate with all
Construction and Technology collaborating with other relevant other actors
(MOC) agencies
Ministry of Department of Science Supports research projects about Collaborate with
Science and and Technology for advanced and environmentally- MOC, MIT,
Technology Economic Technical friendly technologies MONRE, MET
(MST) Branches Assists developing codes and
standards for green technology,
material and equipment
Ministry of General Department of Monitors the energy efficiency Collaborate with
Industry and Energy rating scheme in building MOC, MST and MPI
Trade (MIT) operation
Ministry of Institute of Strategy and Supports Green awareness Collaborate with
Natural Planning for Natural campaign MOC
Resources and Resources and
Environment Environment
(MONRE) Department of Collect data and conduct research Collaborate with
Meteorology Hydrology regarding GHGs emission in MOC, MST
and Climate Change building projects
General Department of Support administrative Collaborate with
Land Administration procedures regarding land MOC, MPI
acquisition and grant
Ministry of Department of Science, Provide fund for state-funded GB Collaborate with
Planning and Education, Natural projects MOC, MOF, MIT,
Investment Resources and MONRE
(MPI) Environment
Ministry of Department of Taxation Determine taxation incentives for Collaborate with
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Finance (MOF) Policy GB MOC, MPI
Ministry of Construction and Integrating GB in their Collaborate with
Education and Architectural curriculum for students MOC, MST
Training (MET) Universities
Ministry of Companies providing Supports Green awareness Collaborate with
Culture, Sports hospitality service campaign MOC
and Tourism Requires hospitality industry to
(MCST) practice GB criteria in
construction and operation of
their facilities
Associations Engage members in green Collaborate with the
awareness campaign and organise National committee,
professional development course NGOs and
about GB design and construction enterprises
technology.
NGOs Supports with knowledge and Collaborate with
resource for applying advanced Associations
technology and other GB criteria
Enterprises Apply GB features in their Collaborate with
projects Associations
Construction and Provide education and training Under the
Architecture relating to GB for students administration of
Universities MET
The policy community for national GB policy-making process consists of a national

committee for GB, eight ministries and agencies in the national government, the education
sector – including construction and architectural universities, and the industry sector – which
consists of NGOs, associations, construction and real estate enterprises such as developers,
architecture and engineering firms, manufacturers of materials and equipment and financial
institutions (banks, trust funds). Figure 6-1 demonstrates the proposed networks of GB
policy-making. All network players are grouped into their respective nature of organisation,
including central government, education and industry sectors. The National Committee is
proposed to initiate and maintain the collaboration between the three major groups. The
continuous links show the close coordination between the network players, which are
proposed to form between the MOC and other Ministries, between Associations and
enterprises and NGOs. This is because the MOC is supposedly the key agency in the central
government to take the responsibity of developing GB policies. The dashed links imply the
coordination between the network players being relevant to particular policy instruments
based on the suggestions of the interviewees.
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Figure 6-1: Proposed green building policy networks
6.7. Framework for Green building policy-making
Developing from the analytical framework in Section 3.5.1, this framework for GB
policy making encapsulates the findings of barriers and drivers to GB adoption, suggested
policy instruments and policy community from the interviewees.
In summary, the barriers include four main components with associated highest
loading variables and contributions of interviewees:
1. Social and Cognitive barriers

a. Lack of public awareness
b. Greenwashing
c. Insufficient benefits realisation
d. Lack of interest from the project team
2. Economic and Cost barriers
a. High initial cost
b. Lack of financing mechanism
c. Low design fee
3. Legislative and Institutional barriers
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a. Weak enforcement of legislation
b. Inappropriate attitude of the government
c. Lack of policy package
d. Slow policy-making process
4. Technical and Knowledge barriers
a. Insufficient cost-benefit data
b. Lack of technical understanding
The drivers are divided into organisational and individual perspectives with their influencing
variables to the decision-making of organisations and individuals:
1. Organisational perspective
a. Financial incentives from the government
b. Altruism
c. Societal gratification
d. Improved wellbeing of occupants
2. Individual perspective
a. Financial and Economic incentives from the government
b. Improved wellbeing of occupants
c. Altruism (of participants from international and multi-cities organisations)
Other factors as identified in section 6.4.7 and verified by the interviewees, including
1. Fiscal constraints
2. International relationships
3. Uninformed energy policy
4. Other priorities in state budgets such as poverty reduction, and affordable housing
schemes
The barriers, drivers are input for the policy goal and policy instrument for GB, while other
factors influence the selection of GB policy instruments. The recommended goals of GB
policies comprise:
1. Long-term goal: Promoting environmentally friendly practices and sustainable

construction
2. Short-term goal: Increasing the number of GB projects and raise public awareness
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Suggested policy instruments are grouped into three categories with 13 packages:
1. Coercive regulations
a. Integrate GB criteria in construction codes and standards
b. Regulate green labelling and Endorse voluntary GB rating schemes
c. Strengthen the monitoring system with a ‘watchdog’ agency and strict
penalties
2. Fiscal instruments
a. Provide taxation incentives: land tax, import tax reduction, enterprise income
tax deduction
b. Subsidise green materials
c. Provide access to soft loans and grants
d. Increase design fees
3. Advocacy incentives
a. Launch a green awareness campaign and support research and provide
training relating to GB and assist with design and advanced technology
b. Invest in demonstration projects and apply GB criteria in stated funded
buildings
c. Establish an institutional system for GB development
d. Incorporate GB in urban planning and offer density and GFA bonus
e. Introduce expedited permitting process for eligible GB projects
f. Initiate GB design competitions, awards and recognition for active
organisations and individuals contributing significantly to GB development
The GB policy-making framework is illustrated in Figure 6-2 below. Here the

framework was developed on the basis of rigorous statistical analysis, validated through
interviews and only the more determinant factors were retained.
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Figure 6-2: Framework for national GB policy-making in Vietnam
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Primarily based on the Market Tranformation Theory, the policy instruments are
designed to remove identified barriers, and also integrate the drivers to GB and other factors
in Vietnamese market. The framework sets out the policy community, and link the key
responsible agencies to the specific policy instruments based on their authority and the
suggestions of the study’s respondents. Based on the framework, a clear structure with key
stakeholders could be established to develop GB policy. By applying the framework in
practice, the decision maker could potentially determine the suitable policy instrument based
on a set of barriers, drivers and other factors that are prioritised at a particular time. It requires
a comprehensive analysis of the situation and an integrated policy-making to define the
policy instrument or a policy package needed
For instance, a National Committee would be put in place to gather resources and
harmonise the government actions towards promoting genuine GB. The long-term goal was
already determined in the National Strategy on Sustainable Development and the National
Strategy on Green Growth. The Committee could organise the development of policy aiming
to enhance the public awareness, and based on the emerging barriers such as “Green
washing” and “Weak enforcement of legislation”, and a strong driver like “Societal
gratification”. They must also consider other factor such as “Fiscal constraints”, thus, the
Committee and the MOC can choose coercive regulations such as “Regulating Green
Labelling”, which is suitable in the situation, to be the tool to signal the market. In order to
develop this regulation, the close collaboration between the MOC, the MST and the MIT
must be formed, among with other coordinations with stakeholders – relevant Ministries,
expert community and industry players, under the administration of the Committee.
The Vietnamese government, by deploying its leadership role and providing increased
support through policy instruments to address the GB barriers, would help in further
implementing the 2012 National Green Growth Strategy, and move towards a sustainable
construction industry. Since the leadership and assistance from the government and
regulatory requirements are ranked the least among all the drivers, the government needs to
be more responsive to the sustainable trend in the construction industry. This could be done
by promulgating a robust legal statement coupling regulations with incentives to stimulate a
higher market demand for GB. Based on the four key barrier factors, the rank of drivers, and
other factors, relevant GB policies can be prioritised accordingly to achieve the GB
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development goal. Designing such GB policies requires genuine collaboration to reach
consensus between actors of networks in the policy community (van der Heijden, 2014).
A starting point for developing GB policy is collaborating with the education sector
and industry experts to conduct research, issuing clear guidelines of what genuine GB is,
regulating green labelling, and developing a reliable database for green technology, products
and materials. Since societal gratification influences the organisations significantly more
strongly than other internal motivations, it is confirmed by the interviewees that these
policies provide a precise definition of a genuine GB project that can help prevent
‘greenwash’, by increasing the awareness of both construction professionals and the public.
Regarding coercive regulations, a construction code and the strict penalty can be
referred to as ‘stick’ instruments, meaning measures to punish offences (Al-Saleh &
Mahroum, 2015). From findings of drivers to GB, this type of incentive is ranked as the least
influential to all participants from their organisational perspective. The enforcement of the
current national energy efficiency code, QCVN09:2013, is criticised as weak because firstly,
it is hard to follow, and secondly, there is no penalty applied to the non-compliant. Al-Saleh
and Mahroum (2015), investigating the behaviour and model of business induced under
different kinds of policy, reveal that the typical response of business to coercive regulations
is passing the additional costs to other parties. This behaviour is to manage risks, address the
split incentives barrier of GB, often regarded as an energy efficiency landlord/tenant
dilemma. The businesses under the influence of this type of incentive tend to skirt around
the stick of regulations and strive for maximisation of value capture, but limited value
creation.
Fiscal instruments, which can be referred to as ‘carrot’ measures, have a high effect
on construction organisations and the public, similar to the situation of China (Qian & Chan,
2010). The provision of financially and/or economically beneficial incentives such as
preferential loans or tax deductions, could stimulate interest in both construction
stakeholders and the public, who are concerned about the cost premium of GB (Choi, 2009).
Those incentives can make use of the Green Climate Fund based on Decree 19/2015 - the
legislation currently in place favouring environmentally friendly technology. Given the
current policies issued by the Vietnamese government (Section 2.3.3), the fiscal incentives
could be introduced as import tax relief, land tax exemption, income tax deduction, access
to soft loans, or greener procurement, and setting a higher price for verified green materials
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and technology. Governments in the USA, Canada, the UK and China, deem economic
instruments a popular tool to incentivise the energy efficient building market (Qian & Chan,
2010), which is relatively similar to the GB market. Taxation incentives in the USA are
frequently regarded as an instrument to generate additional funds for building, thus helping
change behaviour and achieve environmental goals, (Nellen & Miles, 2007).
According to the majority of interviewees working as government officers, it is

unlikely that the government of Vietnam would offer fiscal incentives for GB developers in
the current economic and social conditions. However, based on the review presented in
Section 2.3.3b, there are fiscal instruments in place, such as the land-use and import-duty
tax exemption, income tax reductions, and soft loans for projects using advanced
technologies and protecting the environment. Only interviewee G4 from MONRE is aware
of the resources available. The reason for this knowledge gap in other government officers
may stem from the phenomenon called ‘silo effect’ in organisations. Willcock (2013)
describes this effect in a study about organisational culture, as ‘when people in organisations
focus on their own needs and goals to the exclusion and sometimes detriment of the wider
organisation and its aims – a lack of joined up, systemic or holistic thinking and behaviour’.
The effect was mentioned in a study about climate change governance in Jordan (Al-Zu'bi,
2016), where the scholar suggests an inter-sectoral approach is needed to address the issue
effectively. Another possible reason is, GB has not been mentioned in any legal document
except the National Strategy for Green Growth. Thus, GB projects are yet to be considered
as eligible to be included in those fiscal instruments.
If fiscal instruments for GB projects are taken into consideration, there persist
numerous concerns regarding which financial and economic incentives should be formulated
in the policy-making process. Those concerns incorporate the attachment of those incentives
to GB certifications, the insufficient enforceability mechanism, the lack of a mechanism to
determine the optimum level of incentives (Olubunmi et al., 2016), and their non-
transferability as the change they create is not long lasting unless the incentives are retained
(Simons et al., 2009). In Australia, some tax incentives focus on the initial costs of GB rather
than the lifecycle of the project, thus, the developers are the main beneficiaries (Antoniades,
2011). In Las Vegas, USA, a 2005 legislation targeting special interest groups led to the fund
being oversubscribed, and the law was rewritten in 2007 (Simons et al., 2009). This can be
explained by behavioural economics. ‘Carrot-induced’ businesses tend to engage in
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opportunistic behaviour, aiming at capturing temporary gains rather than changing their
mindset (Al-Saleh & Mahroum, 2015). Hence, the fiscal incentives should be for new
buildings only, focus on the process and behavioural change, and be carefully written
(Antoniades, 2011; Simons et al., 2009).
A promising approach is to apply ‘sermon instruments’, which are awareness raising,

and produce long-lasting effects (Al-Saleh & Mahroum, 2015). It is also a preferential policy
package when it is hard to pass financial incentives in restricted conditions – either because
of the political environment or fiscal constraints (Choi, 2009). Such advocacy policies as
raising awareness of both construction stakeholders and the public about GB, sharing lessons
and facilitating the interactions of actors in the networks (van der Heijden, 2014), investing
in demonstration projects and integrating affordable housing schemes and GB schemes,
would incentivise the market better than the other two instruments. Green procurement,
including requiring green features at the tendering stage, could also be applied as an
incentive for green building development. Awarding the leaders in GB development via
ceremonies, or media coverage such as on websites and other social media is recommended,
as it is a low cost and easy-to-build program, but can help create ‘strong communities where
acting in line with the ambitions of the policy design is the norm’ (van der Heijden, 2014, p.
262). Additionally, expedited permitting and density or GFA bonuses are two potential and
widely used policies to encourage GB projects. For instance, eligible GB certified projects
should be considered as meeting the National Construction Code on energy saving in
buildings (QCVN09:2013). Training and knowledge sharing workshops and short courses
about design, materials and technologies relating to GB, such as energy usage simulation
would be useful for both industry professionals and government officers. It is important that
universities, in particular, play their role as think tanks and advocate for GB through
declarations, and practical curriculum activities (Dagiliūtė, Liobikienė, & Minelgaitė).
Systematic inclusion of sustainability, and green design standards in engineering and
architecture courses would support the long-term development of GB by building the
knowledge, primary experience and interest relating to GB, that are essential for students to
apply in future GB projects (Kelly, 2007).
To remedy the institutional issue, having one agency, like the Singapore Building and
Construction Agency or the independent state energy agency in the USA (May & Koski,
2007), responsible for promoting GB projects and coordinating the policy-making process
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from eight relevant ministries and their departments would improve the efficiency of the
decision-making framework. This decision-making model could be first piloted in Hanoi and
Ho Chi Minh City before considering its application to the whole country.
This chapter applies a thematic analysis and developmental approach to validate

barriers and incentives to GB development, identifies and discusses policy goal and policy
packages to promote the adoption of GB. The policy community, and the role and
interactions within its network are also suggested. Based on the results, a framework for GB
policy-making process in Vietnam is developed from the analytical framework proposed in
section 3.4.2.
The goal of GB is believed to be the promotion and application of environmentally

friendly practices in construction, and increasing the number of GB. Coercive regulations
are regarded as a strong push to drive the market towards GB; however, it seems not to be
the case in Vietnam as this incentive is ranked the least in organisational perspectives.
Responding to the legislation, businesses often pass the risks associated with GB to other
parties and tend to circumvent the stick of punishment. Fiscal instruments are commonly
used by governments in other countries, such as the USA, Canada, UK, and Australia, to
incentivise the GB market. The economic barriers being the second most challenging factor
and financial and economic incentives, being ranked most influential by most of the
participants, show that this instrument would be the catalyst for GB to take off. Although
frequently proposed by the participants, it is not likely that this type of incentive will be
applied widely, given the fiscal constraints of the government. Even if it is developed, studies
show that thorough research should be carried out and the relevant policies need to be written
carefully to sustain the change it creates.
Advocacy incentives, on the other hand, are proven to have long-lasting effect and
contribute to changing the environmental mindset of stakeholders and the public. Social
barriers, especially the lack of public awareness and ‘greenwashing’, coupling with societal
gratification being highly influential in organisational perspectives, could create an
asymmetric information environment where the developers focus on temporary gains and
even avoid genuine GB. Government interventions are required to release guidelines to
define and assess GB, to raise the awareness of both the public and construction
stakeholders. Other measures, such as green procurement for public buildings, a faster
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permitting process, training and knowledge sharing will inspire and develop the human
resources necessary for GB development in the long run.
A national committee for GB development should be established to gather resources
and coordinate the collaborations between relevant network actors in the policy community.
The establishment of a ministerial-level agency will also push forward better GB policy
initiatives and make the policy-making process more efficient. Eight ministries, their
associated departments, education and industry sectors are identified as the network actors
of the GB policy community.
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CHAPTER 7: Foreign Green building Policies – A
review
This chapter provides a review of current policies for GB development in five peer
nations – Cambodia, Philippines, Fiji, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. These are ranked
among the countries most vulnerable to climate change in the Pacific Rim region with
Vietnam, and in Australia as a developed country actively advocating for GB. A total of 72
relevant policies and programs of those five nations are presented. A comparative study is
conducted between the policies of those countries and Vietnam, with key similarities and
differences being highlighted. Information about 34 policies from Australia, on the other
hand, are fed into qualitative content analysis and presented according to their goals and
instruments. Lessons for Vietnam’s GB policy-making with the opportunities for foreign GB
policy learning are proposed.
7.2. Review of policies of Cambodia, Fiji, Philippines, Papua New Guinea and
Indonesia
7.2.1. Introduction
Following the discussion in Chapter 1 of the reasons why Vietnam needs GB, the
country is ranked among the six most vulnerable nations to climate change in the Pacific
Rim area (Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC, May 2014). Like Vietnam, the five
other most vulnerable countries to climate change in the Pacific Rim area - Cambodia, Fiji,
Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia - are also facing damage due to climate
change and rising sea levels that have increased frequency and severity of natural disasters
such as floods, droughts, cyclones, and landslides. This damage impacts significantly not
only on agriculture, aquaculture, fishery and food production but also on the tourism industry
of the five countries (Butardo-Toribio & Tenefrancia, 2011; Global Climate Change
Alliance, 2012; Measey, 2010; Pelling & Uitto, 2001).
The similarity of climate change impacts in those five countries is due to their common
geographic and economic features. Cambodia is located in the Great Mekong sub-region
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Chapter 7: Foreign Green building Policies – A review
with an extensive coastline, riverine, wetland areas and seasonal variability (wet and dry
seasons) as well as the high dependence on climate-sensitive sectors making countries
especially vulnerable to storms, floods and droughts, quite similar to Vietnam (Climate
Change Department, 2014a). Among the climate-sensitive sectors, agriculture accounted for
32.1% of GDP in 2011 and remains the dominant employment sector in Cambodia (National
Climate Change Committee, 2013). The increased temperature, changes in rainfall pattern
and sea level rises, will likely affect agricultural productivity, increase the salinity of low-
lying farming areas and inundate a large part of the Mekong Delta. This damage will directly
impact the country’s food security, wealth, and standard of living (National Climate Change
Committee, 2013; The World Bank, 2011).
Figure 7-1: Potential vulnerability of the world to Climate change (adapted from Standard
and Poor’s Financial Services LLC May 2014)
The Philippines and Indonesia are suffering from more intense and severe natural
disasters, including storms, typhoons, landslides, heat waves, droughts and floods. Climate
change causes rising sea surface temperatures and sea levels, which lead to more destructive
cyclones, putting 70% of the 1,500 coastal communities in the Philippines at risk and sharply
decreasing the country’s annual GDP (Butardo-Toribio & Tenefrancia, 2011). Likewise, in
Indonesia, more intense rainfall and a rise in the sea level will move the coastline inland and
pose a threat to coastal livelihood and farming. In addition, droughts and heat waves have
increased the area of burnt forests, contributing to a large amount of greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions, which places Indonesia as the third largest emitter worldwide (Measey, 2010).
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Fiji and Papua New Guinea (PNG) are two of the Small Island Developing States
(SIDS) which face more intense or frequent cyclones, increased sea surface temperatures,
sea level rises, acidification of the oceans and scarcity of water resources. Agriculture and
fisheries will be affected negatively, which may reduce export revenue and threaten domestic
food security. Tourism, which is a significant economic sector, will also be significantly
impacted by the degradation of coral reefs, and inundation of cultural heritage and the
majority of hotels along the coasts (Pelling & Uitto, 2001; Sem, 2007).
Figure 7-2: Climate change vulnerability map for Southeast Asia (adapted from Yusuf and
Francisco, 2009)
Concurrent with being profoundly impacted by climate change, those five countries
are either least developed, or are developing nations, as is Vietnam. They have relatively
low adaptive capacity due to ‘limited economic resources, low levels of technology, poor
information and skills, poor infrastructure, unstable or weak institutions, and inequitable
empowerment and access to resources’ compared to developed countries (IPCC Working
Group II, 2001, p. 63). As those countries are the most vulnerable to climate change, the
governments are shifting the economies towards green growth and sustainable development.
Based on the Environmental Kuznets Curve argument that poor societies prioritise economic
growth over environmental protection (Dinda, 2004), those five countries tend to concentrate
more on climate change adaptation and energy efficiency solutions to minimise economic
damage and maintain energy security. Energy efficiency thus becomes the focus of green
buildings.
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7.2.2. Green building development in the five countries
Green building councils with their associated sustainable building assessment tools
were developed in two out of five countries: PhilGBC and BEDGE in the Philippines and
GBCIndonesia with GREENSHIP in Indonesia. Table 7-1 presents in brief, information
about GB establishment and the number of GB projects in the five countries (Green Building
Council Indonesia, 2017; Philippines Green Building Council, 2018; Reed & Krajinovic-
Bilos, 2013; U.S. Green Building Council, 2015). In Cambodia, there has been increasing
attention and a call for a Green Building Council from the industry. A GB training centre
was constructed and sponsored by Singapore as a demonstration project (Singapore
Cooperation Enterprise & Temasek Foundation, January 2015).
Table 7-1: Some features of green building market in the five countries updated to 2018
Number of
Green Building Associated Green Building Rating Building projects
Countries
Councils System registered and
certified
Cambodia n/a n/a 15 LEED projects
Fiji n/a n/a 1 LEED project
BERDE (Building for Ecologically
Responsive Design Excellence)
The assessment tools include:
- BERDE for New Construction
Philippines Green Commercial buildings,
Building Council Vertical residential buildings,
(PhilGBC) Clustered residential buildings, and
247 LEED projects
Philippines Year of Establishment: Educational buildings.
2 EDGE projects
2007; - BERDE for Renovations for existing
WGBCN Member building projects which have
type: Established undergone renovations to improve the
building’s design and operations.
- BERDE for Operations for the
operations of users and systems in
existing building projects.
PNG n/a n/a 2 LEED projects
Indonesia Green GREENSHIP
Building Council The assessment tools include: 33 LEED projects
(GBCIndonesia) - New Building; 20 GREENSHIP
Indonesia Year of Establishment: - Existing Building; projects
2009 - Interior Space; 8 EDGE projects
WGBCN Member - Homes;
type: Emerging - Neighbourhood
A small number of GB projects registered and certified with LEED appear in

Cambodia, Fiji, PNG and Indonesia, while in the Philippines, there are 247 LEED projects.
EDGE projects appear sparingly in both the Philippines and Indonesia. In the Philippines,
there is no project directory showing the number of BERDE projects in the official websites
of the Philippines Green Building Council or BERDE certification system. This is a
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limitation of PhilGBC in comparison with other green building councils in the network,
posing a difficulty in data collection for green building market research in the Philippines.
7.2.3. Comparative analysis of green building policies and programs promulgated

by the government or partnered with government bodies
Based on the literature review, policies in the five countries are categorised into
Strategic Planning, Coercive Regulations, Fiscal Instruments, and Advocacy Incentives.
Additionally, those countries also participate in international programs to receive support,
such as technical guidance, policy capacity enhancement and funds from global
organisations. Table 7-2 presents the groups of policies in each country (source from Climate
Change Department, 2014b; Dhewanthi, 2009; Global Climate Change Alliance, 2012;
International Energy Agency, 2015; Mohammed & Kawaguchi, n.d; Nakavulevu, n.d;
National Climate Change Committee, 2013; Philippines Green Building Council, 2018; Rao
& Rao, 2009; Royal Government of Cambodia, 2014; Singapore Cooperation Enterprise &
Temasek Foundation, January 2015; UNDP, 2018; United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change, 2014a, 2014b; Wiryomartono, 2015).
a. Key similarities among countries observed through comparing the policies of the five
countries and the policies of Vietnam
• Strategic planning
Most of the governments, excluding Indonesia, have provided a vision of their climate
change adaptation measures. Among the three countries pursuing green development,
Cambodia and Vietnam have addressed developing green building or building energy
efficiency as parts of their strategy, while Fiji sets the objective to integrate climate change
issues into building codes. Except for Cambodia, five of the six countries consider energy
conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy as an essential strategy to ensure
energy security.
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Table 7-2: Policies and programs promulgated by the governments or partnered with the governments' bodies with regards to climate change and
green building market
Policies Strategic planning Coercive regulations Fiscal instruments Advocacy incentives International Programs
1. Climate Change Strategic n/a 1. Tax holiday/exemption for 1. Clean City Internal 1. Climate Change Trust
Plan 2014-2023 environmentally friendly Guideline Fund
2. Climate Change Action investments 2. Public Awareness 2. Climate Change
Plans Campaign Financing Framework
3. Strategy on Green 3. ‘Green Building’ training 3. Adaptation Fund
Development 2013-2030 centre in Phnom Penh 4. Green Climate Fund
Cambodia
4. Policy on Green 5. Climate Change
Development 2013 – 2030 Alliance Project
5. Green Growth Master 6. United Nation –
Plan 2013-2020 Reducing Emissions
6. Eco-tourism Policy from Deforestation and
forest Degradation
1. Energy Policy 2006 1. Renewable Energy 1. Three-tier tariff system 2007 n/a 1. Clean Development
2. Climate Change Policy Development Program 2. IPP tariff Mechanism projects
Framework 2007 2. Energy Conservation 2. Pacific Adaptation to
3. Green Growth and Efficiency Climate Change Project
Fiji
Framework for Fiji 2014 Programme 3. Sustainable Energy
3. Minimum Energy Financing Project
Performance Standards for
freezers and refrigerators.
1. Climate Change Act of 1. New and Renewable 1. Investment Priorities Plan 1. Guidelines for issuing 1. Philippines Energy
2009 Energy Program 1997 2002 renewable energy service Efficiency Project 2009-
2. Strategy on Climate 2. Renewable Energy Act 2. Feed-in-tariff Rules 2010 and operating contracts 2009 2013
Change 2010 Adaptation 2008 3. Feed-In Tariff for Electricity 2. Accreditation guidelines
3. Disaster Risk Reduction 3. National Transition Generated Renewable Energy for renewable energy
and Management Act of System for Resources 2012 equipment suppliers
2010 accommodating new 4. Net metering Program for 3. Energy Efficiency
Philippines 4. Framework Strategy on generating capacity from renewable energy 2013 Project-Efficient Building
Climate Change renewable energy Initiative
5. Climate Change Action technology 2011 4. BERDE Green Building
Plan 2011 Rating System
6. Energy Plan 2010-2030 5. Eco-town Framework
Project
6. Building Green 2013
Conference and Awarding
Page | 174
Ceremony
1. Climate Change Policy 1. UN-Reducing

