Circular No. 72/2025/TT-BNNMT stipulates the structure and construction, updating, maintenance, guidance on exploitation and use of the national database on climate change.

CIRCULAR

Regulations on the structure and construction, updating, maintenance, guidance for exploitation,
use of the national database on climate change

Pursuant to the Environmental Protection Law No. 72/2020/QH14;

Pursuant to the Law on Electronic Transactions No. 20/2023/QH15;

Pursuant to the Law on Digital Data No. 60/2024/QH15;

Pursuant to Decree No. 35/2025/NĐ-CP dated February 25, 2025 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development;

Pursuant toDecree No. 06/2022/NĐ-CP dated January 7, 2022 of the Government on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting the ozone layer, amended and supplemented by Decree No. 119/2025/NĐ-CP dated June 9, 2025June 9, 2025;

Pursuant to Decree No. 165/2025/NĐ-CP dated June 30, 2025 of the Government detailing certain provisions and measures to implement the Law on Digital Data;

Pursuant to Decree No. 194/2025/NĐ-CP dated July 3, 2025 of the Governmentdetailing certain provisions of the Law on Electronic Transactions regarding the national database, connection and sharing of data, open data serving electronic transactions of state agencies;for data linkage and sharing, open data serving electronic transactions of state agencies;

Pursuant to Decree No. 278/2025/NĐ-CP dated October 22, 2025 of the Governmenton mandatory data connection and sharing between agencies under the political system;

At the proposal of the Director of the Climate Change Department and the Director of the Digital Transformation Department;

The Minister of Agriculture and Environment issues this Circular regulating the structure and construction, updating, maintenance, guidance for exploitation, and use of the national database on climate change.

 PART I

 GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

This Circular regulates the structure and construction, updating, maintenance, guidance for exploitation, and use of the national database on climate change.

Article 2. Scope of Application

This Circular applies to state agencies, organizations, and individuals related to the construction, management, operation, updating, maintenance, connection, sharing, exploitation, and use of data, and ensuring the security and confidentiality of the national database on climate change.

Article 3. Explanation of Terms

In this Circular, the following terms are understood as follows:

1. Climate change datais a collection of information and data about climate change in digital form, including spatial data, attribute data, unstructured data, and metadata.

2. Spatial climate change datais data about the contents and elements of climate change linked to geographic coordinates or geometric space, allowing the determination of location, shape, and spatial relationships of objects.

3. Attribute climate change datais a set of information describing characteristics, status, or quantitative and qualitative indicators related to the contents and factors affecting climate change.

4. Unstructured climate change data climate changeis data about the content of the climate change field, not following a specific data structure or model, including text files, image files, graphic files, and other unstructured data.

5. Metadataonclimate changeis data describing climate change data.

Chapter II

STRUCTURE OF THE NATIONAL DATABASE ON CLIMATE CHANGE

ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Article 4. Components of the National Database on Climate Change

1. The national database on climate change includes the information and data specified in Clause 1, Article 94 of the Environmental Protection Law 2020 and detailed in Appendix I attached hereto.

2. Core climate change data include: results of national greenhouse gas inventories; list of greenhouse gases; climate change scenarios; list of substances controlled under the Montreal Protocol; total national consumption of controlled substances under the Montreal Protocol.

3. The architecture, model, and structure of the national database on climate change are specified in Appendix II attached hereto.

4. The information system and national database on climate change are specified in Section 1, Chapter IV of this Circular.

Article 5. Spatial Data

1. Spatial data on vulnerability and risk from climate change to resources, environment, ecosystems include zoning maps of vulnerability and risk from climate change for: land resources; water resources; mineral resources; forest resources; biodiversity; marine and island resources.

2. Spatial data on vulnerability and risk from climate change to socio-economic activities include zoning maps of vulnerability and risk from climate change for: agriculture; forestry; transportation; construction and urban areas; industry; energy; information and communication; tourism; trade and services; population distribution; housing and living conditions; health services; culture; education; vulnerable groups; gender and poverty reduction.

3. Spatial data on past and future changes in climatic factors include maps on: trends in sea level rise; trends in wave height; scenarios for temperature changes; scenarios for precipitation changes; scenarios for extreme weather events; sea level rise scenarios.

4. Spatial data on greenhouse gas emitting facilities that must conduct greenhouse gas inventories include location and name data of such facilities.

Article 6. Attribute Data

1. Legal normative text data, policies, strategies, plans, standards, technical regulations, technical provisions, and professional procedures, economic and technical norms on climate change and ozone layer protection as prescribed by specialized laws and connected to national databases, including: National database of legal texts at the Ministry of Justice's electronic portal, Legal text database at the Government Portal of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Database of documents serving guidance and management at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's electronic portal, National technical standard and regulation database managed by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

2. Data on the impact of climate change on resources, environment, ecosystems, living conditions, and socio-economic activities include: data on vulnerability, losses, and damages caused by climate change to various types of resources, ecosystems, living conditions, and socio-economic activities.

3. Greenhouse gas emission data and socio-economic activities related to greenhouse gas emissions include: national greenhouse gas inventory results; sectoral greenhouse gas inventory results; greenhouse gas inventory results of facilities required to conduct greenhouse gas inventories.

4. Data on greenhouse gas emission mitigation activities include: national greenhouse gas emission reduction target data; sectoral greenhouse gas emission reduction plan data; facility-level greenhouse gas emission reduction plan data; sectoral greenhouse gas emission reduction result data; facility-level greenhouse gas emission reduction result data; program and project carbon credit trading data.

