By Abby Le ‘25, Mathematical Economics
“Cậu học gì ở Colorado College?
“Tớ học Toán Kinh Tế.”
“Thôi tớ không nói chuyện với mấy người đấy.”
That threw me off a little bit. This playful exchange marked my introduction to Chiến, one of the Vietnamese youths I met at COP29 in Baku. The group included anh Tuấn Anh, anh Toàn, chị Bảo Ngọc, and Chiến. Most of them wore pink Party badges, except Chiến, who had a yellow Observer badge. They were part of the Youth Climate Action Network (YNET), a national network uniting youth in climate actions established in 2020 with support from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and UNDP. Meeting them felt like a small piece of home amidst the sprawling COP conference.
They were taking their first group photo, so I helped capture the moment and even joined a few shots before we parted ways. They had to meet the Vietnamese government delegation outside the Blue Zone, leaving me to explore more of the conference on my own.
Delegates from Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
I skipped breakfast and started the next day early due to the Pin Hunt Mission, so by 2:00 pm, I was already hungry. The formal meeting room area has a bunch of small shops where you could get coffee, pastries, and snacks, so I got myself an almond croissant, sat down, and called my dad, who was then only 3-hour ahead of me. The area was huge so all the noises blended in together. But you know that feeling when you suddenly hear your language in a room full of English speakers? You immediately look up – I heard some Vietnamese as a group of people walked past me. Curious, and suddenly a rush in my heart, I told my dad I might have found the other Vietnamese delegates here. Dad encouraged me to go say hi and introduced myself to them, so I gathered all of my courage and came up to them when they were on the ground finishing up their lunch as quickly as possible: they turned out to be delegates from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. They were very welcoming upon learning that I was a Vietnamese student: “Don’t stand there, come sit with us!” One of the male delegates, chú Hiển, who was standing, said that they were just here to network, take some pictures with the big guys, talk about our carbon market, and then go back home. Not all of the Vietnamese reps were here when we had this conversation. “The actually big guys are not here – Putin and Biden are not here, India is also not here, so that’s why [Pham Minh Chinh] is not here,” he said. “How do you think about the US election? How are your friends feeling about Trump being the next president?” – I answered them briefly as they proceeded to discuss Trump and his convictions. We then exchanged some words about Colorado College, the AN380 class we were a part of, and my Mathematical Economics major. Then a little bit about Hiển’s family– his son is a second-year at Lehigh University studying finance ( he said “[his son] just wants to get rich, he wouldn’t want to do this kind of work” – chuckle). Then some of them started to look at their phones and wrapped things up. It felt like they didn’t want to talk anymore, so I said thank you, goodbye and walked to my next event room.
Youth as a helping hand
YNET representatives at COP29 (left to right: Ngoc Nguyen, Chien Tran, Toan Nguyen, Anh Khong)
November 16 was the Science, Technology, and Innovation Day. After the entire morning pin hunting, talking to representatives at the country pavilions about what they bring to the table at this conference, and attending a special event, I chose to sit in a different area to call my dad this time, because where I was the day before was so occupied with delegates and observers sitting on the ground, working on their computer, eating lunch or catching up with some sleep. The space at the center of the meeting room area, the special event/side event area, and the delegation pavilion was a perfect place to sit where most of the approved protests happen. At 2:30 PM, no organized protests were happening, so it was a perfect place to sit—everyone was constantly on the move so there was a high chance I would see more Vietnamese delegates. As I settled in, Chiến walked by, carrying his lunch and laptop, and sat nearby.
“I only have 30 minutes before my next negotiation,” he said, unpacking his lunch. Seizing the moment, I peppered him with questions about navigating COP. Chiến patiently shared his knowledge, from using the UNFCCC website to subscribing to daily newsletters like ECO and IISD. These resources, he explained, were lifelines for observers trying to keep up with the conference’s relentless pace.
Chiến’s journey to COP was anything but straightforward. Unlike some delegates, he wasn’t formally sponsored. He had applied for government sponsorship in Ho Chi Minh City and joined YNET’s delegation just two weeks before the conference. Despite the whirlwind preparation, he was deeply committed to making a difference. “Vietnam’s youth climate activism is still in its infancy,” he said. “Other countries have teams of 20 youths, formally trained to take notes in negotiation rooms. We’re not there yet, but we hope to be there one day.” Chiến and his peers had volunteered to assist the Vietnamese government delegation by taking notes on various topics, from adaptation to gender discussions. Every evening, they uploaded their notes for review, ensuring their contributions reached the right people.
As we talked, Chiến opened a package of gummy candies. “If your school paid for you to be here, just hang out,” he joked. “A lot of people at COP are here because they’re good at persuading someone to give them a badge, not because they’re doing serious work.” But his tone softened as he added, “Everyone has their strengths. Some people excel at social media, and that helps bring attention to the event.”
When I asked why he had gone through so much trouble to attend as a volunteer, his answer was simple yet profound: “I just want to raise awareness and push for more youth voices in government delegations. If we do good work, maybe they’ll include us more in the future.”
It was 3:20 PM. The 3:00 pm meeting Chiến was supposed to be on Zoom for finally started. Chiến told me to come back at 5 PM to attend the Closing Plenary Meeting (which only happened twice during the 2 weeks, and the next time would be on the last day of COP’s published schedule, but it actually never happened before we left Baku).
Inside a Loss and Damage negotiation room
At 5:30 PM, I came back to the Blue Zone, this time walked around to all of the formal meeting rooms to check which still had space for observers like me to get in because the Closing Plenary was pushed to 7:00 pm. I got into Meeting Room 26 which was discussing Matters relating to the least developed countries – Informal consultation: SBI 12. This was the first time I ever sat in a negotiation room; after a thorough scan of the room, I found anh Tuấn Anh sitting in the right corner, the last row of the negotiation space. I came in just 5 minutes before their break time, and during the break, because there were vacant observer seats behind anh Tuấn Anh, I dragged my bag with me and sat and came to say hi to him. We talked a little bit about his work here – he was not an official negotiator on behalf of Vietnam; he was here to take notes. He told me negotiation rooms are usually moving very slowly, and that they’re just gonna be fixing the commas, the full stops, and the brackets a lot of the time. “Most of the actions happen informally outside of these rooms, between two or more parties, and you don’t really see it. here in the negotiation rooms, you don’t see a lot of befriending or real networking actions going on – they have their own “inner circle” already.” Using his chin to point to the EU, Australia, US, and Canada’s negotiators talking to each other – smiles were on their faces, they talked in a pretty casual, uplifting attitude. “See over there, they already have a group going on; why would they bother to go talk to other groups.”
Anh Tuấn Anh’s commitment to youth engagement was evident. As a UNICEF Adolescent and Youth Environmental Engagement Coordinator and a co-founder of YNET Vietnam, he was passionate about bringing more young voices into climate discussions. “It’s a trend now,” he joked. “Climate work is where the world is heading. You gotta be early in the game.”
When I asked about his aspirations, he was candid: “I don’t want to be a policymaker. It’s too slow and frustrating. I just hope more youth will be included in these discussions. We need organized delegations that genuinely reflect our generation’s concerns.”
As the session resumed, anh Tuấn Anh turned back to his notes.
Meeting these Vietnamese representatives at COP29 was a humbling experience. From Chiến’s tireless note-taking to anh Tuấn Anh’s commitment to youth advocacy, their stories highlight both the opportunities and obstacles faced by Vietnam’s climate leaders. As Vietnam continues to develop its presence in global climate discussions, the passion and determination of its youth will undoubtedly play a critical role in shaping a sustainable future.