Framework (draft) Emissions from
2. Electricity Industry Deforestation and forest
PNG Policy (draft) Degradation
3. National Energy Policy 2. UN Pacific Adaptation
(draft) to Climate Change
Project
1. Green Energy Policy 1. Mandatory Energy 1. Purchase Electricity from 1. Presidential Instruction on 1. Clean Technology
2004 Conservation of Green Small and Medium Scale Water and Energy savings Fund 2012
2. Action Plan for reducing Office Buildings 2005 Renewable Energy and Excess 2005, 2008 and 2011
GHG emission 2011 2. Energy Conservation Power 2012 2. Energy Efficiency
3. Blueprint of National 2009 2. Power purchase from solar Labelling Program 2009 is
Energy Management 2005- 3. Energy Management photovoltaic plants 2013 mostly voluntary except the
2025 Regulation 2012 3. High priority and incentive label for compact
Indonesia 4. Master Plan for Energy 4. Jakarta Regulation 2012 for renewable energy fluorescent light bulbs
Conservation 2005 on Green Buildings 4. Direct financial disincentive 3. GREENSHIP Green
5. Greenhouse Gas for PROPER’s participating Building Rating System
Inventory 2011 companies 4. Clean and Green Cities
5. Environmental soft loan award programme
schemes 5. Business Environmental
Performance Rating
(PROPER)
Page | 175 Page | 175

• Coercive regulations
Energy conservation and energy efficiency are mandatory requirements in four out of
six countries (Vietnam, Fiji, Philippines and Indonesia). Vietnam, Indonesia and Fiji have
implemented mandatory standards and requirements for either equipment or buildings, while
the Philippines government uses regulatory tools to transform the electricity system and
accommodate renewable energy.
• Fiscal instruments
Governments, excluding PNG, provide either economic or fiscal incentives to promote

renewable energy and environmentally friendly investment. Tax and tariffs are two common
tools provided by governments to promote energy efficient practices, and the development
of renewable energy. While Cambodia and Vietnam encourage those practices through tax
exemption, Fiji, the Philippines and Indonesia offer attractive tariff systems to support the
generation of renewable energy.
• Advocacy incentives
Governments in four out of six countries act as advocates for energy efficiency,
energy-efficient building and green building practices, through guidelines, public awareness
campaign, national recognition awards and formalised sustainable building assessment tools.
• International programs
All governments are partnered with international organisations such as the United
Nations (UN), UN Development Program, UN Clean Development Mechanism, and the
Asian Development Bank, to develop and deliver projects that support the development and
adoption of clean technology, and climate change adaptation measures.
b. Highlights of the comparison

• The Philippines and Indonesia
Consistently with the vulnerability of these two countries, their vision and strategy
place a greater attention on disaster risk and GHG emission reduction than on the green
growth paradigm. Among the six nations, the Philippines and Indonesia have implemented
better-developed financial instruments, including feed-in-tariffs, net metering and soft loan
schemes for renewable energy producers, and environmentally friendly investment. GB
certifications developed by local green building councils were legitimised by the
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governments, and GB criteria have been integrated as part of the requirements for building
permits in new developments - either buildings or facilities (Wiryomartono, 2015). As a
much larger number of green building projects is observed in these two countries than that
of the four other countries, the financial incentives and mandatory requirements mentioned
above may be two of the determinants in fostering the development of the GB market.
Indonesia’s government also actively supports the GB market, by demonstration

projects, such as the Public Works Ministry office certified by GREENSHIP in 2010.
Notably, the Jakarta green building regulations have been promulgated to manage the
development of commercial buildings and residential apartments, aimed at reducing energy
consumption by 30% and water usage by 20% compared to conventional designs. However,
‘until recently, only a few commercial buildings have complied with the regulations’
(Wiryomartono, 2015). Wiryomartono (2015) argues that it is necessary that the government
implements this regulation nationwide.
• Cambodia
Cambodia has been actively seeking international support for shifting the economy to
a green path. It is estimated that ‘86% of climate-relevant public expenditure is externally
funded’, which is equal to USD 200 million. The main donors are CIF (PPCR/SPCR), GEF,
Adaptation Fund, UNDP, USAID, Sida, Japan, EU (Sethea, n.d). A green centre for training
public servants on green building designs and construction was built under the Singapore
government’s fund, which also acts as a exemplary building for construction practices
throughout Cambodia (Singapore Cooperation Enterprise & Temasek Foundation, January
2015).
The only fiscal incentive provided by the Cambodian government is ‘tax holidays’,
which takes the form of a complete exemption from Tax on Profit and can be from 3 to 6
years. Eligible investment projects are provided with two options, a profit-tax holiday and a
depreciation allowance, which ‘provides a generous tax break for investors that need to
import large amounts of machinery or other capital goods’ (Mohammed & Kawaguchi, n.d).
Additionally, all projects that are qualified are ‘exempted from import duties on construction
materials, production equipment, and input materials’ (Mohammed & Kawaguchi, n.d)
• Fiji and PNG
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The Fiji government has taken initial steps towards developing a sustainable building
code, and also in promoting energy conservation and efficiency. The green growth
framework of Fiji sets one of its economic pillars as green tourism. It is noteworthy that
tourism, which is one of the climate-sensitive sectors, is the most significant industry in Fiji.
This demonstrates a greater need for policy to encourage green buildings or green resorts to
develop eco-tourism. Generally, these two SIDS countries have yet to pay attention to green
building practices. Their current priority in terms of climate change and the energy sector is
ensuring energy security and mitigating damage caused by increasing natural disasters.
7.3. Review of green building supportive policies introduced in Australia
7.3.1. Introduction
Australia is a developed country, a member of the Organisation for Economic

Cooperation and Development (OECD) – an international organisation consisting of the
most advanced countries and several emerging countries (Organisation for Economic Co-
operation and Development, 2018). Like Vietnam and the five nations mentioned above,
Australia also suffers the adverse effects of climate change. According to Lancaster (2012),
‘Australia is the driest inhabited continent and yet […] it is prone to extreme wet’ (p.197).
Two case studies show a decade of drought in south-eastern Australia and a deadly torrent
in Toowoomba, Queensland in 2011. It is proven that, the continent has become permanently
hotter and drier, due to a linkage between the raising of GHG’s levels and the movement of
rainfall further to the south – where rain occurs in the ocean. On the other hand, heavy rain
and widespread flooding also occur as an impact of climate change, leading to ‘loss of human
life, wildlife, livestock and damage to the infrastructure and property in the $ billions’
(Lancaster, 2012, p. 198). It is predicted that the climate pattern in Australia will witness
more periods of drought and more floods in the coming decades (Lancaster, 2012).
One of the fundamental differences between Australia and the aforementioned

countries is the availability of resources to tackle and mitigate the adverse effects caused by
climate change. For example, desalination plants and recycled water plants with advanced
technology were set up in several states, including Western Australia, Queensland, New
South Wales, South Australia and Victoria to cope with the scarcity of water (Lancaster,
2012).
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Regarding the reasons Australia strive for sustainability in construction and GB,
scholars point out that the country’s per capita GHG emissions are higher compared to other
OCED countries and also among the highest in the world, and 19-23% of GHG emissions
come from the building sector (Olanipekun et al., 2017). Zuo et al. (2017) state that the
negative impact of the construction industry and buildings have led to a rising concern from
the public, which eventually results in an accumulated interest in the construction industry
in Australia being more sustainable. The strong push for the construction market to ‘go
green’ was the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games being referred to as the ‘Green Game’, leading
to the realisation by a number of industry and government agencies that there was ‘a need
for a national approach to building green’ (Green Building Council of Australia & BCI
Australia, 2006, p. 6).
7.3.2. Characteristics of the Australian Green building market
GB has been introduced in Australia for about 15 years. The Green Building Council
Australia was established in 2002 and launched Green Star – a 6-level-GB rating scheme in
2003 (Green Building Council of Australia & BCI Australia, 2006). The significance of
Green Star is that it sets a standardised definition and criteria for green features, so that the
environmental merits of a GB can be assessed, measured and promoted. This rating system
was endorsed by the government in the same year it was launched, and GBCA is backed by
the government as there were representatives from the Federal government, the New South
Wales and Victorian governments on its board (Green Building Council of Australia & BCI
Australia, 2006).
The current GB market in Australia is considered mature, as demonstrated by the

strength of the Green Building Council of Australia and the widespread adoption of Green
Star rating tools (Australian Trade Commission, 2015). Green Star is currently still the
predominant GB rating system in Australia, and is modified for adoption in New Zealand
and South Africa (Tam, Le, Tran, & Wang, 2018). Since the first Green Star building was
certified in 2004, there have been 1756 green building projects certified with more than 26
million m2, and 579 projects registered (Green Building Council of Australia, 2018b). The
cumulative number of certified projects can be seen to be increasing in the 13 year period
from 2004 to 2017 (Figure 7-3). Accessible information on the project directory website of
GBCA only contains current certified projects and current registered ones. Lists of certified
projects provided by the GBCA via inquiry emails in August 2016 are demonstrated in
Page | 179
Figures 7-4 and 7-5. The majority of projects achieved Green Star certifications in office
design, as built and interior, performance, and education design. Most of the projects
achieved 4 and 5 stars Green Star; only 172 out of 993 certified projects reached 6 stars
Green Star (World Leader rank) in 2016. Based on the number of GB projects in different
states and territories (Figure 7-6 and 7-7), New South Wales is the frontrunner in the nation
with 537 certified projects and 236 registered ones. Victoria and Queensland rank second
(469 certified and 148 registered projects) and third (330 certified and 86 registered
projects), respectively.
Figure 7-3: Cumulative number of certified Green Star projects (Green Building Council of
Australia, 2018b)
600
500
501
400
300
320
200
172
100
0
4 5 6
Figure 7-4: Number of certified projects categorised by level of Green Star (Source: GBCA,
August 2016)
Page | 180
Green Star - Shopping Centre Design
Green Star - Retail Centre Design
Green Star - Retail Centre As Built
Green Star - Public Building Design
Green Star - Public Building As Built
Green Star - Performance
Green Star - Office Interiors
Green Star - Office Design
Green Star - Office As Built
Green Star - Multi Unit Residential Design
Green Star - Multi Unit Residential As Built
Green Star - Multi Unit Residential
Green Star - Interiors
Green Star - Industrial Design
Green Star - Industrial As Built
Green Star - Industrial
Green Star - Healthcare Design
Green Star - Healthcare As Built
Green Star - Healthcare
Green Star - Education Design
Green Star - Education As Built
Green Star - Education
Green Star - Design & As Built
Green Star - Custom Design
Green Star - Custom As Built
Green Star - Convention Centre
Green Star - Communities
0 100 200 300 400
Figure 7-5: Number of projects categorised by rating tools (Source: GBCA, August 2016)
Page | 181
Figure 7-6: Certified Projects - State Breakdown (Green Building Council of Australia,
2018b)
Figure 7-7: Registered Projects - State Breakdown (Green Building Council of Australia,
2018b)
7.3.3. Green building policies in Australia from 2002 to 2017
The Australian government has introduced numerous policies and initiatives, and they
seem to be successful, based on the increasing market demand. The advocate role in the
development of the GB market is one of the Australian Government efforts to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions in Australia by at least 5 percent below 2000 levels by 2020; and
until 2012, Australia’s emission intensity has halved since 1990, reaching 2.5 percent above
2000 levels (Climate Change Authority, February, 2014).
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In 2003, the Federal government assessed the sustainability of the Building Code,
leading to sustainability being a goal of the Code in 2004 (Bond, 2010). Beside endorsing
Green Star, the Federal government enacts performance-based building assessments,
including the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) – an
assessment based on the energy efficiency performance of existing buildings for businesses
and homeowners, BASIX – free online program for householders to evaluate energy and
water consumption, National Housing Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) – a ten star system
providing a national framework for measuring energy efficiency of housing (Lancaster,
2012).
A list of thirty-four GB initiatives issued by the Federal Government, State and

Territory Government and Local Government, is obtained from the website of the Green
Building Council of Australia (2018a). Their goals and visions are categorised into six
common themes, namely Carbon neutrality; GHG reduction; Renewable energy; Resource
efficiency; Sustainable planning and design; and Ecosystem conservation. The policy
instruments applied are grouped into Coercive Regulations, Fiscal Instruments and
Advocacy Incentives. Table 7-3 presents the codes of the goals and instruments. The policies
with their goals and instruments are shown in Table 7-4: Federal Government’s policies,
Table 7-5: State and Territory Governments’ policies, and Table 7-6: Local Councils’
policies. Policies coded F7 and F8 are reports. Thus they are excluded from further analysis.
Table 7-3: Coding for Australian GB policies

Type No Code Denotation
1 F Federal Governments’ policies
ID 2 S State and Territories Governments’ policies
3 L Local Councils’ policies
1 CN Carbon neutrality
2 GR Greenhouse Gases reduction
3 REN Renewable energy
Goal
4 RE Resource efficiency (energy, water, waste...)
5 SPD Sustainable planning and design
6 EC Ecosystem conservation
1 CR Coercive Regulations
Instrument 2 FI Fiscal Instruments
3 AI Advocacy Incentives
Page | 183
Table 7-4: Policies issued by Federal Government
Goal Instrument Issuer
ID Policy name Year
CN GR REN RE SPD EC CR FI AI
Department of Industry - Renewable Energy Target Scheme 2001; amended
F1   
(RET) in 2015
Department of the Environment - ESD Guidelines for Owners,

F2 2006    
Managers and Tenants
F3 Mandatory disclosure of building energy efficiency (Info) 2010  
Creating Places for People: An urban design protocol for

F4 2011  
Australian Cities (UDP)
F5 Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) 2012    

Federal
The Treasury - Clean Building Managed Investment Trusts Government
F6 2012  
(CBMIT)
Department of Infrastructure and Transport - State of Australian

F7 2013 Report
Cities 2013
Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development -

F8 2014 Report
Progress in Australian Regions: Yearbook 2014
F9 Department of Environment - Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) 2014  
The Department of Human Services - Environmental

F10 2014   
Sustainability Policy (ESP)
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Table 7-5: Policies developed by State and Territory Governments
Goals Instruments
ID Policy name Year Issuer
S1 Carbon Neutral Framework (CNF) 2010  

Australia Capital Territory
S2 Lease Variation Charges (LVC) 2011, amended in 2017   Government
S3 Energy Savings Scheme (ESS) 2009   
S4 Resource Efficiency Policy (REP) 2014   New South Wales

Government
Environmental Upgrade Agreements
S5 2010  
(EUA)
S6 Sustainable Planning Act (SPA) 2009   Queensland Government
Renewal SA Urban Design Guidelines

S7 2012  
for Bowden Village (UDG) South Australia
Government
S8 Building Upgrade Finance (BUF) 2015  
Victorian Energy Efficiency Target

S9 2009 revised 2016     Victoria Government
(VEET), Energy Saver Incentive
Government Accommodation Standards 2013; noted by Government Western Australia
S10   
(GAS) in April 2014. Government
Page | 185 Page | 185

Table 7-6: Policies introduced by Local Councils
Goals Instruments
ID Policy name Year Issuer
Inspiring and Integrating Change - Bathurst, Dubbo and
L1 2012   
Local Government Toolkit (Network) Orange City Councils
L2 Better Buildings Strategy (BBS) 2014    Lake Macquarie Council
Lake Macquarie Council NSW
Building Upgrade Finance - Sydney City Council
L3 Environment Upgrade Agreement 2011   North Sydney Council
(EUA) Parramatta Council
Newcastle Council
Salisbury City Council
L4 Building Upgrade Finance - EUA 2015   SA
Adelaide City Council
L5 Sustainable building fund – EUA 2002  
Melbourne City Council
2002, updated in 2008
L6 Zero Net Emissions by 2020 (ZNE)      
then 2014
L7 Sustainable Design Strategy (SDS) revised version 2013   Port Phillip City Council VIC
2012, reviewed in 2014 Greater Geelong City
L8 Sustainable Building Policy (SBP)  
and then every 2 years Council
Environmentally Sustainable Design
L9 -   Wyndham City Council
Framework (ESDF)
Environmentally Sustainable Building
L10 2014, reviewed in 2016   South Perth City Council
Design - Planning Policy (ESBD)
WA
L11 The Walkability Plan (WP) 2013-18    Joondalup City Council
Sustainable Building Design Policy
L12 2011    Cairns Regional Council
(SBDP)
L13 Citysmart -   Brisbane City Council QLD
L14 City Plan Policy (CPP) version 4 – 2017   Gold Coast Council
Page | 186
7.3.4. Goals of Green Building Policies
a. Federal government
As can be seen from table 7-4, the goals of Federal GB policies are relatively generic,
such as GHG reduction, Renewable energy and Resource Efficiency. Four policies aim to
achieve multiple objectives whilst the other four focus on one goal.
Most of the Federal GB policies focus on Resource Efficiency (5 out of 8) and GHG
reduction (4 out of 8). In particular, the Renewable Energy Target Scheme (F1), the Clean
Energy Finance Corporation (F5), and the Emissions Reduction Fund (F9) are initiatives to
catalyse the funding and investment in clean energy, low-emission and energy efficiency
technologies. F1 was designed to enhance the uptake of renewable energy technologies and
energy efficiency while F5 and F9 were launched to help Australia achieve the 2020
emissions reduction targets. ESD Guidelines for Owners, Managers and Tenants (F2) and
the Environmentally Sustainable Policy (F10) aim to achieve multiple objectives, including
resource efficiency and GHG reduction, mainly via changes in design and behaviours
relating to energy, water consumption and the removal of Ozone depleting substances.
The Mandatory disclosure of Building energy efficiency (F3) and the Treasury’s Clean
Building Managed Investment Trust (F6) addressed commercial buildings with the intention
of reducing energy consumption in those buildings.
b. State and Territory Governments
The goals of ten GB policies from six states and the territory as listed in Table 7-5 are
more specific than those of the Federal Government. GB policies vary across different states
and the territory. However, there are some common goals. Achieving resource efficiency is
announced as the goal of six policies in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), New South
Wales (NSW), Victoria (VIC) and Western Australia (WA); while integrating sustainability
in planning and design is the goal of three policies in Queensland (QLD), South Australia
(SA) and WA. For instance, the Energy Savings Scheme (S3) and the Resource Efficiency
Policy (S4) of the NSW Government explicitly state that they aim to reduce the electricity
consumption in NSW and promote the efficient use of resources. The former applies to all
organisations while the latter applies exclusively to the government agencies to reduce the
operating costs focusing on three main areas: energy, water and waste. The Sustainable
Planning Act (S6) was enacted in QLD to deliver a better planning system to achieve
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ecological sustainability. The SA government introduced an Urban-design Guideline for
Bowden Village (S7), aiming to show how to integrate contemporary building and design
innovation in a vibrant, walkable neighbourhood.
Four policies addressing buildings include the Lease Variation Charges (ACT) (S2),
the Environmental Upgrade Agreements (NSW) (S5), the Building Upgrade Finance (SA)
(S8), and the Government Accommodation Standards (WA) (S10). Policies S5 and S8 were
designed to promote sustainable building retrofitting. S2 and S10’s purpose is to encourage
applying GB criteria in redevelopment projects and procurement for government
accommodation, respectively.
c. Local Councils
The objectives of Local Council policies are similar to those of State and Territory
Governments. The majority of these policies aim at Resource Efficiency, (8 out of 14) and
Sustainable Planning and Design, (8 out of 14), among which, two policies (L2 and L12)
target both objectives. It is noteworthy that only at the Local Council level, is Ecosystem
Conservation mentioned as an objective of two GB policies (L1 and L11). Among the listed
Local Councils, the Melbourne City Council (VIC) has implemented the Sustainable
Melbourne Fund (L5) and the Zero Net Emissions by 2020 (L6), aiming at almost all
common policy goals (except the Sustainable Planning and Design).
Regarding the Resource Efficiency goal, there are four programs mentioning
sustainable future, environmental objectives and enhanced quality of life being achieved via
energy and water efficiency and waste reduction. They are the Inspiring and Integrating
Change – Local Government Toolkit (L1) of Bathurst, Dubbo and Orange City Councils
(NSW), and the Sustainable Building Fund (L5) of the Melbourne City Council (VIC), and
the Environmentally Sustainable Building Design Planning Policy (L10) of the South Perth
City Council (WA).
In terms of the Sustainable Planning and Design goal, the Better Building Strategy
(L2) of the Lake Macquarie City Council (NSW) is similar to the Sustainable Building
Design Policy (L12) of the Cairns Regional Council (QLD), the Sustainable Design
Strategy/Policy (L7) of the Port Phillip City Council (VIC), the Sustainable Building Policy
(L8) of the Greater Geelong City Council (VIC) and the Environmentally Sustainable Design
Framework (L9) of the Wyndham City Council (VIC). They all indicate that the primary
purpose is to incorporate sustainable design principles in buildings. The Walkability Plan
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(L11) of the Joondalup City Council (WA) and the City Plan Policy (L14) of the Gold Coast
Council (QLD) are different to the above-mentioned policies as they aim at creating
sustainable community design for the city.
It is worth mentioning that several councils envisage their future cities to be the Most
Sustainable City (Brisbane, QLD), the World-class City (Gold Coast, QLD) and the Climate
Neutral City (Melbourne, VIC).
7.3.5. Green building Policy instruments
a. Federal Government Green building policies
• Coercive Regulations
The Federal Government introduced the Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Bill
(F3) in 2010, mandating the disclosure of greenhouse performance for all new and existing
office properties upon lease or sale, then from 2011, the Building Energy Efficiency
Certificates (BEEC) were required (Newell et al., 2014). It is the only mandatory regulation
about GB applied nationwide for commercial buildings with office space of 2,000m2 and
then reduced to 1,000m2. The BEECs are valid for 12 months and include NABERS energy
rating and the assessment of lighting systems. The BEECs also contain information about
how to improve the energy efficiency of the buildings (The Australian Government, 2018).
• Fiscal Instruments
There are four Federal policies that were designed to provide financial support for GB;
one provides a financing mechanism for renewable energy projects, while the other three
offer cost exemptions, tax concessions and abatement. The former is F5; the latter is F1, F6
and F9.
A Clean Energy Finance Corporation (F5) was established in 2012 under the Clean
Energy Finance Corporation Act 2012. The policy is seeking ways to secure financing
solutions for large and small-scale solar, wind and bioenergy projects, which show positive
predicted Rates of Return and are highly likely to pay back the capital or are significantly
supported with an appropriate risk profile.
In 2001, the Department of Industry provided the Renewable Energy Target (RET)
Scheme (F1), then amended the policy in 2015. The scheme operates two programs, the
Large-scale RET (LRET) and Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES). LRET
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legislates the demand for Large-scale Generation Certificates (LGCs) – each is equivalent
to a megawatt-hour of eligible renewable electricity – while SRES catalyses the market via
Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs) – which are created based on small-scale
renewable energy systems being installed. Both can be created by accredited entities or
purchased in a market. Entities (mainly electricity retailers), are requested to surrender LGCs
and STCs annually and quarterly, respectively. The F1 policy offers 100% exemption of
costs associated with the two programs for Emission intensive Trade exposed industries.
The Treasury launched the Clean Building Managed Investment Trust (F6), or the Tax
Laws Amendment Act 2012, allowing a concession withholding tax rate for foreign investors
when they invest in energy efficient office/commercial buildings, provided that they have
obtained a 5-Star Green Star rating or a predicted 5.5-Star NABERS rating or equivalent
rating. The Department of Environment announced the Emissions Reduction Fund (F9) in
2014, with an initial budget of $2.55 billion, to provide abatement for projects aiming at
reducing emissions, including several methods that apply to the built environment.
• Advocacy Incentives
Three Federal policies provide guidelines to promote environmentally friendly

behaviours and the integration of sustainable features in building design, urban design and
planning. In 2006, the Department of Environment introduced the Ecologically Sustainable
Development (ESD) Guidelines for Owners, Managers and Tenants (F2). The policy
includes ESD Design Guide and ESD Operations Guide to assist building owners, managers,
tenants and facility managers with issues relating to occupant satisfaction, resource use,
refrigerant use, pollution and so on. The Department of Human Services introduced an
Environmental Sustainability Policy (F10) in 2014 applied to the department officials, to
show a lead-with-example attitude. The policy outlines responsibilities and actions required
in procurement and operation of offices, data centres and warehouses by its officials, such
as environmental standards, efficient practice for energy use, and water efficiency. The
Clean Places for People: An urban design protocol for Australian Cities, launched in 2011
(F4) established 12 broadly agreed upon principles relating to sustainability, walkability and
innovation to deliver quality urban and fringe areas.
b. State and Territory Governments
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At the State and Territory Government level, there are three coercive regulations. One
of them is the Sustainable Planning Act (S6) of QLD, enforced in 2009. S6 establishes
institutional ground and facilitates coordination in planning in QLD, via setting up bodies,
such as regional planning committees, providing for communication and coordination
between levels of government, establishing scope and hierarchy of planning instruments and
also providing for integrated dispute resolution and enforcement (The Queensland
Government, 2009).
The other two (S3 and S9) are both coercive and fiscal instruments; they use market-
based incentives to promote energy saving and reduce carbon emissions. Hence, these two
policies are described in Fiscal instruments section below.
There are five financial programmes and initiatives implemented in four State and
Territories Governments (ACT, NSW, VIC and SA).
The ACT Government launched the Lease Variation Charges (S2) under the Planning
and Development Act 2007, applied to a chargeable lease variation of the standard Crown
leases (The ACT Government, 2017). The Remission scheme in S2 provides a deduction of
10% and 25% of lease variation charge for projects that commit to achieving a 5 and 6-Star
Green Star Rating, or 6.5-7 and 7.5 and more Star of NatHERS rating, respectively. It is
noticeable that land in the ACT is administered under a land tenure system called leasehold,
similar to land administration system applied in Vietnam, where land is owned by the State
(Commonwealth in ACT), and citizens can buy the right to use land (The ACT Government,
2016).
The Energy Saving Schemes (S3) commenced in 2009 in NSW under the NSW
Electricity Supply Act 1995 and the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (S9) under the
Victorian Energy Efficiency Target Act 2007 in VIC, commenced in the same year, and then
revised in 2015, are quite similar to the RET scheme of the Federal Government.
In terms of policy S3, the participants, mainly electricity retailers and electricity
trading licensed parties, of this scheme (liable entities) are obligated to surrender the Energy
Saving Certificates, which represent energy savings achieved by recognised activities such
as installing, improving or replacing energy efficiency equipment. Penalties are applied if
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the liable entities fail to surrender sufficient certificates (IPART New South Wales, 2014;
Office of Environment and Heritage, 2018).
Regarding policy S9, large energy retailers in VIC have a liability under the scheme
(relevant entities) to surrender a specified number of Victorian energy efficiency certificates
(VEECs) annually. A VEEC represents a tonne of greenhouse gas abated via helping energy
consumers make selected and pre-specified energy efficiency improvements to their homes,
business premises or other non-residential premises. The accredited businesses can offer
discounts and special offers on eligible energy efficiency products. VEEC can also be
purchased off a competitive market. The VIC Government targeted issuing relevant entities
to produce 6.1 million VEECs in 2018 then increases this target to 6.5 million in 2020
(Department of Environment; Land; Water and Planning, 2018).
The Environment Upgrade Agreements (EUA) (S5) in NSW, commenced in 2010

creates a tripartite between a building owner, a financial provider and a local council with a
focus on projects retrofitting the environmental performance of buildings with an investment
size of approximately AUD250,000. In the agreement, the local council enters the agreement
as a sponsor for eligible projects by agreeing to repay the financial provider with the land
levy it charges the building owner, via an existing rate collection process. Under this
agreement, the building owner has access to a longer-termed loan with a fixed rate and could
request the tenants to contribute in paying the levy (Office of Environment and Heritage,
2014a). In 2015, the SA government followed suit and enacted Building Upgrade Finance,
similar to the EUA of the NSW government (Legislative Council, 2015), with an addition
that an estimation of tenant cost savings is used where the lessee(s) of a building are
requested to pay parts of the building upgrade charge without their explicit consent. This is
to ensure that the amount they pay towards the charge will not exceed the amount they save
as the result of the renovation (Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources,
2017).
Three State and Territory governments (ACT, NSW and WA) have played the
leadership role by adopting GB criteria in their buildings and operations. The first two set
up ways to reduce carbon emissions and improve resource efficiency. In 2010, the ACT
Government launched the Carbon Neutral Framework (S1) to measure, monitor and
minimise carbon emissions in all of its operations such as office accommodation, corporate
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fleet, public services (streetlights, transport, education and health service), and purchasing
carbon offsets for the residual emissions (Environment and Planning, 2014). From 2014, all
of the NSW government’s agencies applied the Resource Efficiency Policy (S4) to lead by
example in increasing the efficiency of their resources’ consumption (Office of Environment
and Heritage, 2014b). S4 measures, sets the target and establishes minimum standards in
three key areas – energy, water and waste.
The WA government launched the Government Accommodation Standards (S10) in

2013, applying the GB Rating and the National energy rating in its procurement for new,
existing buildings and fit-outs for office accommodation. The Green Star and NABERS are
applied. With Green Star, S10 requires 5-Star Design and as built for new buildings, 4 Star
Office Design or as built for existing building, and 5-Star Interiors for fit-outs. With
NABERS, S10 sets the minimum of 4.5-Star Energy base building rating, 4-Star Water
rating for new and existing buildings, and 4.5-Star Energy Tenancy for fit-outs (Department
of Finance; Building Management and Works, 2014). This policy is quite similar to policy
F2 of the Department of Environment.
The SA government implemented a demonstration project called Bowden Village with

Urban Design Guidelines (S7). The Bowden Village is a walkable high-density urban
neighbourhood located on 16ha of former industrial land. The design guidelines of such a
demonstration project incorporate alternative energy sources, alternative water sources and
recycled water, a focus on walkability, adaptive reuse of former industrial and heritage
buildings in the design of a flagship green urban redevelopment project (Government of
South Australia, 2011).
c. Local Councils
The only mandatory policy at Local level is the Environmentally Sustainable Building
Design - Planning Policy (L10), enacted in 2014 by the South Perth City Council (WA).
Under L10, all applicable developments are expected to achieve a minimum of 4 stars of
relevant Green Star rating, with a higher rating being desirable. The policy explicates the
process, which addresses a certification from GBCA as a pre-requisite for the grant of a
building permit:
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‘Prior to the issue of a building permit, the owner is to submit to the Council a copy of
documentation from the Green Building Council of Australia certifying that the development
achieves a Green Star rating of at least 4 Stars’.
This policy applies to almost all development in the respective city; it excepts four pre-
defined types of project such as development with GFA of less than 1,000m2 or single
dwelling (Policy P350.01 Environmentally sustainable building design 2016).
Among four local fiscal instruments, the Zero Net Emissions by 2020 (L6) of the
Melbourne City Council (VIC) is a more comprehensive policy package, as it combines a
fiscal instrument and advocacy incentive. L6 establishes the pathway for the City of
Melbourne to be carbon neutral in 2020 through the implementation of an action plan
detailing and incorporating three key strategies: Leading-edge design, Greening the power
supply and Sequester residual emissions. This action plan applied market mechanisms and
regulation to ‘influence the billions of dollars of mainstream business investment that will
take place in buildings, plant and power generation over the next two decades’, in order to
achieve commercial, industrial and residential investment in superior energy efficient design
(Zero Net Emissions by 2020, 2014). The main sections targeted in the plan are Council
operations and leadership, Commercial buildings and industry, Residential buildings,
Stationary energy supply, Transport and freight, and Waste management.
The remaining three fiscal instruments introduced at the local council level are similar
to the Environmental Upgrade Agreement (EUA) of the NSW government. The Sustainable
building fund – EUA (L5) launched in 2002 under the City of Melbourne Act 2001 of the
Melbourne City Council (VIC) was the first of its kind in Australia. L5 targets 1200
buildings being retrofitted (1200 buildings program 2010) - around two-thirds of the
municipality’s commercial stock. The other two EUA policies were introduced in 2011 in
NSW (with the participation of five local councils – Sydney City, North Sydney, Lake
Macquarie, Parramatta, and Newcastle Councils) and in 2015 in SA (with two local councils
joined in 2017 – the Adelaide City and Salisbury City Councils).
Advocacy incentives are typical at the local council level (10 out of 14 policies) and
can be categorised into four types. The first and most widespread type in different states is
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Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD), which applies sustainable features in the design
of, most frequently, public buildings. They are similar to F2 - the ESD Guidelines for
Owners, Managers and Tenants of the Department of Environment, S10 – the Government
Accommodation Standards of the WA government, and L10 - the mandatory one of South
Perth City council. Those policies are the Better Building Strategy 2014 (L2) in the Lake
Macquarie region (NSW), the Sustainable Building Policy 2012 (reviewed in 2014) (L8) in
the Greater Geelong City (VIC), the ESD Framework (L9) of Wyndham City (VIC), and the
Sustainable Building Design Policy 2011 (L12) in the Cairns Region (QLD). L2 assesses the
design of all new and upgrades of Council’s community buildings based on five criteria: Fit
for the purpose, Sensitive to the surrounding landscape, Resilient, Affordable, and Efficient.
Both L8, L9 and L12 use ESD principles that apply to all the respective Council’s projects,
including new building and buildings’ renovation or retrofit. They specify the achievement
of minimum 5-Star Green Star and comparable rating in a project’s procurement.
The second type is policies focusing on capacity building, cultural and behavioural
change. This type includes the Inspiring and Integrating Change – Local Government Toolkit
2012 (L1) of Bathurst, Dubbo and Orange City Councils (NSW) and Citysmart (L13) of the
Brisbane City Council (QLD). L1 is a guideline - a joint-initiative of three councils to present
the three specific ‘on-ground’ sustainability projects and guidelines for project owners
seeking support, tips for grant writing and for budget and cost estimations. L13 dedicates
Brisbane’s Sustainability Agency for the city to implement community events, research and
industry led-projects such as Green Heart Fair, Tariff Reform Research Project, District
cooling system, t3Initiatives. The t3Initiatives is an experiment in QLD and a simplified
version of the widely spread EUA. The difference is that firstly, this initiative establishes an
independent t3 panel to assess the Indoor Environment Quality impact and the details on the
numbers with no fee requested from the occupants; secondly, the tenants require the upgrade
and allow the landlord to share the savings created by building asset upgrades, with split
incentives of 20/80.
The third type is a policy combining sustainable design with another incentive,
including the Sustainable Design Strategy (2006, revised in 2013) (L7) in the City of Port
Phillip (VIC) and the City of Gold Coast (QLD)’s City Plan Policy (L14). L7 was designed
to apply ESD for Council assets and also to attract industry and residents via incentives, such
as waving of planning permitting fees relating to sustainable items or reducing the car
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parking rate for eligible projects. It uses Sustainable Tools for an Environmental
Performance Strategy (STEPS) for residential developments, Sustainable Design Scorecard
(SDS) for non-residential development and Green Star as preferred methods of sustainability
assessment of building design. The policy requires a minimum of 4-Star Green Star and
expects flagship projects to aim for 5 or 6-Star Green Star. L14 was developed to accompany
the city plan and offer density bonus schemes to promote GB and sustainable design. GB
projects achieving at least 4-Star Green Star are awarded a bonus in Schedule 6.5.
Community benefit bonus elements. The award ranges from 0.5% to 7% depending on the
level of rating the project reaches (4: 05%; 4.5: 1%; 5: 3%; 5.5: 5% and 6: 7%). L14 requires
two reports to be submitted, one before granting the bonus and the other after the
development is completed:
‘An ecologically sustainable development (ESD) report prepared by a professionally qualified

architect or engineer accredited with the Green Building Council of Australia (GCBA) (or
similar international standard (e.g. LEED)).
A report will also be required upon completion of the development, demonstrating that the
building was built to the specified design standard’ (City Plan Policy - Community benefit bonus
elements, 2017).
The fourth type is community design encouraging individuals to choose active travels,
only including Walkability Plan (L11) of Joondalup City Council (WA). L11 is a 5-year-
plan, which serves as a strategic guide to investing in and managing infrastructure for safe
and accessible walking and cycling, as well as enhancing community education about
healthy recreational activities in the region.
7.4.1. The Green Building policies of five peer countries
In comparison with Vietnam, all five governments have launched climate change
adaptation policies, showing a significant concern regarding the damage caused by the
phenomenon. All countries except Papua New Guinea have promulgated energy efficiency
policy and programs which indirectly promote the adoption of green building practices. The
comparison study shows that the Philippines and Indonesia motivate the adoption of
renewable energy generation, energy efficiency and GB through either financial or advocacy
instruments, while the other four countries tend to implement regulatory tools to mandate
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energy conservation. Comparing the number of buildings certified and registered as GB
shows that this number is much higher in the Philippines and Indonesia than in three other
countries, and the number in the Philippines is higher than that in Vietnam.
There are lessons in the Philippines and Indonesia’s instruments that Vietnam can
learn. Firstly, the Jakarta Regulation 2012 on Green Buildings could become a lesson that
the other countries could learn from because this is the only policy directly addressing GB.
Secondly, a strong focus on accommodating and supporting renewable energy, especially
solar panel technology should be prioritised in energy policy. Thirdly, a sustainable building
assessment system should be legislated, so green building developers could follow.
7.4.2. The Green Building policies of Australia
a. Goals of policies
The objectives specified in GB policies at the Federal level are relatively generic and
tend to include several goals in one policy. The two most frequently mentioned goals are
reducing the carbon emissions of Australia and achieving a carbon neutrality stage. The
objectives became more specific and focused at State and Territory level and Local level.
Resource efficiency and Sustainable Design and Planning are the two most common goals
of those policies. This shows a certain degree of freedom being given to the governments at
lower levels in the hierarchy to design their policies, which is discussed further in the section
below. It is noticeable that nowhere in the policies does it state increasing the number of
buildings certified as GB is their goal, although this data can be a quantifiable measure to
evaluate the effectiveness of a policy (van der Heijden, 2014). The aims of some of the
policies are ambitious and would like to show their leadership in the field. The work of van
der Heijden (2014) reveals that there seems to be a competition between policies of different
states/councils aiming for the competitive government funds, which could explain, in part,
the reason behind this behaviour.
b. Lessons from policy instruments
Firstly, GB policies in Australia tend to incorporate different options for public policy
such as combining fiscal instruments with coercive regulations, (evident in the RET, the ESS
and the VEET policies utilising the market mechanism to stimulate the demand for energy
savings and renewable energy), guidelines with green procurement (the ESD policy) or
guidelines, green procurement and incentives (the SDS policy in Port Phillip City). It is
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noteworthy that there are few mandatory regulations in each level of governance. However,
there is a degree of coerciveness in financial and advocacy instruments. For instance,
participants under the ESS of the NSW government and the VEET of the VIC government
are obligated to surrender a number of certificates periodically; or the ESD policy in Lake
Macquarie and many other localities is mandatory to the procurement of councils’ projects.
It is evident that there is a spectrum of coerciveness from entirely coercive to entirely
voluntary, and only a few listed GB policies in Australia fall into either one of the two
extremes.
Secondly, the GB policies are designed in several ways to achieve the targets of the
Federal Government; this finding links to the finding above. The measures of those policies
slightly vary across States and Territories and Local Councils. At the State level, the ESS
and the VEET, for example, are similar to the RET of the Federal Government. Nevertheless,
the VEET allows relevant entities to provide financial incentives to gain more certificates.
To promote sustainability features to be integrated into building design, the LVC offers fee
reduction while the GAS shows a lead-by-example attitude. At the Local council level, with
the similar principles of the ESD policy, the South Perth City Council mandates it on almost
all developments, Port Phillip City applies it on their buildings and provides incentives to
make it appeal to the industry and residents, whereas other councils only apply it on their
buildings. This practice in policy-making is to better achieve the objectives (in the case of
the VEET and the LVC) or to encourage more participants (SDS case). Table 7-7 below
demonstrates the link between policies at different governance levels and notes the modified
policies. This lesson links to the diffusion of Green building policy within Australia. The
linkage between the Federal policies, the State policies and the Local policies is evidenced
both vertically and horizontally.
The ESD and the EUA are two of the noteworthy cases. The application of sustainable
elements (ESD) in building design and in government’s procurement can be seen at all three
levels. It appeared first at the Federal level in 2009, and was then gradually adopted in State
and Territory and Local levels. The widespread use of the ESD policy can be attributed partly
to the need for standard/guidelines for a flagship GB project, as documented in a study about
a 6-Star Green Star certified office building in Perth (Love, 2012). The consultation team in
the project helped the government to establish new regulations for sustainable solutions
based on the well-established standards in VIC and NSW. Interactions in a network can be
another explanation for this diffusion. A council alliance for a sustainable built environment
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(CASBE) in VIC was established to provide a coordinated program to develop formal and
consistent approaches to the ESD policy, with a primary focus on the planning process. The
EUA policy, on the contrary, was initiated in Melbourne City in 2002, then spread to the
State level following a bottom-up direction. After this diffusion, many other local councils
also participated in the program.
Based on these two cases, the approach where guidelines were defined and developed
in the top level of governance then diffused to lower levels, and initiatives were piloted in
the lowest level then spread to a higher level, may lead to fruitful outcomes. However, the
transference of the EUA policy is criticised in that the policies are rather prototyped and not
genuinely experimental, which may be causing them to perform poorly, i.e. fail to increase
the amount of GB constructed or retrofitted (van der Heijden, 2014). The reasons may lie in
the adoption process, as Meseguer (2005) pointed out that governments often look out for
policy models with a fewer number of changes in implementation. Therefore, the adoption
of a GB policy should take into consideration its applicability in the destinations’ particular
situation, such as the current legislation boundary.
Table 7-7: Links between GB policies at the three levels of governance

Horizontal policy linkages
3 CB-
Name RET ERF CEFC UDP ESD Info ESP
Federal
MIT
ID F1 F9 F5 F6 F4 F2 F3 F10
ESS SPA LVC CNF EUA
Territories
States and
Name
VEET UDG GAS REP BUF
Vertical policy linkages
S3 S6 S2 S1 S5
ID
S9 S7 S10 S4 S8
BBS
BUF
SDS Net-
BUF
WP SBP work
Name SUF
CPP ESDF City-
ZNE
ESBD smart
Local
SBDP
L2
L3
L7
L4
L11 L8 L1
ID L5
L14 L9 L13
L6
L10
L12
3
Italic means that the policy has some modifications such as using/adding a different instrument, although the
objectives and contents are relatively similar to the others’ in the column
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Thirdly, policies in QLD are, notably, coercive regulations and advocacy incentives
without any fiscal instrument. The Green Building Council of Australia (2015) addressed
that most of the QLD’s GB policies were closed in 2012 after the election of the Newman
Government. This illustrates the rapid shift in policy agendas in the Australian political
environment, especially in Queensland (Stewart & Jarvie, 2015). However, policies in QLD
still try to incorporate sustainable features in urban planning and building design, and
concentrate more in advocacy activities such as community events aiming at behaviour
change (Citysmart), density bonus (CPP), and green procurement in council’s projects
(SBDP). Adapting to the rapid changing of policy agenda, GB policies nation-wide are often
reviewed periodically and/or seek political commitment at the early stage such as having a
fixed term and estimating all costs in the design process. Most of the fiscal instruments apply
market mechanisms, such as soft loans for projects with possible return on investment or
certificate trading market, which will not negatively affect the government budget and secure
a higher chance of commitment from the politicians.
Fourthly, GB rating schemes, including national rating schemes (NABERS,

NatHERS) and an endorsed scheme (Green Star) are used in various policies as the
benchmarks for buildings. In addition to listed policies, several scholars have documented
that State governments have required a certain level of rating for residential and government
buildings. For example, the SA, the QLD and the VIC governments set a minimum 5-Star
Green Star for all government office buildings. SA mandated all new houses to achieve
minimum 5-Star NatHERS in 2006. QLD required all new houses and renovations to achieve
minimum 3 ½ to 4-Star NatHERS in 2003 then extended in 2009 to 5-Star (Lancaster, 2012).
From 2004, the WA Government referenced the use of NABERS and Green Star where
feasible (Kraatz & Hampson, 2012). The benchmarking tool is believed to have given
participants of a respective policy a competitive advantage over non-participants, which
stimulates the self-interest of the participants. Those policies building benchmarking tools
in the USA, the Netherlands and Australia, are the most successful policy design experiments
in increasing the number of buildings built or retrofitted (van der Heijden, 2014); thus,
establishing benchmarking through applying rating tools or developing guidelines are
essential in GB policy-making.
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7.5. Comparisons between the countries studied and thesis findings – key themes
7.5.1. Green Building Policy design
First of all, the goals of studied GB policies are often general and broad. Rarely is there
a policy that directly aims to increase the number of green building certified projects. Both
suggested goals of GB policies in Vietnam and implemented GB policies in the six countries
target the global dialogue trends such as measures to slow down the global warming, focus
on green growth, cut GHG emissions and promote net zero Carbon, preseve energy and
develop renewable energy. These goals may not be easily quantified and evaluated, however,
they could address the current political attention within a country or among international
organisations. On one hand, setting policy goals in alignment with the focus of the
international organisations would create a favourable conditions for developing countries
like Vietnam and the six peer nations to receive support from global financial institutions
{Zimmer, 2015 #850}. On the other hand, ambitious policy goals being targetted would
demonstrate the leadership roles of Australia and other developed nations in driving the
world development.
Secondly, it is noteworthy that the policies from the Philippines, Indonesia and
Australia often combine two or three instruments focusing on the market-based incentives
in one policy, and the growth of GB projects in those countries are more remarkable than
that in others studied countries. Although the list of possible GB policies for Vietnam
suggested in the Chapter 6 have tried to alleviate more than one barrier or promoting more
than one driver, they may still not comprehensively leverage the GB development. Based on
the anaysis of more than 100 foreign policies and how they were designed, a comprehensive
policy package for the GB development in Vietnam should:
- Establish measurable solutions to achieve goals, such as the number of projects

registered or certified as green, the number of Carbon tons being reduced, the
number of renewable energy products or projects;
- Specify the subjects and beneficiaries; the former can be GB projects, renewable
energy projects, energy efficient projects or GHG emissions reduction projects;
while the latter can be the project owners, the building occupants, the financial
institutions, the building permit agency, the government’s projects;
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- Specify at least one GB benchmark to signal the market and create a competitive
advantage for policy paticipants over non-participants. In this regard, a national
standard and a GB rating system can be deemed equivalent in some cases to
create more options for the participants.
- Apply market-based incentives to create a stronger demand for GB in the
building industry, such as green certificate requirements in government’s
procurement, easy access to funding and soft loans for projects involving GB
and renewable energy, feed-in-tariff for renewable energy, national recognition
and awards;
- Determine the policy’s periodical review process and possible phased-out
procedures if the policy involves financial benefits;
- Identify the key responsibility and the policy enforcement structure.
Thirdly, the common coercive regulations being implemented in most of the studied
countries are relevant to energy, such as renewable energy, energy efficiency and
conservation. However, the Philippines, Indonesia and Australia focus more on promoting
renewable energy and establishing a competitive market for energy generation and
distribution, while Vietnam and the other nations attempt to reduce the current energy usage
and push towards consuming energy more efficiently. Although GB development fits both
directions, a well-established energy market and more matured renewable energy
technologies will benefit GB better in the long run. The reason is that these two conditions
will provide competitive energy options for building owners and also bring the cost of
renewable energy down to a more affordable price.
7.5.2. Structure of policy implementation & the policy community
Implementing GB policies in Vietnam would vastly different from other nations in this
study since it has a distinct political structure. Thus, its policy has to start from a national
strategy approved by the Party and the National Assembly, then the responsible ministry will
be in charge of developing the relevant policies under its administration. The government
still manages the market through numerous regulations that involve many ministries and
agencies. The situation in Australia, for instant, is more flexible. Based on the Australian
GB policies, all the three government levels mainly provide financial instruments and
advocacy incentives to regulate the demand for GB. The policy community, therefore, only
involves the stakeholders of the specified subjects in the policy. Nevertheless, Vietnam can
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still learn from foreign countries in measures to create a common platform for stakeholders
to join and facilitate GB in the market such as a multicities protocol to design the urban areas
towards sustianability and walkability, and a three-party-collaboration where the local
government sponsors eligible GB projects to access soft loans from financial institutions.
This chapter provides insight into how the six countries, in which five are considered
as Vietnam’s peers and the other is a developed country with more resources and a more
mature GB market, respond to GB development through reviewing their GB policies.
A comparative study was conducted on seventy-two policies and programs from
Cambodia, Philippines, Fiji, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea due to the lack of accessible
information. The study found out that although all the five countries issue policies addressing
the relevant matters to GB such as climate change and sustainability, only in the Philippines
and Indonesia, are GB, renewable energy and energy efficiency promoted by both coercive
regulations, fiscal instruments and advocacy incentives.
Qualitative content analysis concentrating on goals and instruments was conducted on

thirty-four GB policies in Australia. The results show that the goals of GB policies are more
generic at the top level, then become more specific at the bottom level of governance, which
gives the local council more freedom to design their policies. In terms of policy instruments,
market mechanisms and green procurement are commonly used when designing GB policies
in Australia, and there exists a degree of coerciveness in such policies. Different types of
instruments and different options can be incorporated into one policy to reach more
participants or to achieve its goals better. The two cases of ESD and EUA show that GB
policies can diffuse in both top-down or bottom-up directions, however, the adoption of such
policies should consider the situation of destination carefully. It is essential to develop a
flexible GB policy and seek a commitment from the beginning, given a changing political
agenda. Lastly, setting up a benchmarking system is vital to the success of a GB policy.
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CHAPTER 8: Factors affecting the adoption of
Australian Green building policy
This chapter presents a case study in which the Environmentally Sustainable Design
(ESD) policy is selected to analyse the possibility of foreign policy learning occurring from
the perspective of policymakers in Vietnam. Two directorial officers from departments
involved directly in the policy-making process of GB policy were interviewed. Their
opinions were then analysed based on the common themes and sub-themes, focusing on the
factors affecting the adoption of the foreign ESD policy. A framework for those factors was
developed using an analytical framework, the current policy-making process, and validation
by the interviewees.
8.2. Profiles of the interviewees
There were two interviewees who participated in this interview round. They were
carefully targeted to fit the purpose of exploring the factors affecting the adoption of a
foreign GB policy in a Vietnamese jurisdiction. The interviewees were both senior
policymakers with approximately 20 - 30 years of experience, who held the top positions in
their organisations in the Ministry of Construction. They were involved directly in the
development of GB policies since the beginning, and both are experienced in exogenous
policy learning. They have participated in numerous policy-related excursions to other
countries to learn about the policies in different jurisdictions. They are coded as interviewee
1 and interviewee 2. Interviewee 1 provided invaluable insight into GB policies in the MOC,
while interviewee 2 shared rich knowledge regarding the integration of a foreign GB policy
in the policy-making process.
8.3. Selection criteria for the Case study
The policy options presented to the interviewees contained policy instruments

recommended in Chapter 6 and an introduction to foreign GB policies listed in Chapter 7.
The case study is chosen based on the opinions of the two interviewees. Interviewee 1 chose
to encourage public buildings and state-funded buildings to be certified as GB or to achieve
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Chapter 8: Factors affecting the adoption of Australian Green building policy
specific GB criteria, and, to release clear guidelines on how to achieve green building,
including principles and examples for green design, green procurement and proper building
operation. These are the GB policy instruments most feasible for policy learning and
implementation in Vietnam. According to interviewee 2, endorsing eligible GB rating
systems that meet a certain standard, or applying widely recognised international GB rating
systems, would be best adopted in Vietnam. Based on the insight of these two interviewees,
the government of Vietnam is going to experiment with a GB policy focusing on those
instruments. Therefore, they will need to look for lessons from similar policies in other
countries. On the basis of the review in Chapter 7, there are only two policies that both
identify their use of GB rating systems and specify the type of buildings that should/are
compulsory to apply GB principles. The first one is among the 72 policies introduced by the
5 peer countries, being the only regulation addressing GB is mandatory to large buildings in
Jakarta, Indonesia - the Jakarta Regulation 2012 on Green Buildings. Although it could be a
compelling case, this policy still does not satisfy the selection criteria as it is mandatory to
residential, commercial and public buildings located in Jakarta, regardless of their funding
source. This policy is criticised as being hard to enforce and seemingly “unable to make
people obey the regulaton” (Virgayanti, 2017, p. 234). Besides, the information about this
policy is limited, making it difficult to understand fully the regulation. The second one is
among the 34 GB policies in Australia, being the Environmentally Sustainable Design
policy, which is mandatory to public funded buildings only and optional for private funded
ones. This is the policy that best integrates the opinions of the two interviewees and provides
a wealth of information to analyse.
8.4. Case study analysis
8.4.1. Description of Environmentally Sustainable Design policy
Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) policy or Ecological Sustainable

Development for Australian Government Buildings has been implemented since 2006, by
the Department of Environment in the Federal Government. The policy has been adopted by
State governments and local councils across Australia under different names such as
Environmentally Sustainable Design Framework and Sustainable Building Policy. This
policy is classified in the category of advocacy incentives. According to the framework of
GB public policy by DuBose, Bosch, and Pearce (2007); Pearce et al. (2007), this type of
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policy is classified as both ‘inspirational instrument’ through leadership actions,
‘motivational instrument’ via reference standards and guidance documents, and
‘implementation instrument’ as it applies to government’s projects.
The policy contains a Design guide and an Operation guide that define opportunities
for integrating ESD principle in both activities; for instance, there are ten opportunities in
the Design guide, as outlined below:
• Integrated Design
• Social Sustainability and Occupant Satisfaction
• Optimising Indoor Environment Quality
• Minimising Energy Use
• Minimising Transport Impact
• Minimising Ozone Layer Depletion
• Choosing Materials
• Minimising Waste
• Water Conservation
• Land Use and Ecology.
Each opportunity is justified with benefits and is guided, step by step. Demonstration
projects are described as case studies to show the ESD features that were integrated into
building design and management, the key achievements of the projects, and the benefits of
this approach. ESD policy aims at achieving a specific level of a rating system (for example
4.5 stars ABGR in ESD policy implemented by the Federal government) or its equivalent
for building design and operation (ESD Design Guide for Australian Government Buildings
(ed. 2), 2006). The most frequently adopted content of ESD policy is applying sustainable
design, which is defined by GB certificates – e.g. Green Star, LEED, or national energy and
water rating – NABERS, or design guidelines, for new, expansion and renovation building
projects of state governments and local councils.
8.4.2. The goal of adopting Environmentally Sustainable Design policy
Interviewee 2 expressed the opinion that by adopting this policy, the government will
send a clear signal about the endorsed GB rating system, or the officially recognised method
to achieve sustainability in building design. This action will reduce uncertainty and risks in
the GB market for the developers, consultants and builders. ESD policy will also help the
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market players understand the benefits of GB to their business, the public and the
environment. This interviewee also believed that this policy would help protect the
environment, reduce the GHGs’ emissions and energy consumption.
Regarding the expected outcomes of adopting ESD policy, interviewee 1 responded

with four specific criteria to evaluate the success of this GB policy. Firstly, that the number
of projects participating in the policy increases. Secondly, that the awareness of both industry
players and the public is raised. Thirdly, that the number of developers engaged in GB
development increases. Finally, that the retrospective evaluation and feedback of
independent international agencies are positive.
8.4.3. Policy community and the role of each actor in learning Environmentally
Sustainable Design policy
The policy community that will be involved in the process of learning, adoption and
implementation of the ESD policy, according to both interviewees, are:
• The Ministry of Construction (MOC): bearing the primary responsibility for

developing ESD policy and consulting the attentive public for critical suggestions.
• The Department of Science-Technology and Environment (DSTE): is assigned by
the MOC to research ESD policy and look for similar practices overseas.
• The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE): to support the
development of environmental aspects in the design guidelines, such as CO2
emissions and waste management.
• The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT): to support the development of energy
efficient aspects of building design and equipment.
• Provincial governments: to implement the policy, especially the provincial
authorities of Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, who will implement the pilot policy.
• Enterprises, including relevant developers, consultants (design, management,
environment, engineering), builders.
• Academia and independent experts from NGOs: to justify the need for the policy and
the degree of coerciveness required.
Interviewee 1 added that the policy community would also involve other agencies in the
MOC, including:
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• The National Architecture Institute (NAT) and the Vietnam Institute for Urban and
Rural Planning (VIURP): to support the development of design and planning aspects
of the ESD guidelines.
• The Urban Development Agency (UDA): to contribute to the law enforcement in
ESD projects supported by the MOC in the field of urban development, as most of
the GB are built in large cities and urban areas.
• The Construction Activities Management Agency (CAMA): to assist the
implementation of law enforcement in construction activities including formulation,
appraisal, approval and management of investment projects on construction, building
permits, building surveying, building design, construction, safety, occupational
health in construction activities, and management of the capacity building activities.
The involvement of this agency will be critical for the applicability of the ESD
policy.
• The State Agency for Construction Quality Inspection (SACQI): to be in charge of
law enforcement in quality construction, implementation of the state inspection on
the quality of construction works under the ESD policy.
• The Department of Construction (DC) and Construction Inspectors (CI) at the
provincial level: to ensure the projects comply with the ESD policy.
• An Information Centre (IC): to be responsible for promoting the ESD policy to the
public.
Interviewee 2 mentioned that the involvement of State and provincial treasuries under the
Ministry of Finance (MOF) is crucial, as they will provide funds for eligible state-funded
projects under this policy. The Ministry of Science and Technology (MST) will play a
consultative role in the development of such design guidelines regarding advanced
technology for buildings, equipment and materials.
A proposal to establish a National Committee for GB development was presented to

the interviewees, based on the suggestions in Chapter 6. The role of this committee is to
coordinate the development of GB policy, including ESD policy, with the support from other
actors in the network. Such a Committee will also seek a long-term commitment from the
decision makers at ministerial level and gradually establish a comprehensive policy package
for GB development. However, according to interviewee 2, the establishment of such a
Committee is not possible, because the central government is trying to limit the number of
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agencies. Hence, the current institutions would be assigned additional responsibilities
regarding their relevant involvement in GB development.
The policy networks in this case study are illustrated in Figure 8-1.
Figure 8-1: Policy community and networks for the adoption and implementation of ESD
policy
8.4.4. Integrating the adoption of Environmentally Sustainable Design policy into

the policy-making process
The process for developing and learning EDS policy is developed and validated by the
interviewees. Figure 8-2 illustrates this process and the relevant policy community. The
stages of policy learning are information seeking, adoption and learning outcome.
Integrating the adoption of ESD policy into the policy-making process involves the whole
policy community at every stage.
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Figure 8-2: The involvement of policy community in the adoption of ESD policy throughout the policy-making process
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8.4.5. Factors affecting the adoption of Environmentally Sustainable Design policy
in the policy-making process
a. The information seeking stage
a1. Cognitive factors
• The representativeness heuristic
Cognitive shortcuts are of primary influence in the information seeking stage. When
deciding an exogenous jurisdiction to learn ESD policy, there are numerous factors that
affect the decision in voluntary policy learning. First and foremost, the policymakers prefer
to learn the best practices. Interviewee 2 clarified that practices are deemed appropriate if
they satisfy three conditions. Firstly, the policy is feasible to implement, meaning the
guidelines are easy to understand and carry out in a cost-effective manner. Secondly, the
policy is appropriate in its specific socio-economic conditions; in this case, the design
guidelines are suitable for the Australian market and climatic conditions. Finally, the
responses of the affected stakeholders are positive, meaning the number of government
projects employing the guidelines is high, and the policy has a positive influence on the
market and the public. Furthermore, the best practices must be relevant to the challenges that
the domestic policymakers are facing in the policy-making process, for example, difficulties
in the development of the design guidelines or in the enforcement of the ESD policy in
Vietnam. This confirms that the representativeness heuristic also exists in the policy learning
of policymakers in Vietnam.
• The availability heuristic and the regional homophile
Regarding the regional homophile, interviewee 2 objected to the possible influence of

this factor by claiming that the location and the proximity between the two countries does
not affect the decision of where to seek information. However, this interviewee mentioned
Singapore – a country in the region - as a promising destination for ESD policy learning as
the government of Singapore has successfully amplified the number of GB projects in the
recent decade. This could be evidence of the availability heuristic coupled with the
representativeness heuristic, the preference for the notion of best practices among the
neighbours.
• The preparation of the policymakers
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The recruitment and the preparation of the policymakers participating in the policy
learning program present a vital element in the adoption of ESD policy. Interviewee 2
elucidated that the knowledge, the experience, and the role of the policymakers would be of
paramount influence. The policymakers should research relevant foreign policies in different
countries to draw appropriate lessons, and carefully prepare the content regarding what they
would need to learn from Australian ESD policy, claimed interviewee 2. If this preparation
is not given sufficient attention, the policymakers will miss out valuable information, leading
to inefficient policy learning.
• The quality and adequacy of information obtained
The quality of the information about ESD policy is discussed in two cases. The first
case is online learning, to which interviewee 2 referred as obtaining information from the
Internet, e-mail, reports by the media. This form of learning may result in limited and
inaccurate information. The second case is learning via policy-related excursions, where
information is obtained by listening to the experience of the host department, observing the
impact of the policy on the society, and exploring the response of the stakeholders and the
public regarding ESD policy. According to interviewee 2, the role of the host department in
the policy-making process of ESD policy, their internal rule regarding information
disclosure, the teaching mode, the receptiveness and observation of the learner, and the
interactions between the leaner and the teacher, all play essential roles in the quality and
adequacy of information about the Australian ESD policy. The experienced policymaker
shared a belief that if the host department was only involved indirectly in the policy-making
process, much vital information would not be available for learning. This also links to the
quality of the coordination in finding a suitable host department.
a2. Environmental factors
• The involvement of the attentive public
In this first stage of the learning and development of ESD policy, the involvement and
influence of the policy community is a critical factor. Although all the core steps in the
information seeking stage often take place internally within the MOC, the interviewees
acknowledged that there is an influence of the scholars and industry calling for the GB
policy. Interviewee 2 suggested that a substantial justification for ESD policy would require
the opinions contributed by relevant agencies in the MOC and other Ministries, as well as
the scholars, and enterprises in the field. This directorial officer believed that, if an ESD
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policy is not supported by relevant stakeholders from the start, it will be more likely to face
critical criticism, and be discarded later in the process. This situation was applied to the draft
of a GB strategy mentioned earlier in section 6.4.3. Therefore, the engagement of a relevant
policy community from the beginning would affect the justification for the need for ESD
policy and the goals of this policy.
The participation of related agencies in a policy-related excursion also plays an

essential role in the adoption of ESD policy, according to interviewee 2. The reason is that
those being engaged in the excursion would be more receptive to the instruments employed
in an ESD policy and gain an understanding of how the instruments work in Australia.
Additionally, they could provide insight into what might prevent the efficient
implementation of those instruments, from the perspectives of their departments. The insight
could help the policymakers to realise clearly the barriers and receive support from the
experts during the excursion. Thus, it would be much less complicated to reach consensus
in the adoption stage. Nevertheless, the interviewee shared the experience that in many
policy-related trips, the relevant government agencies assigned officers with limited
knowledge in developing the particular policy and/or limited interest in learning foreign
policies. This attitude adds little value to the foreign policy learning and affects the learning
outcome. This factor links to the preparation of policymakers above. Therefore, judicious
recruitment of policy officers with sufficient training and skills to the ESD policy learning
program is recommended (Evans, 2006).
• The engagement of the sub-government
When framing the strategy with a vision of 10 to 20 years, interviewee 2 claimed that
seeking approval and/or suggestions from the decision maker – the vice-minister of MOC –
is crucial. The participation of the sub-government in a policy learning excursion also
contributes significantly to the policy learning outcome. It would be less likely for the
adoption of an Australian ESD policy to be rejected if the sub-government was involved in
the excursion, stated interviewee 2. This revelation suggests that the involvement of the
decision maker in the adoption of a foreign ESD policy is of great influence from the initial
stage of the policy learning process.
• The support from international donors
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The partnership and involvement of NGOs and international donors are crucial to the
adoption of an ESD policy from a foreign country. Interviewee 2 informed that the state
budget allocated for developing a policy only covers the expenses to organise consultation
workshops and conferences to obtain suggestions from the policy community. To enable the
adoption of an ESD policy from Australia, the department in charge of developing the policy
needs to attract the attention of potential donors, such as ADB, WB, or an Australian donor.
Interviewee 1 stated that there are several ways international donors could facilitate
the adoption of an ESD policy. They could organise policy-related excursions to a selected
country, send international experts to assist with technical aspects, and fund research to
develop GB standards. Interviewee 2 emphasised that the type of support would rely on the
fund provided by the donors. This directorial officer also revealed that when choosing a
destination for the excursion, they often prioritise the country from where the donor
originated. Therefore, the Australian ESD policy would be more likely be adopted if the
donor is an Australian agency, such as the Department of Foreign Affair and Trade.
However, interviewee 2 also mentioned that the department could propose a third country
depending on the actual challenges in the policy-making process. This information provides
insight into the reason why, and the extent to which, government officers engage in foreign
policy learning. In this case study of ESD policy, it is apparent that the policymakers
anticipated that support from international donors is needed to develop the policy and learn
from ESD policies in Australia. The support would not coerce the adoption of the policy, but
rather inspire and facilitate the learning.
• The familiarity with the conditions of the destination
The familiarity with the Australian jurisdiction and conditions is another considerable
factor, as interviewee 1 stated that the policymakers would prefer a country where prior
foreign policy learning in the field has occurred. An additional factor is a similarity, or
difference, between the cultures of the two countries. If the two cultures are homogeneous,
it will cultivate mutual understanding and trust, thus facilitating the idea exchange, according
to interviewee 2. On the contrary, if the two cultures are heterogeneous, like between
Vietnam and Australia, there would be a lack of trust between the learner and the teacher,
leading to the less frequent exchange of information, increased risk of misinterpretation and
insufficient understanding of essential details in the exogenous jurisdiction. Interviewee 2
pointed out that language barriers and the lack of a professional interpreter are impeding
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factors, because they may lead to inadequate knowledge being transferred, or to
misunderstanding.
b. The adoption stage
b1. Cognitive factors
After the information seeking stage, there are two factors relating to the capacity of
the policy officers that could affect the adoption of an Australian ESD policy. Firstly, the
skills and experience of the policymakers would influence how they employ the information
collected during the first stage, and simplify it into pertinent lessons, according to
interviewee 2. A lack of formal policy analytical training, their short-term orientation, and
relative inexperience could significantly impact their policy analytical capacity, and hence,
policy learning. Interviewee 1 raised a point that the participation of a Vietnamese policy
officer in the policy-making process would likely influence the adoption stage, thanks to the
knowledge of the environmental factors that the policymakers could contribute. This point
is valuable if the ESD policy learning takes the form of policy emulation initiated by an
international donor.
b2. Environmental factors

There are three vital environmental factors that are considered when adopting an
Australian ESD policy; namely, the involvement of the policy community, the contextual
differences between Vietnam and Australia, and the capacity of the implementation
agencies.
• The involvement of the policy community

Among the policy community, the political push from policy elites and provincial
authorities could critically affect the adoption of any ESD policy, stated the two
interviewees. According to interviewee 2, the influence of the attentive public is most critical
in consultation workshops. The workshop’s purpose, content, selection of participants and
the fairness of the participants would influence the decision to adopt the ESD policy
officially. The interviewee explained that the industry always wants an open policy, so that
they can maximise their profit. Thus, knowledge of the epistemic participants is essential to
determine what aspects the government must manage, and what aspects can be adjusted by
market mechanisms. This experienced policymaker acknowledged that it is impossible for a
policy to satisfy all stakeholders. However, the interviewee emphasised that the government
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would need to play the leadership role when deciding whether to adopt the ESD policy or
not, based on the consensus among the policy community, and the benefits of the majority
and the public, which are of paramount priority. Another factor that was pointed out is the
collaboration between agencies. This practice is often weak due to the lack of transparency,
the unclear boundaries of responsibility among different agencies, and the ‘silo effect’,
which was mentioned earlier in section 6.8.
• The contextual differences
According to the two interviewees, the legislative framework, socio-economic conditions,

and energy prices are of importance when deciding to adopt Australian ESD policy. The
three factors are also crucial in the government’s incentive policy design for energy efficient
buildings in China (Qian & Chan, 2008). As interviewee 2 explained, the institutional
structure of Vietnam – a one-party state – is much different from that of Australia. Hence, it
is not feasible to adopt an Australian policy without numerous changes. The interviewee
mentioned the strict institutional requirements in the policy-making process pursuant to the
Law of developing and promulgating legal documents, such as following the established
process, and the appropriate presentation of instruments in the policy. A typical example of
an inappropriate policy presentation is a policy using an unnatural and unprofessional
translation of a foreign policy. Interviewee 2 also stressed that when considering policy
learning, the suitability of the Australian ESD design guidelines in the climatic conditions
of Vietnam needs to be evaluated. Regarding the legislation framework, interviewee 2
claimed that in a situation where a GB policy package is multifaceted and requires the
collaboration of interdisciplinary agencies, an ESD policy should be issued first to change
the system progressively.
• The capacity of the implementation agencies
The feasibility of the implementation of ESD policy, the financial capacity, and the
human resources, technical capacity, and equipment quality are also factors affecting the
adoption of ESD policy. The two interviewees shared a belief that the adoption of ESD
policy is highly viable, because this policy focuses on the state-funded projects, where the
government can require the contractors to follow the design guidelines. There is a monitoring
system in place, which could announce and require the GB design to be applied at the
tendering stage, and then audit the project upon completion to ensure that all the GB features
prerequisite to the implementation of the project are satisfactory. Only when the project
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presents satisfactory inspection reports should the state fund be provided in full by the
authorised treasury.
Nevertheless, the two interviewees believed that financial resource was a critical
factor. Interviewee 2 considered financial capacity the determining factor in adopting this
policy, while interviewee 1 expressed concerns regarding difficulties in access to funding.
This is similar to the information given by policymakers of different countries, going to the
Netherlands to learn the sustainable planning concept, investigated by Pojani and Stead
(2015).
The influence of human resources and technical capacity was mentioned by

interviewee 1. This interviewee, involved directly in the development of GB policy, believed
that only the central government and large cities are capable of implementing ESD policy.
Therefore, to adopt an ESD policy, its scope should be flexible. Interviewee 2 was concerned
more about equipment quality and the capacity of the industry players, especially builders
and consultants. This interviewee suggested that the rating tool should be considered
carefully to better suit the capability of the current industry playmakers, such as applying
less stringent requirements to accomondate more participants.
b3. Public opinion factors
The two interviewees considered public awareness and behaviour, plus customer
demand, to be relatively influential in the adoption stage of the Australian ESD policy. These
factors are also documented in a study on adopting the U.S. LEED in India by Potbhare et
al. (2009) and incentive policy for energy efficient buildings in China by Qian and Chan
(2008). Interviewee 2 also mentioned that the public would provide suggestions for the draft
of ESD policy when this document is presented on the broadcast channels of the MOC, and
other related ministries.
c. The learning outcome stage
At this stage, in the case of an officially adopted ESD policy, environmental and public
opinion factors were stated as being important by the interviewees. Interviewee 2 identified
that an auditing and evaluation system, depending on the degree of the policy’s coerciveness,
would be required to guarantee the enforcement of ESD policy. This is similar to a study in
China, in which ‘assessment/monitoring vs auditing/benchmarking’ is listed as one of the
factors affecting the design of government incentives for energy efficient buildings (Qian &
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Chan, 2008). The capacity of implementing agencies is another factor affecting the full
adoption of ESD policy. Another common problem, according to interviewee 2, is that the
agencies in charge of developing relevant regulations may be incapable of formulating them,
leading to the ineffective integration of the adopted policy into the legislative framework.
Interviewee 1 stressed the significance of ensuring the distribution of appropriate
information by connecting with the national broadcasts. Evaluation of international
independent agencies and donors, as interviewee 1 mentioned in the expected outcomes of
the adoption, is also reflected as a measurement of the success of the policy.
This analysis of factors affecting the adoption of ESD policy in Vietnam jurisdiction
serves as the case study to understand how a new policy could arise and integrate into the
current legislation system through foreign policy learning, which may occur when the policy
officers are exposed to the overseas policy. The findings from this case study could provide
insights into one of the ways to develop a comprehensive policy package for GB
development in Vietnam since foreign policy learning is a common practice within the
Ministry of Construction as well as other Ministries and agencies.
The selection of the ESD policy case study is based on three criteria. Firstly, the
information presented to the interviewees comprised the integrated results of the policy
package identified in Chapter 6, and the available lessons from the review conducted in
Chapter 7. Secondly, as proposed by the two interviewees, the current need for a GB policy,
and thirdly, the high feasibility of learning was taken into consideration. Both interviewees
focused on the advocative type of incentives, which echo the opinions of other interviewees
in Chapter 6. It is evident that the interviewees, as policymakers and construction
stakeholders, are reluctant to the concept of applying coercive regulations and fiscal
instruments in the current situation of the GB market in Vietnam. The reasons could be,
firstly, GB being considered as a ‘nice to have’ feature rather than a necessity, secondly, the
notion of high investment capital for GB, and thirdly, the lack of understanding of genuine
GB among the stakeholders and the public. Additionally, the fiscal instruments require a
collaboration to be established between the MOC and other Ministries, which was deemed
to be relatively weak. There are also concerns about risks associated with the provision of
financial benefits, as in the discussion in Chapter 6, and about fiscal constraints.
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Based on the opinion of the interviewees regarding the objectives of adopting ESD
policy, the policymakers seem to be very aware of the current problem persisting in the GB
market, which is an asymmetric information environment. Therefore, an advocacy incentive
like the ESD policy could remedy the issue, creating a healthier market for both the supply
and the demand sides. The adoption of the ESD policy was also expected to contribute to
the accomplishment of the broader sustainable development goals. As anticipated in the
literature review, the government of Vietnam values the relationship with international
donors, thus, positive feedback from them would be a measurement for the success of a
policy.
The policy community involved in the policy-making and policy learning is
identified to be agencies mainly within the MOC, the four other Ministries that were
identified in Chapter 6 as key actors, the implementation agencies at the provincial level, the
epistemic community, and the industry sector. The complex interactions between agencies
still present indications of the ‘silo effect’, such that the roles of the attentive public are
mainly consultative. It is evident that a non-participatory decision-making process is in
practice, in which the final decision lies in the hand of a single authorised individual as the
sub-government, confirming the findings of Pojani and Stead (2015). The objection to a
proposal of a National committee could be the consequence of financial constraints (Zimmer
et al., 2015), and the government spending cuts in the central government, which stem from
a worsening State budget deficit (Dao, 2017).
The adoption of ESD policy would be affected by innumerable factors, categorised

into three main groups, namely, the cognitive factors, the environmental factors, and the
public opinion factors. The results of this chapter are encapsulated in the Framework of
factors affecting the adoption of Australian ESD policy in Vietnam jurisdiction below
(Figure 8-4).
The cognitive factors are of paramount influence throughout the information seeking
stage and at the beginning of the adoption stage. In the information seeking stage, there is a
substantial evidence of bias incorporating representativeness heuristic, availability heuristic,
and regional homophile. The bias of representativeness is similar to the bias in policy
diffusion in Latin America (Meseguer, 2005) and in sustainable planning policy learning in
a study regarding the Netherlands having the best practices (Pojani & Stead, 2015). The
cognitive shortcuts about availability in the region, are comparable to the cognitive shortcuts
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influencing policy learning in North American and European cities (Lee & van de Meene,
2012) and in several Latin American countries (Meseguer, 2005).
Figure 8-3: Framework of factors affecting the adoption of ESD policy
On the one hand, a study by Daugbjerg and Pedersen (2004) reveals that even with the
similar political conditions, three countries in the Scandinavian region still adopt green
taxation differently. On the other hand, developed countries as high performing actors are
more likely to be identified as sources of learning (Lee & van de Meene, 2012; Radaelli,
2009). In reality, developing countries often look for lessons from developed countries even
though they lack the financial resources (Rose, 2005). For example, Morocco looks for a
renewable energy policy from Germany (Steinbacher, 2015); policy officers from Albania,
India, Kosovo, Serbia and Ukraine went to the Netherlands to learn about sustainable
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planning policy (Pojani & Stead, 2015). This practice is predicted to bloom provided the
Paris agreement requiring both developed and developing countries to reduce the GHG
emissions. Moreover, the distinction between national and international problems is
increasingly blurred, and GB has become a global trend so that policies about GB can be
found in many nations. Hence, there are more opportunities for Vietnam to learn GB policy-
making from developed nations instead of from its peers.
The anchoring heuristic is less likely to influence the policy learning in this case,
because of the significant difference between the institutional frameworks of the one-party
nation, and those of other governments. The preparation of the participants in the policy
learning program is an essential contributor to the effectiveness of the program; nevertheless,
it has not been documented fully in the literature.
The information of ESD policy is another crucially affecting factor, which itself is
impacted largely by the mode of learning. Online learning can be inaccurate and
unproductive due to the vast amount of available information on the Internet, inefficient
online search techniques, the complexity of policy examples, the focus on successful lessons
and omission of failures, as proven in GB policy diffusion in Australia (van der Heijden,
2014), and transport policy learning in Northern Europe and North America (Marsden et al.,
2010). Furthermore, the success of policy on-line searching practice also depends on five
critical factors that are not always ensured (Yeh, 2015). Notably, academic literature was
not mentioned as an input for online learning, similar to findings in Marsden et al. (2010, p.
508) that this kind of document ‘is often difficult to read and lacking in well thought through
policy lessons for practitioners’. Rose (2005) believes that to draw a lesson properly, it is
necessary to ask a series of question about how a program works. The implementation of
ESD policy and its effects on the development of GB in Australia should be analysed
carefully before adopting it into an exogenous jurisdiction. A study, conducted by Bond
(2010) into some of the 6-Star Green Star commercial buildings in Australia, revealed that,
most of the ESD policy-induced buildings were built aiming at certain level of Green Star
or NABERS to market the buildings, and to show leadership in sustainability. Therefore,
human interaction or face-to-face is still preferred to analyse what a policy has and has not
achieved (Lee & van de Meene, 2012). Learning via policy-related excursions brings more
practical lessons, however, it may become wasteful if the teaching mode is inappropriate. A
study on the export of sustainable planning concepts found that the teaching mode in policy
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learning programs can become a barrier to the adoption of foreign policies because the
timeframe is often short, the host focuses on the results and the physical development, rather
than the process (Pojani & Stead, 2015). In the transition from the information seeking to
the adoption stage, the capacity of policymakers to turn the information obtained into
lessons, and subsequently, evaluate the applicability of the lessons, plays a vital role. A study
focusing on the capacity of policy analysts, in the environmental field in Canada, shows that
a lack of analytical and reflexive capacities limits the possibility of adopting foreign policies
in the policy-making process (Howlett & Joshi-Koop, 2011).
Similar to the literature, the environmental factors, such as the involvement of the
policy community and the legislation framework, substantially influence the adoption of
ESD policy, however, it is evident that those factors affect throughout the three stages of the
policy-making and learning process in this case study. This study explores the significance
of engaging the policy community early in the policy-making process, especially in the
commitment of sub-government from the initial stages, and during the policy-learning
process. This is similar to the factors affecting the adoption of sustainable planning in
countries with a politicised planning environment, where the decision making power lies in
the hands of a few policy elites (Pojani & Stead, 2015). A study in the adoption of GB
mandates in the U.S. reveals that a commitment from the sub-government and the
gubernatorial considerations is critical for a low salient issue like GB to be inserted into the
political agenda (May & Koski, 2007). The GB policy-making process has also been
influenced considerably by the participation of the attentive public. This disclosure,
concerning the failure to enact a draft of GB policy in the MOC, aligns with studies by Stone
(2001) and Kasa (2000) where the interactions in a relevant policy community can facilitate
or inhibit the adoption of a policy. The design of ESD policy could be changed because of
the interactions among the policy networks, similar to how those interactions shape the same
green taxation policy differently in three Scandinavian nations (Daugbjerg & Pedersen,
2004). Findings from a study on policy design for zero-carbon homes in the U.K. explain
the importance of engaging the stakeholder during the policy design. The involvement of the
whole policy community in framing a new policy helps in shifting ‘the role of evidence (and
associated options) from external input to an object of negotiation and collective learning’,
and thus, utilises the evidence in shaping the policy goals and objectives (Schweber et al.,
2015, p. 432). Hence, it is critical to engage the policy community in the course of policy-
making and learning.
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Support from international donors would be of fundamental importance in
determining the learning method. This information lines up with the findings by Pojani and
Stead (2015), that donors play a critical role in foreign policy learning in developing
countries. However, it does not confirm the claim of that study, regarding the donors
initiating policy transfer, rather than the civil servants in this situation. Another factor that
might influence the policymakers in the information seeking stage is their understanding of
the exogenous jurisdiction, including language competency and knowledge of the
institutional frameworks. Ettelt et al. (2012) explain that if the origin of the information is
not familiar, the policymakers involved will not be confident about the information obtained.
The contextual dissimilarities, such as legislative framework, socio-economic
conditions, energy prices, and the capacity of implementing agencies, such as financial
resources, are often deemed to be the main reasons why policy learning fails to create
substantial outcomes. Nonetheless, this ‘apple and orange analogy’ might only be excuses
employed by policymakers who are hesitant to changes and reluctant to apply new ideas, or
by ‘inertia-ridden, risk-adverse or conformist countries’ (Pojani & Stead, 2015, p. 1572).
The policymakers in this case study, however, were positive about the applicability of ESD
policy, although the specific requirements for Vietnam are suggested to be more flexible
than those applied in Australia, and the legislative framework may need to be gradually
transformed to integrate the new policy. The only persistent concerns are the selection of
suitable GB rating schemes, and the capacity of the implementing agencies and the industry
players involved. Potbhare et al. (2009, p. 170) analyse the application of the U.S. design
guidelines in India and find that the implementation of such guidelines needs to be
‘accompanied with an equal amount of effort in the field of capacity building’.
Public opinion factors are likely to affect the adoption and learning outcome stages
of the policy-learning process. In order to remedy the current asymmetric information
environment, the GB guidelines should be effortlessly understood by the public, and should
reach the broadest possible participation beyond the project stakeholders (Potbhare et al.,
2009). The availability of better information about GB guidelines, especially the cost-benefit
data, is believed to be one of the most substantial incentives to catalyse the adoption of
USA’s GB rating schemes in India (Potbhare et al., 2009). However, the influence of the
domestic public in the policy-making and learning process in the case of ESD policy
remains, mainly as feedback and suggestions. This could be attributed to ESD policy being
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non-mandatory; thus, the policy would not coerce the public to apply GB guidelines, but
rather encourage the government at various levels to become a role model.
This chapter presents a case study of foreign GB policy learning. Two interviewees
were involved in this section, who are directorial officers of departments directly relating to
GB policy-making process in the MOC. The case study was selected by the interviewees
based on their insights of the current need for GB policy in Vietnam. ESD policy is the
guideline defining opportunities to integrate GB features into the building design and
operation of government projects. The policy community including the sub-government,
attentive public, was identified, as well as the policymakers in charge of developing GB
policies, on the organisation and individual levels. The affecting factors, discovered via
thematic analysis, are relatively similar to factors influencing the foreign policy learning in
the field of sustainable planning, transport, innovation, green taxation, and GB guidelines,
as reported by various studies in developed and developing countries. However, several
remarkable differences are addressed.
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CHAPTER 9: Summary and Conclusions
This final chapter presents a summary of the research by revisiting the two principal
research objectives and connecting the five resultant chapters in a holistic viewpoint. The
critical barriers and drivers to GB development are discussed together, with verification
provided by interviews, to present a comprehensive picture of the status quo in Vietnam.
The policy community, networks, and the proposed policy packages are summarised
accordingly. The second objective, comprising the lessons learnt from foreign GB policies
in six countries, and the framework of impacting factors on the adoption of ESD policy as a
case study, are also encapsulated.
The contribution of this study to the literature of GB development, relevant policy-

making, and policy learning practices is outlined. The study also contributes through its
unique approach, and the use of mixed methods in the field of study. This section
acknowledges the research limitations, and accordingly suggests several directions for future
work. A list of publications from the development of this thesis is presented at the end of
this chapter.
9.2. Framework for Green building Policy-making process
This study provides a framework to determine the GB policies required, and the
mechanism by which those policies could be facilitated and developed, based on the
statistical analysis of GB barriers and drivers, as well as the content analysis of responses
from active stakeholders in GB development in Vietnam. The framework encapsulates three
principal components, namely, the inputs – the factors affecting the development of GB that
comprise of GB key barriers, highly influential drivers, the policy package, including policy
goals and instruments, and the policy community – the sub-government and the attentive
public. Other components are the potential factors affecting the selection of policy
instruments, which were encompassed in the discussion regarding the effectiveness of each
type of policy tool.
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Chapter 9: Summary and Conclusions
9.2.1. Factors affecting the development of Green building
Given the benefits that GB could offer, it should be considered as a solution for the
increasing demand for buildings, and development-related challenges in Vietnam, including
growing population and over-urbanisation, predicted insecurity of energy supply,
environmental detriments, and adverse impacts of climate change. However, for innovation
like GB to be initiated, and penetrate the construction market successfully, it will take a
considerable amount of time and effort to overcome the barriers and enhance the drivers.
Both the barriers and drivers to GB development in Vietnam were not researched on a large
scale with construction stakeholders, including policymakers, scholars and industry players.
The existing literature about GB development in Vietnam is scarce and limited to the
opinions of individual scholars and industry professionals. It also fails to explore the
fundamental factors hindering GB development and the influence of drivers on different
stakeholders. This study provided scientific results and statistical analysis of GB barriers,
based on the opinions of 215 construction professionals, and GB drivers based on 172
construction professionals’ opinions, which were then validated with 18 experts involved
directly in GB development in Vietnam.
The social and cognitive factors, with an eigenvalue of 12.737, are the most obstructive
challenges to GB development in the construction market. These factors are evident among
both the public and the construction stakeholders. The lack of public awareness, coupled
with the misconception of GB would possibly be rooted in the ambiguous definition of green
elements in construction and the lack of an officially recognised assessment scheme. The
public seems to be gradually becoming interested in GB due to their concerns about the
effects of environmental pollution and their well-being, which was scored among the highly
influential GB drivers in the participants’ individual perspectives. However, they are
provided with inadequate and sometimes misrepresentative information by the marketing
strategy of innumerable property developers. This situation is identified by the interviewees
as ‘greenwashing’, where the supply side avoids genuine GB, nonetheless, still takes the
marketing advantages of a green label, by wearing a ‘green mask’ and exploiting the lack of
public awareness. Societal gratification being one of the most powerful drivers for GB, both
in the organisational perspective of all the participants and the interviewees’ comments,
could explain this attitude in those developers. The project team expressed little interest in
GB, which could be because they have not sufficiently realised the long-term benefits of this
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type of building, as the interviewees revealed. This lack of interest leads to the circumventive
behaviour of several contractors when participating in the tendering for GB projects.
With an eigenvalue of 2.945, the economic and cost barriers are the second most
important factors preventing the adoption of GB. Higher investment remains an unsettling
topic among the interviewees, despite being widely considered as one of the leading barriers
to GB. The association between GB and higher initial costs could stem from the project team
being relatively inexperienced in developing GB, which results in unexpected costs, or from
the excessive application of advanced technology, whose primary purpose is to enhance the
reputation of the developers. Although the extra costs and the split incentives of an average
GB may not be significant, the developers are still reluctant to adopt GB, since the real estate
and office market is saturated. Thus, any cost premium and the notion of higher investment
would be rigorously evaluated. This situation explains why the provision of financial and
economic benefits are considered as highly influential in both the organisational and
individual perspectives of participants working across different organisations, especially in
the organisational perspective of those directors and managers who were surveyed. The
extended payback period barrier, while possessing the highest loading under economic
factors, was not mentioned by any interviewee. A possible explanation is that the primary
drivers for GB in organisational perspectives are the financial benefits provided by the
government, brand reputation, altruism and occupant well-being, which were scored
significantly higher than the high market appeal of GB. It is evident that the early adopters
may not place high expectations on the rental and presale premium of their GB projects.
Hence, the extended payback period barrier has not been realised.
The third factor lies in the legislative and institutional barriers (eigenvalue = 2.578).
The weak enforcement of the current policy, especially the National standard of Energy
efficient building, was claimed to be the consequence of a lack of positive and/or negative
incentives accompanying the Standard. Regarding the slow policy-making process and the
inappropriate attitude of government agencies, the interview results suggest a causal
relationship between social and cognitive barriers, and the legislative and institutional
barriers. The absence of a comprehensive policy package, which promotes GB development
and establishes an officially endorsed set of assessment criteria, was believed to have led to
the current ‘greenwashing’ situation. The delay in formulating such a policy was due to
several reasons, but stemmed mainly from the insufficient policy analytical capacity of the
policymakers, the lack of gubernatorial considerations, and the ‘silo effect’ in the
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institutional collaboration between critical government agencies. This ‘silo effect’ is
believed to represent the inappropriate attitude of numerous relevant agencies, which is
dissimilar to the reason for the slow policy-making claimed by a study in the USA, in that
the government tends to observe due process in the market before enacting policies (Gou et
al., 2013). The confusion caused by parallel policies, though having high loading under the
legislative barriers, was not an emergent issue as there have not been any GB policies yet.
Technology and knowledge barriers are the fourth and the least essential component
explaining the barriers to GB adoption (eigenvalue = 1.976). However, these barriers seem
to link to the social barriers, since the lack of cost-benefit data to prove the benefits of GB,
and the lack of technical understanding among the project team would lead to difficulties in
convincing property developers to pursuit GB. Confusion about GB may arise as a
consequence of the debate over what defines a genuine GB design among the epistemic
community, among the policymakers, and the parallel application of seven GB rating
schemes. This may explain why many early adopters of GB seek to achieve two different
GB certifications for their project, as they are trying to ensure their buildings to be genuinely
green. This factor could be lessened over time as more research and data will be presented
based on the increasing number of certified GB projects.
9.2.2. Policy packages for Green building development
Based on the Market transformation theory, government instruments are crucial for a
niche market to become the mainstream. Different policy options such as coercive
regulations and fiscal instruments are required to boost the adoption of GB in the building
market. During the past two decades, the government of Vietnam has issued strategic
visions, coercive regulations, fiscal instruments and advocacy incentives pursuing
sustainable development, dealing with climate change impacts and following the green
growth paradigm. Those activities established a legislative foundation for GB supportive
policies but have not directly addressed GB barriers or drivers. More comprehensive and
detailed instruments taking into consideration the GB barriers and drivers are needed to
promote GB. The development of such policies is also affected by a number of factors rooted
in the existing legislation and institutions such as weak energy policies, limited resources,
and the common priorities of a developing country for other disciplines such as poverty and
affordable housing. This research presents and discusses the GB policy goals and policy
instruments to promote GB development nationwide.
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The GB policy goals proposed by the interviewees did not specify the target
beneficiaries or GB practices, nevertheless, the interviewees seemed to reach consensus
upon firstly, the attachment of GB policy in the sustainable development policy agenda, and
secondly, the importance of promoting the adoption of GB practices among the construction
stakeholders and the public.
Three main policy instruments were proposed, including coercive regulations, as

‘stick’ measures, fiscal instruments, as ‘carrot’ measures, and advocacy incentives, as
‘sermon’ measures. The mandatory tools, incorporating the enacting of GB codes and
standards, regulating green labels, and strengthening the monitoring system, are deemed to
be necessary but inadequate to sustain the development of GB. This is because these
regulations were scored the least influential GB drivers by the majority of the participants,
were criticised as lacking strong enforcement, and were proved to inadvertently induce
businesses to bypass the risks and additional costs to other parties. The financial tools,
including taxation policies, soft loans, material subsidy, and the higher design fee, are
essential to stimulate interest in the adoption of GB. Nevertheless, the capacity to develop
such policy is confined by the weak collaboration between the critical government agencies,
the fiscal constraints, and the lack of an officially recognised GB assessment procedure. The
monetary incentives are also concerned about their applicability, efficiency and
transferability, as these benefits may lead businesses to engage in opportunistic behaviours
for short-term gains. The advocacy tools, on the contrary, seem to produce a long-lasting
effect and more sustainable changes in the mindset of construction businesses. These sermon
measures encompass various ways to promote GB, from raising awareness and knowledge,
awarding the leaders, integrating GB in urban planning and bonus schemes, to establishing
an agency dedicating to GB development, implementing green procurement, and conducting
lead-by-example. These incentives would not require substantial funding from the state
budget, or significant change in the legislative system, but would rather necessitate an
amalgamation of GB criteria into the current practices. The advocative instruments are also
critical to tackle the emerging ‘greenwashing’ problem and establish a healthier GB market.
9.2.3. Actors in the policy-making process
Provided that GB is strongly correlated with various areas such as climate change,
sustainable development, and advanced technology, studying its policy community and
networks is a practical approach to take the different interests of various construction
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stakeholders into account. The adoption of policy ideas by the GB policy community ranging
from government, academia, to industry players, can be regarded as a learning process via
their interactions in the networks. This has not been in the mainstream of GB research,
although a large number of studies have expressed the need for devising policies and
identifying policy implications. Publications in related fields show that the interactions
within the government, and between actors of the networks can facilitate, or withstand the
adoption practice. In general, the Vietnamese government has facilitated the exchanging of
ideas, and mandated the involvement of different actors in policy networks in the policy-
making process. Yet, the learning process to adopt GB instruments, given the complexity of
decision making in policy networks, has not been thoroughly explored in the current
literature.
This study proved that applying a policy network approach is appropriate in

investigating the development of GB policies. It is evident that there is a relevant policy
community with several vital actors and complex interactions within its networks, by which
several GB policies were formulated, and rejected. Nonetheless, those interactions still
present opportunities for suitable GB policies once they reach consensus among the key
stakeholders. The policy community involves eight key Ministries, the epistemic
community, and the industry playmakers. These actors are similar to actors influencing the
policy-making process in other fields, such as sustainable planning, transportation, climate
change, green taxation and innovation. However, the approach of this study provides an
incorporation of the three sectors in the development of GB policies, since numerous existing
studies only focus on the interactions between the academics and government (e.g. Stone,
2001), or between industry players and government (e.g. Kasa, 2000; Stigson et al., 2009).
The actors in this study were identified based on their organisational nature, and their
interactions with other actors were acknowledged. This prospective viewpoint is different
from the grouping approach by May and Koski (2007), in which the authors employ a
retrospective viewpoint to identify the actors based on their predominant influence on the
adoption of State GB mandates in the USA.
The need for collaboration and an inter-sectoral approach were emphasised by the
majority of the interviewees. However, the proposal for a National committee to consolidate
efforts and provide support for GB development at the ministerial level would hardly reach
approval, due to the central government curbing the establishment of new agencies and
curtailing public expenses. Therefore, the Ministry of Construction, being in charge of
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developing these GB policies, must undertake coordination tasks that involve the
participation of other actors in the policy networks.
9.3. Foreign Green building policy learning in the policy-making process
Policymakers and governments in the world have sought fresh ideas and lessons to
formulate their own policies. This rational FPL often occurs due to domestic or intermestic
reasons. The adoption process is affected by different factors regarding the complexity of
policy networks and policy-making. Three categories of potential FAA are cognitive factors,
environmental factors and public opinion factors. With the active participation of Vietnam
in GB related international commitments, there would be many opportunities for learning
lessons from other countries. However, little study has been implemented to analyse the
scenario where a government, especially one from a developing country, would adopt GB
instruments from overseas countries, and the affecting factors of this initiative. Since GB
has become a global trend, this study suggests that lessons learnt from other countries’
policies will be beneficial to develop suitable green building instruments for Vietnam. Given
the complexity of the building sector and Vietnamese accredited agencies, adopting a foreign
instrument involves a decision-making process pertaining to relevant policy networks.
Nonetheless, little study has been conducted to reveal factors affecting this decision-making
process, neither in the green building policy, nor the Vietnamese context. This study utilised
lesson drawing guidance and a policy transfer framework to guide analysis, with the
contribution of two senior policymakers, who were involved directly in the development of
GB policies. A suitable green building instrument was identified, and the factors that affect
every step in the adoption of the policy were illustrated in a framework.
9.3.1. Lessons from analysing foreign Green building policies
Based on the comparative study of GB supportive policies from the five peer countries,
implementing a combination of all instruments with a focus on energy efficiency and
renewable energy, endorsing GB rating schemes, and formulating policies to directly
promote GB, are the lessons learnt and recommended to apply in the policy-making process
of GB policies in Vietnam.
GB policies in Australia are diverse in policy types and rich in content. The goals of
GB policies at the Federal level are generic and become more specific and detailed as the
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policies are adopted by the lower branches of the administrative hierarchy. Notably, the local
policies and programs often have specific goals and measurable outcomes. The incorporation
of different types of policy instruments is widely applied by the government at all three
levels. Coercive regulations are sparingly employed, and are usually aimed at the energy
sector, either to promote renewable energy or energy efficiency. The GB policies in Australia
place more focus on financial and advocative incentives; notably, the number of advocacy
policies at the local level outweighs the other two types of GB policies. Those two
instruments are often accompanied with a particular binding degree, which could help fortify
their enforcement. The two commonly employed GB policies are first, the government
issuing GB guidance coupling with green procurement, and second, the local governments
providing financial support through sponsoring eligible GB projects to access soft loans from
financial institutions. It is apparent that policy diffusion has been in practice in GB policy-
making in Australia, which suggests that GB policies could be transferred in both top-down
and bottom-up directions. The case of Queensland’s GB policies shows that flexible
advocative policies could still be implemented when there are no financial instruments
enacted to promote GB. Last but not least, officially establishing and endorsing benchmarks
to assess GB are evident in various GB policies in all the three governance levels. It is proven
that these actions are vital to the enforcement of GB policies, and have successfully increased
the number of GB projects in Australia, the U.S., and the Netherlands.
9.3.2. Factors affecting the learning process of foreign green building policies in
Vietnam jurisdiction: A case of Environmentally Sustainable Design policy
The policy community involved in the formulation and incorporation of foreign ESD
policy into the GB policy-making process consists of an authorised individual as the primary
decision maker and the sub-government in the Ministry of Construction (MOC), the attentive
public including several specified national government agencies mainly inside the MOC, the
participation of four other Ministries, the academics and the industry playmakers. Despite
the potentially complicated interactions between those actors, it is apparent that the MOC
still applies a non-participatory decision-making process, and the influence of the
participation of the attentive public, in this case, remains mostly consultative.
Learning and integrating ESD policy into the policy-making process would be
impacted by numerous factors that are categorised into three groups, namely, cognitive
factors, environmental factors, and public opinion factors. The cognitive factors incorporate
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the shortcuts and bias, such as representativeness heuristics and availability heuristics, the
preparation of policymakers participating in the policy learning program, the quality of
obtained information, which relates to learning and teaching modes, and the policymakers’
analytical capacity. The impact of these factors is not only evident in the pre-adoption, and
the decision of where to look for lessons, but also plays an essential role throughout the
information seeking stage and early adoption stage. In particular, the cognitive shortcuts
would determine the exogenous jurisdiction for learning, while the preparation of the policy
learning participants, and the breadth and depth of information obtained could substantially
influence the effectiveness of the learning practices.
Environmental factors are often deemed to be vital in the adoption process; however,
in this case study, those factors impact all three stages, from information seeking, adoption,
to learning outcomes. The engagement of the relevant sub-government and the attentive
public, from the initial steps in the policy-making process, could be essential to the
integration of the foreign ESD policy into the existing legislative framework. Particularly,
the support of international donors could fundamentally affect the learning methods.
Nevertheless, the influence of those donors would instead facilitate and inspire the policy
learning. The contextual differences, such as socio-economic conditions, legislative
framework, and the capacity of relevant agencies, though usually emerging as leading factors
when determining to adopt a foreign policy, were not necessarily influential the policy
learning in this case. The reasons lie in the selection of this case study, which was the most
viable policy to learn, in this policy’s type – advocacy with voluntary enforcement, and more
importantly, the experience of the interviewees as senior policymakers. The dissimilarity
between the two jurisdictions still poses a challenge when selecting the GB rating scheme
for the Vietnamese climatic and construction market’s conditions.
Public opinion factors would slightly affect the adoption and learning outcomes stage
as their participation is considered to be only suggestions and feedback, due to the low degree
of coerciveness of the ESD policy, and with no financial benefits involved. However, to
successfully implement the policy, the GB design guidelines need to be readily understood
by the majority of the public to cultivate sustainable social change and an environmental
mindset.
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9.4. Research’s significance and contribution to the Body of knowledge
This study has contributed to the literature of green building development, policy-
making and policy learning, listed in the following.
• The study presents the case of Vietnam – one of the small developing countries that are
not often studied, yet the country faces many problems relating to climate change,
sustainable development, and environmental pollution. The policy-making process and
policy learning practices in Vietnam and other developing nations are less likely to be
explored and published. This study contributes to filling the gap by investigating the
case of GB policy, a low salient issue in developing countries but also a promising
solution to mitigate the impacts of the construction industry.
• The research explored the predominant components withstanding, and the highly
influential drivers for the penetration of GB into the current property market, based on
the statistical analysis of a relatively large number of survey samples. The findings shed
light on how social and cognitive barriers are the most critical factors, and not economic
barriers as in many other studies worldwide. The roots of the legislative and institutional
barriers were revealed, showing weak collaboration between agencies and a lack of
coordination being the fundamental problems in the relevant institutional structure. The
economic barriers and the organisational drivers for GB explained why the extended
payback period was not yet realised as a substantial barrier, while high initial investment
was deemed to be a considerable barrier.
• The study identified the policy community relevant to the development of GB policies
clearly with their potential interactions when developing GB policies. The research
integrated the three relevant sectors that are often investigated in policy-making in
relevant fields, namely, the government, the academics and the industry players. In the
case study, their participation was explained and illustrated in the policy-making
process.
• Beyond investigating the development of GB policy in Vietnam, this research presents
a holistic view of how a policy change can take place given the complicated interations
among a network of actors. The novelty of this study lies in its approach to the possible
occurrence of changes while exploring different perspectives of various actors, thus,
providing scafolding evidence-based suggetions.
• The policy-making instruments developed in this thesis, namely GB policy-making
framework, policy networks, and framework of factors affecting the adoption of a
Page | 234
foreign policy, offer to the policy-makers and researchers in the field a useful approach
to GB policy design. Those instruments help illustrate all the possible factors affecting
the whole design process of a GB policy, the policy package options and the relevant
Government agencies that need to be involved in the decision-making.
• Regarding the broader literature, the study contributes mainly to the existing research
on the lesson-drawing level of policy learning. However, it also provides notable
insights into the government learning and social learning. It emphasises the measures
and practices that could be employed by the government to initiate a GB policy and
motivate changes in the society.
This study is applied research, thus, its contribution to practice is mainly in the policy-
making process and policy learning relating to GB policies. The study would be of great
application for GB policy-making process and policy learning in Vietnam, in particular, and
in similarly placed countries where policies in particular fields are underdeveloped, as
outlined below.
• The policy-making framework, which was developed based on a relatively large sample
of construction professionals, would practically reflect the actual situation of GB
development in Vietnam. The proposed GB policies, therefore, have taken into
consideration the collective perspectives of the industry, and would be beneficial for
both the policymakers and the industry.
• The policy-making framework developed in this study could be utilised to guide the
policy-making process for other emerging innovations, whose development is still in
the initial stages. The framework can be employed to investigate the existing policy
instruments in terms of their relevance to current challenges, the goals, and the involved
actors.
• The framework of factors affecting the adoption of foreign policy can be applied by both
researchers and policy-makers to retrospectively investigate how a policy failed to be
approved within the internal processes.
• This study also provides a framework of factors affecting the adoption of a foreign GB
policy – the ESD policy in an existing policy-making process and legislative framework
of two vastly different countries. This framework could be applied by policymakers,
who try to learn and apply lessons learnt from GB policies in exogenous jurisdictions,
to evaluate the challenges and better prepare for the policy learning program. The
Page | 235
international donors could also make use of this framework to develop a more efficient
policy transfer program in Vietnam and other comparable developing countries.
By approaching the policy learning in a prospective viewpoint, this study is the first of its
kind to develop a developmental sequence with mixed methods, combining the two widely
known approaches in policy learning – the lesson drawing guidance, and the policy transfer
framework. This method would be of great use for other studies investigating the possibility
of cross-national policy learning.
9.5. Limitations and suggestions for future research
A limitation of the study is that over 80% of the respondents did not know what
certification their recent project had, or had nothing certified with GB rating systems. In
addition, the SDs of the variables ranging around one suggests that the respondents may not
be well informed, in judging the influence of the barriers and drivers to GB. The future
research should be conducted on more stakeholders of certified projects to better understand
the barriers and the drivers to labelled GB projects. Comparing the results of those research
studies to those of this study will also provide critical views on how those factors evolve
over time.
Approximately 50% of the variance explained, is relatively low for a Factor Analysis
after rotation. Future research in Vietnam could be based on the results of this study, to
expand to more professionals outside Hanoi and HCMC, and compare the responses between
different types of respondents and areas with different economic growth rates.
The focus of this study is national public policies for GB development, which is at the
macro level. Future work should be conducted to investigate supportive policies of
provincial governments and organisations, in order to fully understand the policy-making
and learning process of GB policies at meso and micro levels.
This study chose ESD policy as the case study based on the suggestions of the
interviewees. More cross-cultural studies are needed to investigate which GB policies may
be most suitable for Vietnam and other similarly placed countries, from the lessons learned
to date in other countries and the mechanisms that could best catalyse the adoption of GB.
Tax incentives and mandatory regulations should also be analysed as case studies in future
work, to understand more factors affecting the adoption of foreign GB policy in
heterogeneous jurisdictions.
Page | 236
The scope of this research is narrowed by the timeframe, budget and the real-time
development of GB policies in Vietnam. Since there has not been a national policy enacted,
the study chose to conduct a prospective approach to how changes and learning may occur
in the relevant policy community to facilitate GB development. Longitudinal research is of
great importance, to explain and validate the reasons for policy change in GB policies, and
to validate factors affecting the adoption of GB policies in a retrospective point-of-view.
Additionally, the policies’ transferability and the effectiveness of this practice in

Australia have not been explored in full, and the change in energy policy of Vietnam before
and after the National Energy Efficiency Program 2006 was not studied, as these issues are
out of the scope. Regarding the former issue, although a study by van der Heijden (2014)
has explored the experiment in policy design in Australia, it does not provide an explanation
and mechanism of the diffusion. Further investigation of this matter could benefit the GB
policy-making process in Australia, and help increase the effectiveness of learning GB
policies. The latter issue signifies policy learning at a social level that requires a major
change in the policy agenda. A study looking at the reason for and mechanism of this change
will shed light on the political environment of Vietnam, and the occurance conditions of an
actual policy change in this particular jurisdiction.
The investigation into the case study – ESD policy – was constructed primarily on
interviews with two interviewees, given the sensitivity of the issue when this study took
place, and the few number of key personnel involving in both policy learning and GB.
Although the participants provide relatively rich information, it could be argued that other
methods such as focus group could provide multifaceted insights. Future study into GB
policy learning is suggested to consider alternative research methods to yeild more detailed
findings and validate this study’ results.
It is hoped that the findings of this study will be among the contributors for future
research conducted on the development of GB, policy for GB in developing countries, and
the possibility of further knowledge exchange between cross-national contexts for
sustainable development.
9.6. Publications
• Nguyen, H.-T., Gray, M. and Skitmore, M. (2016) Comparative study on green building
supportive policies of Pacific-Rim countries most vulnerable to climate change
Page | 237
(refereed). Paper presenting at 22nd Pacific Rim Real Estate Society (PRRES)
Conference, January 2016, Sunshine Coast, Australia.
• Nguyen, H.-T., Gray, M. (2016) A review on green building in Vietnam (refereed).
Paper presenting at 1st International Conference on Sustainable Development of Civil,
Urban, Transportation and Environment, April 2016, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
• Nguyen, H.-T., and Gray, M. (2016). A Review on Green Building in Vietnam.
Procedia Engineering, 142, 314-321. doi: 10.1016/j.proeng.2016.02.053
• Nguyen, H.-T. (2016). Công trình xanh: Lợi ích tài chính [Financial benefits of Green
buildings]. Review of Ministry of Construction, Vietnam, 08/2016, ISSN: 0866-0762.
• Nguyen, H.-T., Skitmore, M., Gray, M., Zhang, X., and Olanipekun, A. O. (2017). Will
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10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.08.012
• Nguyen, H.-T., Olanipekun, A. O., Skitmore, M, and Tyvimaa T. (2017) Motivations
for Green building development in Vietnam (refereed). Paper presenting at 22nd
International Conference on Advancement of Construction Management and Real
Estate (CRIOCM), November 2017, Melbourne, Australia.
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Appendices
The appendices are arranged in the below order:
Appendix 1: Information of Australian GB policies
1. Table A1: Federal Government’s policies
2. Table A2: State Governments’ policies
3. Table A3: Local Councils’ policies
Appendix 2: Questionnaire round in stage 2
1. Recruitment email (bilingual)
2. Reminder email (bilingual)
3. Sample of Questionnaire & Consent form for web-based questionnaire in English
4. Sample of Questionnaire & Consent form for web-based questionnaire in

Vietnamese
5. Consent form for interviewed questionnaire (in English and Vietnamese)
Appendix 3: Interview round in stage 2
1. Interview’s questions (in English and Vietnamese)
2. Consent form for interview (in English and Vietnamese)
1. Interview’s questions (English and Vietnamese)
2. Consent form for interview round 2 (in English and Vietnamese)
Page | 255
Appendices
Appendix 1: Australian GB policies
Table A1: Federal Government’s policies

Actual green building
ID Policy name Year Methods Expected outcome/goal Targeted stakeholders
practices
F1 Department of 2001; Providing a 100% exemption for More than 23.5% of Renewable energy power electricity, clean energy
Industry - amended Emissions Intensive Trade-Exposed Australia's electricity being stations, such as wind and
Renewable in 2015; industries from costs associated with derived from renewable solar farms or hydro-electric
Energy Target the RET. The LRET creates a sources by 2020 (10% by power stations; entities
Scheme financial incentive for the Small and 12.75% by large (mainly electricity retailers);
establishment or expansion of scale). The large-scale households, small businesses
renewable energy power stations, targets ramp up until 2020 and community groups;
such as wind and solar farms or when the target will be eligible small-scale
hydro-electric power stations. It does 33,000 gigawatt-hours of renewable energy systems
this by legislating demand for Large- renewable electricity such as solar water heaters,
scale Generation Certificates generation. heat pumps, solar
(LGCs). One LGC can be created for photovoltaic (PV) systems,
each megawatt-hour of eligible small-scale wind systems, or
renewable electricity produced by an small-scale hydro systems.
accredited renewable power station.
LGCs can be sold to entities (mainly
electricity retailers) who surrender
them annually to the Clean Energy
Regulator to demonstrate their
compliance with the RET scheme’s
annual targets. The revenue earned
by the power station for the sale of
LGCs is additional to that received
for the sale of the electricity
generated. The SRES creates a
financial incentive for households,
small businesses and community
groups to install eligible small-scale
renewable energy systems such as
solar water heaters, heat pumps, solar
photovoltaic (PV) systems, small-
Page | 256
Appendices
scale wind systems, or small-scale
hydro systems. It does this by
legislating demand for Small-scale
Technology Certificates (STCs).
STCs are created for these systems at
the time of installation, according to
the amount of electricity they are
expected to produce or displace in
the future. For example, the SRES
allows eligible solar PV systems to
create, at the time of installation,
STCs equivalent to 15 years of
expected system output. RET-liable
entities with an obligation under the
LRET also have a legal requirement
under the SRES to buy STCs and
surrender them to the Clean Energy
Regulator on a quarterly basis.
F2 Department of 2009 The guide uses examples from the building owners, managers Issues (ieq, occupant
the Environment private and public sector to show and tenants; Facility satisfaction, energy use,
- ESD what has already been achieved in managers ghg, water use, water reuse,
Guidelines for the Australian marketplace on issues storm water pollution);
Owners, including energy, greenhouse, water, operational management of
Managers and waste, indoor environment quality, buildings (sewage outfall
Tenants transport, materials, and land use. volume, waste, toxic
The ESD Operations Guide is part of materials, refrigerant use
a developing suite of guidance (global warming potential
publications, developed with and ozone depletion
agencies and industry, including potential), transport,
three editions of the ESD Design landscape diversity
Guide, the Water efficiency guide –
office and public buildings and
guidance on green leasing.
Page | 257 Page | 257

Appendices
F3 Mandatory 2010 The CBD Program requires most By continuing the Commercial Building Information disclosure;
disclosure of sellers and lessors of office space of Commercial Building
building energy 2,000 square metres to obtain a Disclosure (CBD) Program
efficiency Building Energy Efficiency and reducing the mandatory
Certificate (BEEC) before the disclosure threshold to 1,000
building goes on the market for sale, square metres, the program
lease or sublease. is projected to provide a
BEECs are valid for up to 12 months reduction in end use energy
and include: consumption of 17,395 TJ,
-the building's National Australian abatement of over 3.5
Built Environment Rating System million tonnes of greenhouse
(NABERS) Energy star rating gases and deliver around $60
-a tenancy lighting assessment of the million in benefits over the
relevant area of the building period from 2015 to 2019.
Standard energy efficiency guidance
information previously included on
the last 6 pages of the BEEC is now
provided online. This includes
information on how building owners
and tenants might improve a
building's energy efficiency and
allow the CBD team to provide
relevant and targeted energy
efficiency information to building
owners.
Only CBD accredited assessors can
apply for BEECs on behalf of
building owners or lessors. See Find
an accredited assessor. For more
details about BEECs, see Get and use
a rating.
F4 Creating Places 2011 Leadership: Demonstrates visionary Productivity: Enhances all parts of a city, from the sustainable, walkable,
for People: An leadership + governance economic, productivity + inner city to the suburbs and innovation
urban design Design: Integrates design excellence living affordability outer metropolitan fringe
protocol for Sustainability: Fosters
Australian Cities environmental responsibility
Liveability: Cultivates
healthy, cohesive + inclusive
Page | 258
Appendices
communities
F5 Clean Energy 2012 an investment strategy focused on catalyse and leverage - renewable energy, low- renewable energy, low-
Finance cleaner power solutions; and a better funding for emissions technologies and emissions technologies and
Corporation built environment, with investments commercialisation and energy efficiency; including energy efficiency
to drive more energy efficient deployment of clean energy large and small-scale solar,
property, vehicles, infrastructure and technologies necessary for wind and bioenergy.
industry. The CEFC also invests with Australia's transition to a - focuses on projects and
co-financiers to develop new sources carbon constrained technologies at the later
of capital for the clean energy sector, economy. stages of development which
including climate bonds, equity have a positive expected rate
funds, aggregation facilities and of return and have the
other financial solutions capacity to service and repay
capital.
- earlier stage projects which
have significant support and
a risk profile appropriate for
CEFC.
F6 The Treasury - 2012 Energy efficiency requirements These assets are energy Building energy efficiency
Clean Building 1.26 In order for a building to be a efficient buildings on which
Managed clean building it must have received construction began on or
Investment and maintained at all times during the after 1 July 2012. These
Trusts income year a minimum efficiency buildings must comprise of
rating. office, hotel and retail space.
1.27 Prior to and at the time the Clean Building MITs will
building starts producing assessable also be able to invest in
income, the building must have at other Clean Building MITs
least a 5 Star Green Star rating as
certified by the Green Building
Council of Australia or a 5.5 star
Energy Rating as accredited by
NABERS.
F9 Department of 2014 Legislation to implement the The objective of the The Emissions Reduction Installation/implementation
Environment - Emissions Reduction Fund came into Emissions Reduction Fund Fund will support Australian of emission reduction
Emissions effect on 13 December 2014. The is to help achieve Australia’s businesses and households project
Reduction Fund Emissions Reduction Fund will 2020 emissions reduction to take practical, direct
Page | 259 Page | 259

Appendices
provide incentives for emissions target of five per cent below action to reduce emissions
reduction activities across the 2000 levels by 2020. The and improve the
Australian economy (Supported by Government has provided environment
legislation). Step 1—Estimate $2.55 billion to establish the
emissions reductions and register Emissions Reduction Fund,
project; Step 2—Submit auction bid; with further funding to be
Step 3—Enter into a contract; Step considered in future budgets.
4—Report project abatement and
receive payment for contracted
credits
F10 The Department 2014 by implementing responsibilities and minimising adverse high risk environmental Energy use & performance,
of Human actions for department officials to environmental impacts and aspects; ICT equipment, GHG emissions, Ozone
Services - apply: promoting sustainability Building management, depleting substances,
Environmental efficient, effective and economical refurbishments and Building management,
Sustainability procurement; environmental maintenance (offices, data refurbishments and
Policy standards, principles and practices centres and warehouses), maintenance (offices, data
for energy use, Office equipment and centres and warehouses);
greenhouse gas emissions, ozone appliances; Staff travel; water efficiency
depleting substances; resource use Stationery supplies (inc.
paper products); General
office waste (inc. stationery,
paper, commingled,
cardboard, organic); ICT
equipment and consumable
waste; Refurbishments and
relocations waste; Office
equipment, appliances and
consumables waste;
Hazardous waste (batteries,
fluorescent tubes, asbestos);
Infectious waste (sanitary,
first aid); Potable water and
waste water
Page | 260
Appendices
Table A2: State Governments’ policies
Expected Actual green
ID Policy name Year Methods Targeted stakeholders Location
outcome/goal building practices
S1 Carbon Neutral 2010 Step 1. Measure, monitor and report The ACT Central operations and Carbon neutrality ACT
Framework emissions; Government will services such as office
Step 2. Minimise the carbon footprint by achieve carbon accommodation,
implementing mitigation measures; neutrality in all its corporate fleet, ACTION bus
Step 3. Source credible emission operations by 2020 fleet, streetlights, and
reductions to offset residual emissions. education and health services
S2 Lease Variation 2011 Providing an economic stimulus to Commercial, residential Energy efficiency ACT
Charges developers seeking to redevelop sites sector, and buildings that
within the current economic climate; achieve compliance with the
providing a further remission, or Australian Standard for
stimulus, for developments that propose adaptable housing (AS 4299-
high Green Star1 energy ratings in the 1995), Class C at 50% or
commercial sector and high NatHERS2 100% of the building.
ratings in the residential sector, and
buildings that achieve compliance with
the Australian Standard for adaptable
housing (AS 4299-1995), Class C at 50%
or 100% of the building.
S3 Energy Savings 2009 By creating financial incentives for The Energy Businesses, consultants and Reducing electricity NSW
Scheme organisations to invest in energy savings Savings Scheme service providers and consumption by
projects; The Energy Savings Scheme is reduces electricity households installing, improving
governed by NSW legislation. It places a consumption in or replacing energy
mandatory obligation on Scheme NSW savings equipment.
Participants to obtain and surrender
energy savings certificates, which
represent energy savings.
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Appendices
S4 Resource Efficiency 2014 This policy’s measures, targets and The aim of the NSW Government agencies To drive resource NSW
Policy minimum standards will drive resource NSW Government efficiency by NSW
efficiency where significant Resource Government
opportunities for savings have been Efficiency Policy is agencies in three
identified for energy, water, waste and to reduce the NSW main areas – energy,
clean air. Government’s water and waste –
operating costs and also reduce
and lead by harmful air
example in emissions from
increasing the government
efficiency of the operations.
resources it uses
S5 Environmental 2010 An Environmental Upgrade Agreement Enables the councils to enter Upgrading or
Upgrade is an agreement where: into EUAs with owners and retrofitting the
Agreements a) a building owner agrees to carry out finance providers environmental
environmental upgrade works in respect performance of the
of a building to improve the energy, building
water or environmental efficiency or
sustainability of the building, and
b) a finance provider agrees to advance
funds to the building owner to finance
those environmental upgrade works, and
c) the council agrees to levy a
charge on the relevant land for the
purpose of repaying the advance to the
finance provider.
Page | 262
Appendices
S6 Sustainable 2009 Managing the process by which Improves and • Local (government) Maintenance of the QLD
Planning Act development takes place including streamlines the land planning cultural, economic,
ensuring the process is accountable, use planning and • Regional planning physical and social
effective and efficient and delivers development • State planning. well-being of people
sustainable framework and and communities.
outcomes ; managing the effects of systems. This will Carrying out
development on the environment reduce costs and building work;
(including managing the use of get appropriate
premises); continuing to coordinate and development
integrate planning at local, regional and approved sooner
state levels. The Act facilitates
coordination of planning by:
• providing for robust communication
and consultation
within and between levels of
government as part of the processes for
making and amending planning
instruments;
• establishing bodies, such as regional
planning committees, to coordinate
planning at a regional level;
• establishing the scope of planning
instruments in a way which facilitates
coordination of
different aspects of planning;
• establishing a clear hierarchy of
planning instruments which interact in
a way that will result in integrated
planning outcomes
• providing for integrated development
assessment
• providing for integrated dispute
resolution and enforcement.
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Appendices
S7 Renewal SA Urban 2012 Demonstration project: set new standards Bowden will be a The first higher density urban The precinct’s earthy SA
Design Guidelines in urban revitalisation, built form flagship walkable infill project and is located on and gritty character
for Bowden Village delivery and integrated public transport urban 16ha of former industrial land will be reflected
and transit planning. Building energy neighbourhood and overlooking the city’s through the use of
efficiency to deliver a 5 Star Green Star will also include western parklands. unfinished and
Design rating 20,000sqm of recycled materials.
• Planned alternative energy sources for commercial space Energy consumption
residential and mixed use projects and 12,000sqm of Water consumption.
• Alternative water sources and recycled retail, alternate Transportation.
water energy, affordable Site utilisation.
• Adaptive reuse of former industrial and housing, and
heritage buildings community activity.
• A focus on people walking to reduce
on-site car parking.
S8 Building Upgrade 2015 Property owners will be able to access The Local Existing commercial Upgrade works in SA
Finance new sources of finance for building Government buildings; building owners; relation to a building
upgrades, improving building (Building Upgrade tenants; businesses that can means
performance and enhancing the Agreements) provide the clean (a) environmental
competitive advantage of city Amendment Bill technologies and solutions upgrade works; or
businesses; to levy a charge on the 2015 is designed to that lift building performance (b) works of a kind
relevant land (a building upgrade overcome barriers prescribed by the
charge), to be paid by the building to environmental regulations,
owner, for the purpose of recouping the upgrades of
money advanced by the finance provider existing
for the upgrade works (and any interest commercial
or other charges payable to the finance buildings –
provider under the agreement); and upgrades that can
(ii) to pay to the finance provider any reduce costs for
money paid to the council by way of the tenants while
building upgrade charge (other than any improving the
service fee or late payment fee that the carbon footprint
council is permitted by the agreement to and environmental
deduct and retain). performance of
existing buildings.
S9 Victorian Energy 2009 Accredited businesses can offer For the first three- The VEET scheme is Energy and water VIC
Efficiency Target. revis- discounts and special offers on selected year phase of the designed to make energy efficiency. Around
Energy Saver ed energy saving products and appliances scheme (2009-11), efficiency improvements 36 Prescribed
Incentive 2016 installed at homes, businesses or other the scheme target is more affordable, contribute to Activities are
Page | 264
Appendices
non-residential premises. The bigger the 2.7 million VEECs the reduction of greenhouse currently included in
greenhouse gas reduction, the bigger the per annum, gases, and encourage the scheme, ranging
potential saving. Placing a liability on increased to 5.4 investment, employment and from the installation
large energy retailers in Victoria to million VEECs per innovation in industries that of high efficiency
surrender a specified number of energy annum during the supply energy efficiency hot water systems,
efficiency certificates every year. Energy second three-year goods and services. air heater/coolers,
retailers with a liability under the scheme phase, starting on 1 lighting, draught
are known as Relevant Entities. Relevant January 2012. proofing and
Entities are able to create certificates window treatments
directly, or purchase certificates in a through to the
competitive market, or both. purchase of high
Each certificate represents a tonne of efficiency appliances
greenhouse gas abated and is known as a like refrigerators and
Victorian energy efficiency certificate televisions.
(VEEC). Activities
specifically designed
for the business
sector include, high
efficiency motors,
refrigerated display
cabinets,
refrigeration fan
replacement,
commercial lighting
upgrades, efficient
low flow trigger
nozzles and water
efficient precise
spray valves.
S10 Government 2013; Procured with the following target Define best practice Government office Green Star; WA
Accommodation noted sustainability ratings: in the procurement accommodation over 1000 NABERS
Standards in • Green Star: and management of square metres in new leased
April » 5 Star Green Star Design and As Built office premises with a term over
2014. for new buildings accommodation, two years.
» 4 Star Office Design or As Built v2 or which will assist Government office
v3 for existing buildings agencies in accommodation occupied by
• National Australian Built Environment achieving value- all general government
Reporting System (NABERS) for-money and agencies.
Page | 265 Page | 265

Appendices
» 4.5 Star Energy Base Building rating sustainable The standards do not apply to
for new and existing buildings outcomes. agency-specific operational
» 4 Star Water rating for new and facilities, such as hospitals,
existing buildings. schools, or police stations;
In existing buildings, it is desirable that however, the standards
new leases be procured in accordance should be applied to office
with the above target sustainability accommodation within these
ratings. However, it is recognised that facilities.
existing buildings cannot always achieve
these targets.
Achievement of the above sustainable
ratings can be supported by:
• certified ratings
• a NABERS Commitment Agreement
• sufficient documentation demonstrating
equivalency to the rating requirements.
Fit-outs for office accommodation over
1000 square metres should be procured
with the
following target sustainability ratings:
• a 5 Star Green Star Interiors
• a minimum of 4.5 Star NABERS
Energy Tenancy.
Page | 266
Appendices
Table A3: Local Councils’ policies
Actual green building
ID Policy name Year Methods Expected outcome/goal Targeted stakeholders Location
practices
Inspiring & 2012 • Community Creating tangible Local businesses, • Biodiversity decline Bathurst, NSW
Integrating Change engagement improvements and long organisations, • Water resource Dubbo and
- Local Government • Cultural change term outcomes in regional community groups and availability Orange
Toolkit and sustainable development; residents • Energy use City
• Capacity building motivate and inform other Councils
regional councils,
L1 organisations and
individuals
to create projects and
implement policies which
support sustainable
development
into the future
Better Buildings Assessing 1. Lead by example and be Council’s community Sustainable building Lake NSW
Strategy the design of new able to showcase buildings design as follows. Macquarie
buildings, as well as sustainable buildings to 1. Fit for Purpose City
upgrades of existing the community to 2. Sensitive to the Council
buildings is an inspire surrounding landscape
essential element for adoption of similar 3. Resilient
achieving this aim principles in 4. Affordable
development across the 5. Efficient
City;
2. Reduce the
L2 environmental impacts
of renewing,
replacing and
maintaining Council
buildings;
3. Reduce the operational
costs associated with
Council buildings and
facilities;
4. Improve the resource
efficiency of Council
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Appendices
buildings and facilities;
5. Reduce reliance on non-
renewable energy; and
6. Provide a healthy indoor
environment for those
who work in and utilise
Council buildings.
Building Upgrade 2011 Provide soft loans for Improve asset value and Building owners, Water and energy Lake NSW
Finance - investment in manage the risks businesses, tenants, efficiency Macquarie,
Environment sustainable-oriented associated with increasing fiancial institutions, and Sydney
Upgrade projects energy costs local councils City,
L3 Agreement (EUA) North
Sydney,
Parramatta,
Newcastle
Councils
Sustainable 2015 Provide soft loans for Improve asset value and Building owners, Water and energy Salisbury SA
building fund/EUA investment in manage the risks businesses, tenants, efficiency City,
sustainable-oriented associated with increasing fiancial institutions, and Adelaide
L4
projects; energy costs local councils City
Audit the saving and Councils
payment
Sustainable 2002 Investment in improve asset value and Building owners, Water and energy Melbourne VIC
building fund/EUA sustainable-oriented manage the risks businesses, tenants, efficiency City
L5
projects associated with increasing fiancial institutions, and Council
energy costs local councils
City of Melbourne 2002, Use market 50% reduction Commercial, industrial green building, energy City of VIC
Zero Net Emissions update mechanisms and in energy use of the City’s and residential performance in Melbourne
by 2020 2008 appropriate residential and inhabitants of buildings, renewable and
then regulations to commercial building stock; Melbourne; green efficient energy;
2014 influence the billions increase the use of building, green
L6 of dollars of renewable energy to 45% productivity; energy
mainstream business of projected demand by performance in
investment that will 2020, and to achieve a buildings, green supply
take place in 50% reduction in chain; renewable and
buildings, plant and emissions efficient energy;
power generation from non-renewable
Page | 268
Appendices
over the next two resources. sequester the
decades. It envisages equivalent of 50% of the
commercial, City of Melbourne’s own
industrial and corporate emissions by
residential 2010
investment in
superior energy
efficient design.
Sustainable Design revised • Building permit; Providing a framework • Planning permit SDAPP: City of Port VIC
Strategy - version training; that supports the applications for all • Indoor environment Phillip
Sustainable Design 2013 incentives: integration of sustainable new buildings and quality
Policy waiving of design early in the design extensions to existing • Energy efficiency
planning permit; process where the most buildings over 50m2 • Water
sustainable economical and in floor area • Efficiency Stormwater
transport sustainable outcomes can • Council’s own • Management Building
• Car parking rates be achieved. building projects for • Materials
application fees all new buildings, • Transport
extensions to existing • Waste management
buildings and major • Innovation
refurbishments which • Urban ecology
alter at least 30% of • Ongoing building and
existing floor area site management;
STEPS:
L7
• Energy efficiency
• Energy peak demand
• Water use
• Stormwater quality
• Materials
• Bicycle parking
provisions
• Collection of waste
and recyclables;
SDS:
• Energy efficiency
• Transport
• Water use (including
stormwater quality)
• Waste management
Page | 269 Page | 269

Appendices
• Materials
• Indoor environment
quality
• Innovation in
sustainable design;
GREENSTAR
Sustainable 2012 Green procurement; improve sustainability Buildings owned, leased Environmentally City of VIC
Building Policy reviewed lifecycle perspective; throughout the full life or managed by Council Sustainable Building Greater
in 2014 Building Design cycle of Councils including Geelong
and then (Green Star or buildings, from concept • New buildings
every 2 Sustainable Design and design, through to • Renovations and
years Scorecard); Building decommissioning retrofits of existing
Performance buildings
(NABERS); • Building maintenance
Maintenance (Rating and minor upgrades
Labelling Scheme); • Specific sustainability
L8 projects; all types:
administrative offices;
leisure and aquatic
facilities; libraries;
community buildings;
sports ground
pavilions; town halls;
child care and health
centres; works depots;
and other Council
buildings
Environmentally - By applying the 1. Reduce the operational New Council building Environmentally Wyndham VIC
Sustainable Design framework into all costs associated with projects, asset renewal Sustainable Design City
(ESD) Framework new council building Council’s buildings and and extension of existing Council
projects asset facilities, buildings and building
renewal and 2. Reduce the maintenance works
L9 extension of existing environmental impacts of
buildings and constructing, refurbishing
building maintenance and operating Council
works buildings,
3. Improve energy and
water efficiency of
Page | 270
Appendices
Council’s
buildings and facilities,
4. Provide a healthy indoor
environment in Council’s
buildings,
5. Demonstrate leadership
to the community by
adopting and promoting
sustainable building
design suitable for the
region’s current and future
climate; and,
6. Reduce reliance on non-
renewable grid electricity.
Environmentally - While minimum The City of South Perth is This policy applies to all Sustainability rating City of WA
Sustainable standards are committed to sustainable development in the City South Perth
Building Design required for most practices that enhance the of South Perth, with the
Planning Policy buildings, the City quality of life of the exception of:
encourages community a) Single houses and
developments to grouped dwellings;
achieve higher than b) Buildings used for
required standards any industrial use class
in the zoning table of the
City of South Perth’s
Town Planning Scheme;
L10 c) Any development
with a Gross Floor Area
(GFA) of
less than 1,000 m²;
d) Refurbishments of
existing buildings over
1,000m
² GFA not involving
substantial structural or
internal alteration
and all refurbishments to
buildings under 1,000m²
Page | 271 Page | 271

Appendices
The Walkability 2013-18 A strategic guide to The City’s Walkability People/individuals to Community design City of WA
Plan investing in and Plan 2013–2018 is a five- choose active travel; Joondalup
managing walking year plan designed to
and cycling encourage and enable safe
infrastructure to and accessible
ensure usability, environments within the
appropriate signage City of Joondalup for all
and efficient and users; Creating
effective linkages. environments that
L11
The Plan also encourage people to
identifies choose active travel is
opportunities for increasingly being
enhanced community recognised as a way to
education and foster more sustainable,
awareness of active healthier and safer
recreational communities.
opportunities in the
region
Sustainable - This will be achieved Council buildings: This policy is applicable Energy and emissions; Cairns QLD
Building Design by applying the • surpass minimum to all works to construct, Water and wastewater; Regional
Policy policy to statutory requirements for extend, renovate and Indoor Environment Council
all new Council energy and water retrofit Council buildings Quality; Waste and
buildings and efficiency where possible; construction materials;
projects to extend • incorporate materials Local Environment
renovate and/or with lower environmental
retrofit existing impacts;
L12 Council buildings • provide a high quality
indoor environment;
• are fitted with electricity
sub-metering devices;
and
• maximise opportunities
for public and active
transport access.
Page | 272
Appendices
Citysmart Acts as a conduit for Cementing Brisbane as the community, industry and Put innovative Brisbane QLD
networking, direct nation’s most sustainable government businesses and solutions City
connections into city on the map Council
commercially viable
L13 projects, and
supporting your
business as a thought
leader in
sustainability
City Plan Policy ver 3 - Bonus scheme apply Maximising energy GB; Community GB with Green star Gold Coast QLD
2016 for site density for efficiency outcomes on facilities and rating or similar Council
application of Green site, achieving a level of improvements ; Site international standard
buildings (Green performance which amalgamation (high (e.g. LEEDS)
Star); or monetary exceeds base requirements density residential zone,
bonus for under the relevant building mixed use or innovation
development of regulations, and zone, or light rail urban
facilities that significantly reduce or renewal area overlay)
L14 significantly enhance eliminate a building’s
the public realm, negative impact on the
urban character, environment
amenity, cultural
enrichment,
accessibility,
functionality or range
of community
facilities)
Page | 273 Page | 273

Appendices
Appendix 2: Questionnaire round in stage 2
Recruitment email (bilingual)

Subject Title:
Invitation to participate in a research study looking into the suitable policy for green building in Vietnam and
the possibility of learning a foreign green building policy.
Thư mời tham gia vào nghiên cứu về chính sách phù hợp cho phát triển công trình xanh tại Việt Nam.
Dear colleagues,
My name is Hong Trang Nguyen from School of Civil Engineering & Built Environment and I’m doing a
PhD into the suitable policy for green building in Vietnam and the possibility of learning a foreign green
building policy.
I’m looking for construction stakeholders, i.e. experts from construction firms, financial institutions,
government agencies and property agencies to complete a 25-30 minute online questionnaire. You will be
asked about your experience and opinions regarding green building incentives and barriers to green building
in the Vietnam market. Your answers are of importance for the research team to recognise the barrier(s) and
suggest the suitable policy package to the government officers in the next stage of the study. Furthermore,
your opinions will guide this study to focus on the instrument(s) that the policy makers should learn from
overseas to help your business adopt green building.
Please view the attached Participant Information Sheet and Consent Form for further details on the study.
Should you wish to participate, please click this link: https://survey.qut.edu.au/f/186612/5d85/
If you have any questions, please contact me via email hongtrang.nguyen@hdr.qut.edu.au.
Please note that this study has been approved by the QUT Human Research Ethics Committee (approval
number 1600000255).
Many thanks for your consideration of this request.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thưa anh/chị,
Em là Nguyễn Hồng Trang, hiện đang làm nghiên cứu sinh tại Đại học kỹ thuật Queensland, Úc. Đề tài của
em là về nghiên cứu đề xuất chính sách phù hợp cho công trình xanh tại Việt Nam.
Luận án của em cần số liệu liên quan đến đánh giá của chuyên gia trong ngành xây dựng về các động lực và
trở ngại đến việc phát triển công trình xanh tại Việt Nam. Đóng góp của anh/chị rất quan trọng với nghiên
cứu này.
Hy vọng anh/chị bớt chút thời gian 25-30 phút để trả lời, đây là đường link đến bảng hỏi:
https://survey.qut.edu.au/f/186983/947d/
Em rất biết ơn nếu anh/chị có thể chia sẻ thông tin này đến đồng nghiệp của mình hoặc những ai có quan tâm
đến xây dựng xanh/ xây dựng bền vững.
Xin lưu ý rằng nghiên cứu này đã được thông qua bởi Cơ sở đào tạo của nghiên cứu sinh (phê duyệt số
1600000255).
Cảm ơn anh/chị rất nhiều vì đã cân nhắc lời đề nghị này.
Many thanks & Kindest Regards/ Trân trọng cảm ơn,

Nguyễn Hồng Trang
PhD candidate/ Nghiên cứu sinh
+84 9 3612 2929
hongtrang.nguyen@hdr.qut.edu.au
Martin Skitmore
Principle Supervisor/ Giảng viên hướng dẫn chính
+61 7 3138 1059 rm.skitmore@qut.edu.au
Tanja Tyvimaa
Assocciate Supervisor/ Giảng viên hướng dẫn phụ
t.tyvimaa@qut.edu.au
School of Civil Engineering & Built Environment/ Bộ môn Kỹ thuật dân dụng và Môi trường xây dựng
Science and Engineering Faculty/ Khoa Khoa học và Kỹ thuật
Queensland University of Technology, Australia/ Đại học Công nghệ Queensland, Úc
Page | 274
Appendices
Reminder email (bilingual)
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am following up on an earlier email which invited you to participate in a study into policies for Green
building in Vietnam. Thank you very much if you have recently responded. Your contribution is really
important to this research.
If you have not already responded, please contribute your opinions about motivations and barriers to Green
building development in an online survey which will take no more than 25-30 minutes. It is used for research
purpose only and does not ask for your identity.
Your contribution is of extremely importance to the research.
If you agree to participate, Please click this link [S] (this link is unique for you)
I really appreciate if you help circulate this survey with your network, who may be interested in the topic,
through this link https://survey.qut.edu.au/f/186612/5d85/
Should you have any question regarding this research, please don't hesitate to contact me via email
hongtrang.nguyen@hdr.qut.edu.au.
Please note that this research is approve by the Human Ethic Unit of QUT (approval number 1600000255).
Thank you very much for your consideration.
If you wish to not receive this invitation letter or results of this survey, please click [REMOVE]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kính gửi anh/chị,
Em gửi thư này tiếp sau một thư trước đó về việc mời anh/chị tham gia vào nghiên cứu về chính sách cho
công trình xanh tại Việt Nam. Em rất cảm ơn nếu anh/chị đã tham gia đóng góp ý kiến cho nghiên cứu.
Ý kiến anh/chị rất quan trọng đối với nghiên cứu này.
Nếu anh/chị chưa tham gia, em hy vọng anh/chị bớt chút thời gian cho ý kiến vào một bảng câu hỏi trực
tuyến trong khoảng 25-30 phút về động lực và rào cản đối với đầu tư và phát triển công trình xanh. Bảng hỏi
này chỉ phục vụ cho mục đích nghiên cứu và không yêu cầu anh/chị nêu tên hay thông tin cá nhân.
Nếu anh/chị đồng ý tham gia, xin hãy ấn vào đường link sau:
https://survey.qut.edu.au/f/186983/947d/
Em rất biết ơn nếu anh/chị có thể gửi bảng hỏi này cho đồng nghiệp của mình thông qua đường link ở trên.
Nếu anh/chị có bất kỳ thắc mắc nào, xin liên hệ với em qua địa chỉ thư điện tử
hongtrang.nguyen@hdr.qut.edu.au.
Xin lưu ý rằng nghiên cứu này đã được thông qua bởi Cơ sở đào tạo của nghiên cứu sinh (phê duyệt số
1600000255).
Cảm ơn anh/chị rất nhiều vì đã cân nhắc lời đề nghị này.
Nếu anh/chị không muốn nhận được thư mời hoặc kết quả của cuộc khảo sát này, xin ấn vào đây [REMOVE]
Many thanks & Kindest Regards/ Trân trọng cảm ơn,

Nguyễn Hồng Trang
PhD candidate/ Nghiên cứu sinh
+84 9 3612 2929
hongtrang.nguyen@hdr.qut.edu.au
Martin Skitmore
Principle Supervisor/ Giảng viên hướng dẫn chính
+61 7 3138 1059 rm.skitmore@qut.edu.au
Tanja Tyvimaa
Assocciate Supervisor/ Giảng viên hướng dẫn phụ
t.tyvimaa@qut.edu.au
School of Civil Engineering & Built Environment/ Bộ môn Kỹ thuật dân dụng và Môi trường xây dựng
Science and Engineering Faculty/ Khoa Khoa học và Kỹ thuật
Queensland University of Technology, Australia/ Đại học Công nghệ Queensland, Úc
Page | 275
Appendices
Sample of Questionnaire & Consent form for web-based questionnaire in English (attached
file below)
Sample of Questionnaire & Consent form for web-based questionnaire in Vietnamese
(attached file below)
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Consent form for interviewed questionnaire (in English and Vietnamese)
CONSENT FORM FOR QUT RESEARCH PROJECT
– Interviewed Survey –
Policy learning in formulating supportive regulations for
Green building development in Vietnam
QUT Ethics Approval Number 1600000255
RESEARCH TEAM CONTACTS

Name: Hong Trang Nguyen Name: Martin Skitmore Name: Tanja Tyvimaa
Position: PhD Candidate Position: Supervisor Position: Supervisor
Phone: +61 449796958 Phone: +61 731381059 Phone:
+84 936122929
Email: hongtrang.nguyen@hdr.qut.edu.au Email: rm.skitmore@qut.edu.au Email: t.tyvimaa@qut.edu.au
STATEMENT OF CONSENT
By signing below, you are indicating that you:
• Have read and understood the information document regarding this project.
• Have had any questions answered to your satisfaction.
• Understand that if you have any additional questions you can contact the research team.
• Understand that you are free to withdraw at any time without comment or penalty.
• Understand that you can contact the Research Ethics Unit on +61 7 3138 5123 or email
ethicscontact@qut.edu.au if you have concerns about the ethical conduct of the project.
• Understand that non-identifiable data collected in this project may be used as comparative data in
future projects.
• Agree to participate in the project.
Name
Signature
Date
MEDIA RELEASE PROMOTIONS

From time to time, we may like to promote our research to the general public through, for example, newspaper
articles. Would you be willing to be contacted by QUT Media and Communications for possible inclusion in
such stories? By ticking this box, it only means you are choosing to be contacted – you can still decide at the
time not to be involved in any promotions.
Yes, you may contact me about inclusion in promotions.
No, I do not wish to be contacted about inclusion in promotions.
Please return this sheet to the investigator.
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Appendices
THỎA THUẬN THAM GIA DỰ ÁN NGHIÊN CỨU CỦA
QUT
– BẢNG HỎI ĐƯỢC PHỎNG VẤN–
VẬN DỤNG TRAO ĐỔI CHÍNH SÁCH ĐỂ HÌNH THÀNH CƠ CHẾ THÚC ĐẨY SỰ PHÁT
TRIỂN CỦA CÔNG TRÌNH XANH TẠI VIỆT NAM
QUT Ethics Approval số 1600000255 phê chuẩn dự án phù hợp với các nguyên tắc về đạo đức
nghiên cứu
ĐỊA CHỈ LIÊN HỆ CỦA NHÓM NGHIÊN CỨU

Tên: Nguyễn Hồng Trang Tên: Martin Skitmore Tên: Tanja Tyvimaa
Vị trí: Nghiên cứu sinh Vị trí: GV hướng dẫn Vị trí: GV hướng dẫn
Điện thoại: +61 449796958 Điện thoại: +61 731381059 Điện thoại:
+84 936122929
Email: Email: rm.skitmore@qut.edu.au Email:
hongtrang.nguyen@hdr.qut.edu.au t.tyvimaa@qut.edu.au
ĐIỀU KHOẢN THỎA THUẬN
Việc ký vào văn bản này thể hiện rằng quý vị:
• Đã đọc và hiểu các văn bản thông tin liên quan đến dự án này.
• Đã được trả lời bất kỳ thắc mắc nào một cách thỏa đáng.
• Hiểu rằng nếu quý vị còn bất kỳ thắc mắc nào, quý vị có thể liên hệ với nhóm nghiên cứu.
• Hiểu rằng quý vị được tự do rút khỏi dự án bất cứ lúc nào mà không ảnh hưởng hoặc phạt.
• Hiểu rằng quý vị có thể liên hệ với Phòng Đạo đức nghiên cứu thông qua số +61 7 3138 5123 hoặc
email ethicscontact@qut.edu.au nếu quý vị có mối quan ngại về các hành vi đạo đức của dự án.
• Hiểu rằng dữ liệu ẩn danh trong dự án này có thể được sử dụng để so sánh trong các dự án trong
tương lai.
• Đồng ý tham gia vào dự án.
Tên
Chữ ký
Ngày tháng
QUẢNG BÁ NGHIÊN CỨU QUA TRUYỀN THÔNG

Tùy từng thời điểm, QUT có thể sẽ quảng bá nghiên cứu của chúng tôi cho công chúng thông qua truyền thông,
ví dụ, qua các bài báo. Quý vị có sẵn sàng cho bộ phận Truyền thông và Thông tin của QUT liên hệ và đưa vào
những câu chuyện như vậy? Bằng cách đánh dấu ô dưới đây, nó chỉ có nghĩa là quý vị đã đồng ý cho QUT liên
lạc – quý vị vẫn có thể quyết định không tham gia vào bất kỳ chương trình truyền thông nào vào thời điểm
được liên hệ.
Được, bạn có thể liên hệ với tôi về việc tham gia trong các quảng bá nghiên cứu.
Không, tôi không muốn được liên hệ về việc tham gia trong chương trình quảng bá.
Vui lòng gửi lại tờ này cho người nghiên cứu.
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Consent form for interview and Interview’s questions (in English and Vietnamese)
PARTICIPANT INFORMATION FOR QUT RESEARCH
PROJECT
– Interview –
Policy learning in formulating supportive instruments for
RESEARCH TEAM
Principal Researcher: Hong Trang Nguyen, Ph.D student, QUT
Associate Researcher: Martin Skitmore, Professor, QUT
Tanja Tyvimaa, Lecturer, QUT
Xiaoling Zhang, Assistant Professor, City University of Hong Kong
Science & Engineering Faculty, Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
DESCRIPTION
This project is being undertaken as part of the Ph.D study for Hong Trang Nguyen.
The purposes of this project are to suggest the suitable policies for green building adoption in Vietnam and
evaluate the possibility of learning and applying a foreign green building policy whilst taking into account the
contextual differences.
You are invited to participate in this project because you are one of the policy officers/scholars who potentially
involves with the process of decision making and policy learning.
PARTICIPATION
Your participation will involve an audio recorded interview at your office or another agreed location that will
take approximately 40-60 minutes of your time. If you choose not to be audio recorded, the interview may take
longer than expected to take note your answers and the interviewer may contact you again to verify the collected
data.
Questions will include:
• From your viewpoint as a policy officer/construction professor who will develop green building
policies, what should be the goals of green building policy?
• According to the result of this survey, … (e.g.: slow policy-making, high initial invetsment) are the
most challenging barriers against the adoption of green building in Vietnam, and … (e.g.: government’s
provision of financial incentive) are the highest ranked drivers. Please provide your opinion about the
suitable policy package to promote the construction industry to adopt more green building practices.
• Based on your knowledge and concerns, what kinds of instrument can the government and the Ministry
implement that will encourage construction stakeholders, e.g. property developers to … (reflecting back
to their opinion about the goals of green building policy)?
• Which government agencies will involve in the process of developing and implementing such
instrument? Please describe the roles and the usual practice of collaboration between your department
and the others that you have listed.
Your participation in this project is entirely voluntary. If you do agree to participate you can withdraw from
the project without comment or penalty. If you withdraw within 4 weeks, on request any identifiable
information already obtained from you will be destroyed. Your decision to participate or not participate will in
no way impact upon your current or future relationship with QUT (for example study, collaboration or
cooperation).
EXPECTED BENEFITS
It is expected that this project will benefit you directly as this study will result in suggesting suitable and
evidence-based policies that will promote the adoption of green building, help the construction related firms
overcome barriers to engaging in developing green building and contribute to the green growth of Vietnam's
construction industry and the economy.
RISKS
There are minimal risks associated with your participation in this project. These include discomfort while
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sitting in a recorded interview and answering questions, concerns about your identity and answer being
published and having restricted timeframe in your schedule. The research team ensures that all these risks are
minimised at our highest efforts, including:
• The questions will be sent to you before the interview takes place so you will have time to decide
whether you would like to participate;
• Your real name will not be documented and will not be published in any document or publication
produced from the research;
• The interview will be scheduled based on your preferential arrangement;
• In any case that you would like to stop the interview (due to discomfort or sudden change in your
schedule), the interviewer will arrange another date and time with you to continue the interview.
• The interview’s location will be chosen according to your preferred venue, with limited to your
office or a public area;
PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

All comments and responses will be treated confidentially unless required by law. Your name is not required
in any of the responses.
As the project involves audio recording:
• you will have the opportunity to verify your comments and responses prior to final inclusion;
• the audio recording will be destroyed 5 years after the last publication;
• the audio recording will be used for research and policy advices only, it will not be used for any other
purpose;
• only the research team and Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia will have access
to the audio recording, however, your name will not be documented in any future published result;
and
• it is possible to participate in the project without being audio recorded, however, the interview may
take longer than expected to write down every answer and the interviewer may contact you again to
verify the collected data.
Any data collected as part of this project will be stored securely as per QUT’s Management of research data policy.
Please note that non-identifiable data collected in this project may be used as comparative data in future projects
or stored on an open access database for secondary analysis.
CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE
We would like to ask you to sign a written consent form (enclosed) to confirm your agreement to participate.
QUESTIONS / FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECT

If you have any questions or require further information please contact one of the research team members
below.
+84 936122929
Email: Email: Email:
hongtrang.nguyen@hdr.qut.edu.au rm.skitmore@qut.edu.au t.tyvimaa@qut.edu.au
CONCERNS / COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE CONDUCT OF THE PROJECT

QUT is committed to research integrity and the ethical conduct of research projects. However, if you do have
any concerns or complaints about the ethical conduct of the project you may contact the QUT Research Ethics
Advisory Team on +61 7 3138 5123 or email ethicscontact@qut.edu.au. The QUT Research Ethics Advisory
Team is not connected with the research project and can facilitate a resolution to your concern in an impartial
manner.
Thank you for helping with this research project. Please keep this sheet for your information.
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– Interview –
+84 936122929
Email: Email: Email: t.tyvimaa@qut.edu.au
hongtrang.nguyen@hdr.qut.edu.au rm.skitmore@qut.edu.au
• Understand that the project will include an audio recording, or Understand that the interview may take
longer than expected to write down every answer, and the interviewer may contact you again to verify
the collected data if you would like your interview not to be recorded.
future projects.
Name
Signature
Date


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THÔNG TIN CHO NGƯỜI THAM GIA DỰ ÁN
NGHIÊN CỨU CỦA QUT
– Phỏng vấn –
nghiên cứu
NHÓM NGHIÊN CỨU

Nghiên cứu viên chính: Nguyễn Hồng Trang, Nghiên cứu sinh tiến sĩ, QUT
Các nghiên cứu viên Martin Skitmore, Giáo sư, QUT,
cộng tác: Tanja Tyvimaa, Giảng viên, QUT,
Xiaoling Zhang, Phó Giáo sư, Đại học Thành phố Hồng Kông
Khoa khoa học và kỹ thuật, Đại học Công Nghệ Queensland (QUT)
MÔ TẢ
Dự án này nằm trong quá trình học tập nghiên cứu bậc Tiến sĩ của nghiên cứu sinh Nguyễn Hồng Trang.
Dự án nhắm tới hai mục tiêu chính. Mục tiêu thứ nhất là đề xuất chính sách phù hợp để Công trình xanh được
chấp nhận và xây dựng rộng rãi tại Việt Nam. Mục tiêu thứ hai là đánh giá khả năng học tập và áp dụng một
chính sách công trình xanh của nước ngoài, có tính đến sự khác biệt về hoàn cảnh và điều kiện giữa hai nước.
Quý vị được mời tham gia vào dự án này vì quý vị là một trong sô những nhà hoạch định chính sách hoặc
những chuyên gia trong lĩnh vực xây dựng và có thể tham gia vào việc trao đổi học tập chính sách và đưa ra
quyết định về chính sách công trình xanh.
SỰ THAM GIA CỦA QUÝ VỊ

Quý vị được mời tham gia vào một cuộc phỏng ở văn phòng của quý vị hoặc tại một địa điểm được thỏa thuận
trước. Cuộc phỏng vấn sẽ được ghi âm và mất khoảng 40-60 phút. Nếu quý vị chọn không ghi âm, cuộc phỏng
vấn có thể mất nhiều thời gian hơn dự kiến để ghi lại câu trả lời và người phỏng vấn có thể liên hệ lại với quý
vị để xác minh các dữ liệu thu thập được.
Câu hỏi sẽ bao gồm:

• Từ quan điểm của quý vị như là một nhà hoạc định chính sách/ chuyên gia về lĩnh vực xây dựng,
những người sẽ phát triển các chính sách xây dựng xanh, chính sách xây dựng xanh cần nhắm tới mục
tiêu gì?
• Theo kết quả của cuộc khảo sát này, Việc chậm ban hành chính sách và Mức đầu tư CTX cao là những
rào cản khó khăn nhất đối với việc áp dụng công trình xanh tại Việt Nam, và Chính sách khuyến khích
tài chính của chính phủ) là những động lực xếp hạng cao nhất. Vui lòng cho biết ý kiến của quý vị về
gói chính sách phù hợp để thúc đẩy ngành công nghiệp xây dựng áp dụng công trình xanh.
• Dựa vào kiến thức và những mối quan tâm của quý vị, chính phủ và các Bộ có thể thực hiện các công
cụ nào để khuyến khích các bên liên quan, ví dụ: các nhà phát triển bất động sản,... (phản ánh lại ý
kiến của quý vị về các mục tiêu của chính sách xây dựng xanh)?
• Các cơ quan chính phủ nào sẽ tham gia vào quá trình phát triển và thực hiện các công cụ như vậy?
Vui lòng mô tả vai trò và sự hợp tác giữa tổ chức/cơ quan của quý vị và những tổ chức khác mà quý
vị đã liệt kê.
Sự tham gia của quý vị trong dự án này là hoàn toàn tự nguyện. Dù đồng ý tham gia, quý vị vẫn có thể rút khỏi
dự án mà không bị ảnh hưởng. Nếu quý vị rút khỏi dự án trong vòng 4 tuần, bất kỳ thông tin cá nhân nhận
được từ quý vị sẽ bị hủy theo yêu cầu. Quyết định của quý vị trong việc tham gia hoặc không tham gia không
tác động đến mối quan hệ hiện tại hoặc tương lai của quý vị với QUT (ví dụ việc học tập hay hợp tác).
CÁC LỢI ÍCH DỰ KIẾN

Dự án này có thể trực tiếp có lợi cho quý vị vì kết quả của dự án sẽ đề xuất các chính sách phù hợp dựa trên số
liệu thực tế để phát triển các cơ chế thúc đẩy việc áp dụng các công trình xanh, giúp tổ chức/công ty xây dựng
vượt qua những rào cản để tham gia vào việc phát triển công trình xanh, góp phần vào sự tăng trưởng xanh của
ngành công nghiệp xây dựng và nền kinh tế Việt Nam.
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RỦI RO
Có những rủi ro tối thiểu liên quan đến sự tham gia của quý vị trong dự án này. Chúng bao gồm các cảm giác
khó chịu khi ngồi trong một cuộc phỏng vấn được ghi âm và trả lời các câu hỏi, mối quan ngại về danh tính và
câu trả lời của quý vị bị công khai hay quý vị có thời gian hạn chế. Nhóm nghiên cứu đảm bảo rằng tất cả
những rủi ro được giảm thiểu ở những nỗ lực cao nhất, bao gồm:
• Các câu hỏi sẽ được gửi đến quý vị trước cuộc phỏng vấn, do đó quý vị sẽ có thời gian để quyết định
việc tham gia dự án;
• Tên thật của quý vị sẽ không bị ghi lại và sẽ không công bố trong bất kỳ tài liệu xuất bản từ nghiên
cứu này;
• Các cuộc phỏng vấn sẽ được sắp xếp dựa trên lịch trình của quý vị;
• Trong trường hợp quý vị muốn ngừng cuộc phỏng vấn (do khó chịu hoặc lịch trình của quý vị thay
đổi đột ngột), người phỏng vấn sẽ sắp xếp một ngày và thời gian khác với quý vị để tiếp tục cuộc
phỏng vấn.
• Các địa điểm phỏng vấn sẽ được lựa chọn theo địa điểm ưa thích của quý vị, giới hạn ở văn phòng
của quý vị hoặc một địa điểm công cộng;
CHÍNH SÁCH RIÊNG TƯ VÀ BẢO MẬT

Tất cả các ý kiến và trả lời sẽ được bảo mật, trừ khi luật pháp yêu cầu. Câu trả lời sẽ không ghi tên của quý vị.
Do dự án bao gồm việc ghi âm:

• quí vị sẽ có cơ hội để xác minh ý kiến trước khi câu trả lời của quý vị được chính thức đưa vào dự án;
• file ghi âm sẽ bị tiêu hủy 5 năm sau khi công bố cuối cùng;
• file ghi âm sẽ chỉ được sử dụng cho nghiên cứu và các đề xuất về chính sách, nó sẽ không bị sử dụng
cho bất kỳ mục đích nào khác;
• chỉ nhóm nghiên cứu và Đại học Công nghệ Queensland (QUT), Úc có quyền truy cập vào các file
ghi âm, tuy nhiên, tên của quý vị sẽ không bị ghi lại trong bất kỳ kết quả dự án công bố trong tương
lai; và
• có thể tham gia vào các dự án mà không ghi âm lại, tuy nhiên, các cuộc phỏng vấn có thể mất nhiều
thời gian hơn dự kiến để ghi lại mọi câu trả lời và người phỏng vấn có thể liên hệ lại với quý vị để
xác minh các dữ liệu thu thập được.
Mọi dữ liệu thu thập trong dự án này sẽ được lưu trữ một cách an toàn theo chính sách quản lý dữ liệu nghiên
cứu của QUT.
Xin lưu ý rằng dữ liệu ẩn danh trong dự án này có thể được sử dụng để so sánh trong các nghiên cứu trong
tương lai hoặc được lưu trữ trên một cơ sở dữ liệu mở phục vụ cho việc phân tích thứ cấp.
CHẤP NHẬN THAM GIA

Chúng tôi mong quý vị ký giấy chấp thuận tham gia bằng văn bản (có kèm theo) để xác nhận sự thỏa thuận.
THẮC MẮC/ THÔNG TIN THÊM VỀ DỰ ÁN

Xin hãy liên hệ một trong những thành viên nhóm nghiên cứu nếu quý vị có bất kỳ thắc mắc hoặc yêu cầu về
dự án.
+84 936122929
QUAN NGẠI / PHÀN NÀN VỀ VIỆC TRIỂN KHAI DỰ ÁN

QUT đã cam kết các nghiên cứu đều phải được thực hiện một cách liêm chính và đạo đức. Tuy nhiên, nếu quý
vị có bất kỳ mối quan ngại hoặc khiếu nại về hành vi đạo đức của dự án này, quý vị có thể liên hệ với Phòng
Đạo đức nghiên cứu của QUT thông qua số điện thoại +61 7 3138 5123 hoặc email ethicscontact@qut.edu.au.
Phòng Đạo đức nghiên cứu của QUT không có mối liên kết trực tiếp với dự án nghiên cứu này và có thể tìm
ra giải pháp cho mối quan ngại của quý vị một cách vô tư.
Cảm ơn quý vị đã giúp đỡ dự án nghiên cứu này. Xin hãy giữ tờ thông tin này lại để tham khảo.
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QUT
nghiên cứu
Tên: Nguyễn Hồng Trang Tên: Martin Skitmore Tên: Matthew Gray
+84 936122929
• Hiểu rằng dự án sẽ bao gồm dữ liệu ghi âm, hoặc hiểu rằng nếu quý vị muốn cuộc phỏng vấn không
được ghi âm lại, cuộc phỏng vấn có thể mất nhiều thời gian hơn dự kiến để ghi lại mỗi câu trả lời, và
người phỏng vấn có thể liên hệ lại với quý vị để xác minh các dữ liệu thu thập.
tương lai.
Tên
Chữ ký
Ngày tháng

Được, quý vị có thể liên hệ với tôi về việc tham gia trong các quảng bá nghiên cứu.
Page | 300
Appendices
Consent form for interview round in stage 3 and Interview’s questions (in English and
Vietnamese)
PARTICIPANT INFORMATION FOR QUT RESEARCH
PROJECT
– Interview –
Policy learning in formulating supportive instruments for

RESEARCH TEAM
Principal Researcher: Hong Trang Nguyen, Ph.D student, QUT
Associate Researcher: Martin Skitmore, Professor, QUT
Tanja Tyvimaa, Lecturer, QUT
Xiaoling Zhang, Assistant Professor, City University of Hong Kong
Science & Engineering Faculty, Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
DESCRIPTION
This project is being undertaken as part of the Ph.D study for Hong Trang Nguyen.
The purposes of this project are to suggest the suitable policies for green building (GB) adoption in Vietnam
and evaluate the possibility of learning and applying a foreign green building policy whilst taking into account
the contextual differences.
You are invited to participate in this project because you are one of the policy officers/scholars who potentially
involves with the process of decision making and policy learning.
PARTICIPATION
Your participation will involve an audio recorded interview at your office or another agreed location that will
take approximately 40-60 minutes of your time. If you choose not to be audio recorded, the interview may take
longer than expected to take note your answers and the interviewer may contact you again to verify the collected
data.
Questions will include:
• From your viewpoint as a policy officer/construction professor who will develop green building
policies, please rate the feasibility of these policies below when applied in Vietnam from 1 (not at all
feasible) to 5 (highly feasible) and provide the reasons for your decision. Please choose two policies
that are best applied in Vietnam context.
Green Building Policies 1 2 3 4 5

Regulating green labelling and the volunteering GB rating schemes:
Recognise several schemes as long as they meet or exceed a standard or use
internationally recognised schemes.
Financial incentive:
Provide eligible GB projects with a loan or a one-off grant.
Tax reduction:
Apply stamp exemption or abatement on eligible GB.
Invest in GB demonstration projects.
Encourage public buildings and public funded buildings to be certified as GB
or to achieve certain GB criteria.
Develop a green building database including information about green labelled
building, practices, products and non-green ones.
Release clear guidelines on how to achieve green building, including
principles and examples for green design, green procurement and proper
building’s operation.
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Appendices
• If the policies are applied, what are the expectations do you have regarding their result and
influence?
• Which government agencies and organisations will be involved in the process of learning, adapting
and implementing these policies in Vietnam?
• In what conditions can they be learnt?
• Based on your knowledge, experiences and concerns, what factors do you think the authorities need
to take into account while learning and adapting the policies? (eg. social reaction, institutional
requirement, financial condition)
• How may the policies be transformed?
• How do you measure the level of success or failure of policies?
Your participation in this project is entirely voluntary. If you do agree to participate you can withdraw from
the project without comment or penalty. If you withdraw within 4 weeks, on request any identifiable
information already obtained from you will be destroyed. Your decision to participate or not participate will in
no way impact upon your current or future relationship with QUT (for example study, collaboration or
cooperation).
EXPECTED BENEFITS
It is expected that this project will benefit you directly as this study will result in suggesting suitable and
evidence-based policies that will promote the adoption of green building, help the construction related firms
overcome barriers to engaging in developing green building and contribute to the green growth of Vietnam's
construction industry and the economy.
RISKS
There are minimal risks associated with your participation in this project. These include discomfort while
sitting in a recorded interview and answering questions, concerns about your identity and answer being
published and having restricted timeframe in your schedule. The research team ensures that all these risks are
minimised at our highest efforts, including:
• The questions will be sent to you before the interview takes place so you will have time to decide
whether you would like to participate;
• Your real name will not be documented and will not be published in any document or publication
produced from the research;
• The interview will be scheduled based on your preferential arrangement;
• In any case that you would like to stop the interview (due to discomfort or sudden change in your
schedule), the interviewer will arrange another date and time with you to continue the interview.
• The interview’s location will be chosen according to your preferred venue, with limited to your office
or a public area;
PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

All comments and responses will be treated confidentially unless required by law. Your name is not required
in any of the responses.
As the project involves audio recording:

• you will have the opportunity to verify your comments and responses prior to final inclusion;
• the audio recording will be destroyed 5 years after the last publication;
• the audio recording will be used for research and policy advices only, it will not be used for any other
purpose;
• only the research team and Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia will have access
to the audio recording, however, your name will not be documented in any future published result;
and
• it is possible to participate in the project without being audio recorded, however, the interview may
take longer than expected to write down every answer and the interviewer may contact you again to
verify the collected data.
Any data collected as part of this project will be stored securely as per QUT’s Management of research data policy.
Please note that non-identifiable data collected in this project may be used as comparative data in future projects
or stored on an open access database for secondary analysis.
CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE
We would like to ask you to sign a written consent form (enclosed) to confirm your agreement to participate.
QUESTIONS / FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECT
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Appendices
If you have any questions or require further information please contact one of the research team members
below.
+84 936122929
CONCERNS / COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE CONDUCT OF THE PROJECT

QUT is committed to research integrity and the ethical conduct of research projects. However, if you do have
any concerns or complaints about the ethical conduct of the project you may contact the QUT Research Ethics
Advisory Team on +61 7 3138 5123 or email ethicscontact@qut.edu.au. The QUT Research Ethics Advisory
Team is not connected with the research project and can facilitate a resolution to your concern in an impartial
manner.
Thank you for helping with this research project. Please keep this sheet for your information.
Page | 303
Appendices
– Interview –
Position: PhD Candidate Position: Professor Position: Lecturer
+84 936122929
Email: Email: Email: t.tyvimaa@qut.edu.au
hongtrang.nguyen@hdr.qut.edu.au rm.skitmore@qut.edu.au
• Understand that the project will include an audio recording, or Understand that the interview may take
longer than expected to write down every answer, and the interviewer may contact you again to verify
the collected data if you would like your interview not to be recorded.
future projects.
Name
Signature
Date

Page | 304
Appendices
THÔNG TIN CHO NGƯỜI THAM GIA DỰ ÁN NGHIÊN
CỨU CỦA QUT
nghiên cứu
NHÓM NGHIÊN CỨU

Nghiên cứu viên chính: Nguyễn Hồng Trang, Nghiên cứu sinh tiến sĩ, QUT
Các nghiên cứu viên Martin Skitmore, Giáo sư, QUT,
cộng tác: Tanja Tyvimaa, Giảng viên, QUT,
Xiaoling Zhang, Phó Giáo sư, Đại học Thành phố Hồng Kông
Khoa Khoa học và Kỹ thuật, Đại học Công Nghệ Queensland (QUT)
MÔ TẢ
Dự án này nằm trong quá trình học tập nghiên cứu bậc Tiến sĩ của nghiên cứu sinh Nguyễn Hồng Trang.
Dự án nhắm tới hai mục tiêu chính. Mục tiêu thứ nhất là đề xuất chính sách phù hợp để Công trình xanh (CTX)
được chấp nhận và xây dựng rộng rãi tại Việt Nam. Mục tiêu thứ hai là đánh giá khả năng học tập và áp dụng
một chính sách công trình xanh của nước ngoài, có tính đến sự khác biệt về hoàn cảnh và điều kiện giữa hai
nước.
Quý vị được mời tham gia vào dự án này vì quý vị là một trong sô những nhà hoạch định chính sách hoặc
những chuyên gia trong lĩnh vực xây dựng và có thể tham gia vào việc trao đổi học tập chính sách và đưa ra
quyết định về chính sách công trình xanh.
SỰ THAM GIA CỦA QUÝ VỊ

Quý vị được mời tham gia vào một cuộc phỏng ở văn phòng của quý vị hoặc tại một địa điểm được thỏa thuận
trước. Cuộc phỏng vấn sẽ được ghi âm và mất khoảng 40-60 phút. Nếu quý vị chọn không ghi âm, cuộc phỏng
vấn có thể mất nhiều thời gian hơn dự kiến để ghi lại câu trả lời và người phỏng vấn có thể liên hệ lại với quý
vị để xác minh các dữ liệu thu thập được.
Câu hỏi sẽ bao gồm:
• Từ quan điểm của quý vị như là một nhà hoạch định chính sách/ chuyên gia về lĩnh vực xây dựng,
những người sẽ phát triển các chính sách xây dựng xanh, xin hãy đánh giá tính khả thi của những
chính sách về CTX nước ngoài dưới đây khi áp dụng tại Việt Nam theo thang từ 1 (hoàn toàn không
khả thi) tới 5 (rất khả thi) và cho biết lý do ông/bà đánh giá như vậy. Ông/bà hãy chọn 2 chính sách
khả thi nhất có thể áp dụng cho Việt Nam.
Chính sách CTX được khuyến nghị 1 2 3 4 5

Kiểm soát việc gắn nhãn xanh và các hệ thống chứng nhận CTX:
Ghi nhận các hệ thống đánh giá và chứng nhận xanh đạt đủ điều kiện hoặc sử
dụng các hệ thống quốc tế đã được ghi nhận.
Ưu đãi tài chính:
Cung cấp cho các dự án CTX đạt đủ điều kiện một khoản vay ưu đãi hoặc một
khoản tiền thưởng nhất định.
Giảm thuế/phí:
Áp dụng miễn trừ thuế hoặc hoàn thuế/phí cho các CTX đạt điều kiện
Đầu tư vào dự án CTX điển hình
Khuyến khích các tòa nhà công cộng và tòa nhà sử dụng vốn ngân sách nhà
nước đạt chứng nhận CTX hoặc đạt một số tiêu chí của CTX.
Phát triển một kho dữ liệu về CTX bao gồm các thông tin về các tòa nhà, hoạt
động xây dựng, sản phẩm đã được chứng nhận xanh và các sản phẩm không
xanh.
Phát hành những hướng dẫn cụ thể về làm thế nào để đạt công trình xanh, bao
gồm các nguyên tắc và ví dụ cho kiến trúc xanh, đấu thầu xanh cùng với hướng
dẫn vận hành và bảo dưỡng công trình.
Page | 305
Appendices
• Nếu các chính sách đó được thực hiện, ông/bà có kỳ vọng gì về kết quả và độ ảnh hưởng của chính
sách?
• Các cơ quan chính phủ và tổ chức nào sẽ tham gia vào quá trình học, chỉnh sửa và vận dụng các
chính sách đó tại Việt Nam?
• Các chính sách đó có thể được học trong hoàn cảnh nào?
• Dựa vào kiến thức, kinh nghiệm và những mối quan tâm của quý vị, các yếu tố quan trọng nào nào
ảnh hưởng tới việc học, chỉnh sửa và vận dụng các chính sách đó tại Việt Nam? (ví dụ: phản ứng
của xã hội, yêu cầu về cơ chế, điều kiện tài chính)?
• Các chính sách đó có thể sẽ phải chỉnh sửa như thế nào?
• Làm thế nào ông/bà đánh giá được mức độ thành công của các chính sách đó nếu được thực hiện tại
Việt Nam?
Sự tham gia của quý vị trong dự án này là hoàn toàn tự nguyện. Dù đồng ý tham gia, quý vị vẫn có thể rút khỏi
dự án mà không bị ảnh hưởng. Nếu quý vị rút khỏi dự án trong vòng 4 tuần, bất kỳ thông tin cá nhân nhận
được từ quý vị sẽ bị hủy theo yêu cầu. Quyết định của quý vị trong việc tham gia hoặc không tham gia không
tác động đến mối quan hệ hiện tại hoặc tương lai của quý vị với QUT (ví dụ việc học tập hay hợp tác).
CÁC LỢI ÍCH DỰ KIẾN

Dự án này có thể trực tiếp có lợi cho quý vị vì kết quả của dự án sẽ đề xuất các chính sách phù hợp dựa trên số
liệu thực tế để phát triển các cơ chế thúc đẩy việc áp dụng các công trình xanh, giúp tổ chức/công ty xây dựng
vượt qua những rào cản để tham gia vào việc phát triển công trình xanh, góp phần vào sự tăng trưởng xanh của
ngành công nghiệp xây dựng và nền kinh tế Việt Nam.
RỦI RO
Có những rủi ro tối thiểu liên quan đến sự tham gia của quý vị trong dự án này. Chúng bao gồm các cảm giác
khó chịu khi ngồi trong một cuộc phỏng vấn được ghi âm và trả lời các câu hỏi, mối quan ngại về danh tính và
câu trả lời của quý vị bị công khai hay quý vị có thời gian hạn chế. Nhóm nghiên cứu đảm bảo rằng tất cả
những rủi ro được giảm thiểu ở những nỗ lực cao nhất, bao gồm:
• Các câu hỏi sẽ được gửi đến quý vị trước cuộc phỏng vấn, do đó quý vị sẽ có thời gian để quyết định
việc tham gia dự án;
• Tên thật của quý vị sẽ không bị ghi lại và sẽ không công bố trong bất kỳ tài liệu xuất bản từ nghiên
cứu này;
• Các cuộc phỏng vấn sẽ được sắp xếp dựa trên lịch trình của quý vị;
• Trong trường hợp quý vị muốn ngừng cuộc phỏng vấn (do khó chịu hoặc lịch trình của quý vị thay
đổi đột ngột), người phỏng vấn sẽ sắp xếp một ngày và thời gian khác với quý vị để tiếp tục cuộc
phỏng vấn.
• Các địa điểm phỏng vấn sẽ được lựa chọn theo địa điểm ưa thích của quý vị, giới hạn ở văn phòng
của quý vị hoặc một địa điểm công cộng;
CHÍNH SÁCH RIÊNG TƯ VÀ BẢO MẬT

Tất cả các ý kiến và trả lời sẽ được bảo mật, trừ khi luật pháp yêu cầu. Câu trả lời sẽ không ghi tên của quý vị.
Do dự án bao gồm việc ghi âm:

• quí vị sẽ có cơ hội để xác minh ý kiến trước khi câu trả lời của quý vị được chính thức đưa vào dự án;
• file ghi âm sẽ bị tiêu hủy 5 năm sau khi công bố cuối cùng;
• file ghi âm sẽ chỉ được sử dụng cho nghiên cứu và các đề xuất về chính sách, nó sẽ không bị sử dụng
cho bất kỳ mục đích nào khác;
• chỉ nhóm nghiên cứu và Đại học Công nghệ Queensland (QUT), Úc có quyền truy cập vào các file
ghi âm, tuy nhiên, tên của quý vị sẽ không bị ghi lại trong bất kỳ kết quả dự án công bố trong tương
lai; và
• có thể tham gia vào các dự án mà không ghi âm lại, tuy nhiên, các cuộc phỏng vấn có thể mất nhiều
thời gian hơn dự kiến để ghi lại mọi câu trả lời và người phỏng vấn có thể liên hệ lại với quý vị để
xác minh các dữ liệu thu thập được.
Mọi dữ liệu thu thập trong dự án này sẽ được lưu trữ một cách an toàn theo chính sách quản lý dữ liệu nghiên
cứu của QUT.
Xin lưu ý rằng dữ liệu ẩn danh trong dự án này có thể được sử dụng để so sánh trong các nghiên cứu trong
tương lai hoặc được lưu trữ trên một cơ sở dữ liệu mở phục vụ cho việc phân tích thứ cấp.
Page | 306
Appendices
CHẤP NHẬN THAM GIA
Chúng tôi mong quý vị ký giấy chấp thuận tham gia bằng văn bản (có kèm theo) để xác nhận sự thỏa thuận.
THẮC MẮC/ THÔNG TIN THÊM VỀ DỰ ÁN

Xin hãy liên hệ một trong những thành viên nhóm nghiên cứu nếu quý vị có bất kỳ thắc mắc hoặc yêu cầu về
dự án.
+84 936122929
QUAN NGẠI / PHÀN NÀN VỀ VIỆC TRIỂN KHAI DỰ ÁN

QUT đã cam kết các nghiên cứu đều phải được thực hiện một cách liêm chính và đạo đức. Tuy nhiên, nếu quý
vị có bất kỳ mối quan ngại hoặc khiếu nại về hành vi đạo đức của dự án này, quý vị có thể liên hệ với Phòng
Đạo đức nghiên cứu của QUT thông qua số điện thoại +61 7 3138 5123 hoặc email ethicscontact@qut.edu.au.
Phòng Đạo đức nghiên cứu của QUT không có mối liên kết trực tiếp với dự án nghiên cứu này và có thể tìm
ra giải pháp cho mối quan ngại của quý vị một cách vô tư.
Cảm ơn quý vị đã giúp đỡ dự án nghiên cứu này. Xin hãy giữ tờ thông tin này lại để tham khảo.
Page | 307
Appendices
QUT
nghiên cứu
+84 936122929
• Hiểu rằng dự án sẽ bao gồm dữ liệu ghi âm, hoặc hiểu rằng nếu quý vị muốn cuộc phỏng vấn không
được ghi âm lại, cuộc phỏng vấn có thể mất nhiều thời gian hơn dự kiến để ghi lại mỗi câu trả lời, và
người phỏng vấn có thể liên hệ lại với quý vị để xác minh các dữ liệu thu thập.
tương lai.
Tên
Chữ ký
Ngày tháng

Được, quý vị có thể liên hệ với tôi về việc tham gia trong các quảng bá nghiên cứu.
Page | 308
Appendices

Hong Trang Nguyen Thesis-Formulating Conductive GreenBuilding Vietnam

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Hong Trang Nguyen Thesis-Formulating Conductive GreenBuilding Vietnam

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FORMULATING SUPPORTIVE INSTRUMENTS

FOR GREEN BUILDING DEVELOPMENT IN

Hong Trang Nguyen

BEng (Urban Construction Management)

Submitted as the fulfilment requirements for the degree of

School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Queensland University of Technology

Exploratory Factor Analysis

Foreign policy learning

Lesson drawing guidance

Mean comparison analysis

Policy community and networks

Qualitative content analysis

Table of Contents ........................................................................................................... iv

List of Figures ............................................................................................................. xi

List of Tables ............................................................................................................. xiii

List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................. xvi

Statement of Original Authorship ............................................................................ xvii

Acknowledgements ................................................................................................. xviii

CHAPTER 1: Introduction ........................................................................................... 1

1.1. Research background ..................................................................................................1

1.1.1. Country profile of Vietnam ................................................................................. 1

1.1.2. Inter-connected challenges Vietnam is facing on its pathway of development .. 1

1.2. Research problems ....................................................................................................10

1.3. Research objectives ...................................................................................................11

1.4. The significance of the study ....................................................................................11

1.5. Thesis outline ............................................................................................................12

1.6. Chapter summary ......................................................................................................13

CHAPTER 2: Literature Review................................................................................ 15

2.1. Chapter overview ......................................................................................................15

2.2. Green building development in Vietnam ..................................................................15

2.2.1. The current status of green building development ............................................ 15

2.3. Government interventions to promote green building adoption............................... 28

2.3.1. The need for government policies ..................................................................... 28

2.3.2. Green building public policy options ................................................................ 29

2.3.3. Policies implemented by the Vietnamese government to encourage green

2.3.4. Other factors affecting the green building legislation development.................. 39

2.4. The policy-making process of green building policy ............................................... 41

2.4.1. The network approach in analysing policy formulation process ....................... 42

2.4.3. The existing institutional structure relating to green building ........................... 44

2.4.4. Formulating green building instruments through learning in the policy

2.4.5. Learning practice in the policy-making process of the Vietnamese government

2.5.1. Reasons of learning from foreign policies ......................................................... 50

2.5.2. Honouring international commitments of Vietnamese government ................. 52

2.5.3. Types and process of policy learning ................................................................ 54

2.5.6. Potential factors affecting the foreign policy learning ...................................... 61

2.6. Chapter Summary ..................................................................................................... 64

CHAPTER 3: Research design ................................................................................... 66

3.1. Chapter overview...................................................................................................... 66

3.2. Research paradigm and the developmental approach............................................... 66

3.2.1. Research paradigm ............................................................................................ 66

3.2.3. Quantitative methods: Web-based and interviewed questionnaire ................... 68

3.2.4. Qualitative methods........................................................................................... 68

3.3. Visualised research design ........................................................................................69

3.4. Stage 1: Literature review .........................................................................................71

3.5.1. Analytical framework for green building policy-making ................................. 72

3.5.2. First-round – Questionnaire – Exploring key barriers and drivers to GB

3.5.3. Second-round – Interview – identify GB policy goals, policy instrument, policy

3.6.1. First-round – Legal document analysis – A review of foreign green building

3.7. Ethical considerations for conducting research .........................................................82

3.7.1. Minimising the risks for the participants........................................................... 82

3.7.2. Minimising the risks for the researcher ............................................................. 83

3.8. Chapter Summary......................................................................................................83