5. Data on adaptation activities to climate change include: monitoring and evaluation data on national, ministry, sector, and local adaptation activities; implementation status data of national adaptation plans at the national, ministry, sector, and local levels.

6. Data on ozone layer protection and management of ozone-depleting substances include: data on substances controlled under the Montreal Protocol; list of organizations registered to use controlled substances under the Montreal Protocol; data on reports on the use of controlled substances by organizations and lists of allocations, adjustments, and supplements to production and import quotas for controlled substances under the Montreal Protocol.

7. Data on national climate assessment results include: current climate condition data during the assessment period; national climate variability data; data on the degree of fit between scenarios and actual climate trends; data on the degree of scenario use for climate change response activities.

8. Climate change scenario data include: data on past changes in climatic factors (annual average temperature, highest and lowest annual temperatures, number of sunny and rainy days in a year, typhoons and tropical depressions, sea level rise, wave height), climate change scenario data according to medium and high RCP levels (seasonal average temperature, annual average temperature, number of severe cold days, heat waves, daily maximum rainfall, typhoons and tropical depressions, sea level rise, wave height, storm surge, combined storm surge and tidal flooding, flood risk).

9. Scientific research, development, and technology transfer data for climate change response and ozone layer protection as prescribed by specialized laws and connected to the National Science and Technology Database for exploitation and use, including: scientific and technological mission database; Vietnamese scientific and technological publication database managed by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

10. Resource data for climate change response and ozone layer protection include: training and capacity building data on climate change; human resource data working in central and local agencies on climate change; central and local government budget data allocated for climate change response and ozone layer protection.

11. International cooperation data on climate change response and ozone layer protection include: data on international treaties and agreements on climate change to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a member; data on international cooperation projects on climate change.

Article 7. Unstructured Data

The unstructured data of the national database on climate change includes text files, image files, graphic files, and other unstructured data related to greenhouse gas emissions and economic-social activities associated with greenhouse gas emissions; the impact of climate change on resources, environment, ecosystems, living conditions, and economic-social activities; activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change; protection of the ozone layer and management of substances depleting the ozone layer; results of national climate assessment; climate change scenarios for different periods; resources for responding to climate change and protecting the ozone layer; international cooperation activities on responding to climate change and protecting the ozone layer.

Article 8. Metadata

1. Metadata on climate change consists of groups of information describing the data of component databases of the national database on climate change as stipulated in Articles 5, 6, and 7 of this Circular.

2. Metadata on climate change includes the following groups of information:

a) Group of information describing metadata;

b) Group of information describing coordinate reference systems;

c) Group of information describing data;

d) Group of information describing data quality;

e) Group of information on methods and procedures for distributing data.

3. Metadata on climate change must be established and updated simultaneously with approved databases and when there are changes in data; ensuring compatibility with national and international standards for metadata.

4. Metadata on climate change for structured non-spatial data must comply with the Dublin Core data standard and must be encoded using eXtensible Markup Language (XML) and JavaScript Object Notation (JSON); for spatial data, it must comply with the national technical standards for the national geographic base database, ensuring connectivity, data sharing, and integration with other domestic and international information systems.

5. The structure and type of information of metadata on climate change are specified in Appendix III issued together with this Circular.

Article 9. Spatial and Temporal Reference Systems

1. The national database on climate change shall be constructed according to the provisions of the National Reference System and Coordinate System VN-2000; applying chart datum heights for hydrographic information and data.

2. Temporal reference system: day, month, year according to the Gregorian calendar; hour, minute, second according to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) + 07:00.

Chapter III

 COLLECTION, ACQUISITION, CREATION, UPDATE, MANAGEMENT AND

STORAGE OF DATABASES

Article 10. Principles and Requirements for Collection, Acquisition, Creation, Update, Management, and Storage of Databases

1. The collection, acquisition, creation, and updating of data to form databases must be purposeful, comprehensive, accurate, timely, and comply with legal regulations.

2. Data must be managed uniformly, completely, reliably, and ensure security and confidentiality.

3. Data storage must be carried out according to current deadlines, forms, and regulations; ensuring the ability to search, exploit, and share when legally required.

4. The specialized state management agency for climate change is responsible for updating the national database on climate change.

Article 11. Collection, acquisition, creation, and updating of databases

Data shall be collected, acquired, created, and updated from the following sources:

1. Collection and updating from monitoring, investigation, and survey activities related to climate change.

2. Data from surveillance systems and specialized sectors.

3. From digitizing and standardizing information from administrative procedure resolution files.

4. Connecting, sharing, synchronizing, and exploiting relevant data from national databases in agriculture and environment, other national databases, databases of other ministries and localities when there are changes.

5. Data from organizations, businesses, and citizens.

6. Data from international agencies and organizations.

7. Other sources as prescribed by relevant laws.

Article 12. Frequency and methods for collecting, acquiring, creating, and updating databases

1. Frequency of collecting, acquiring, creating, and updating databases

a) For data sources specified in Clauses 1, 2, and 3 of Article 11 of this Circular, implementation shall take place after the completion of business operations, and database updates shall occur after data processing, standardization, and quality control.

b) For data sources specified in Clause 4 of Article 11 of this Circular, implementation shall be carried out according to the provisions of Section 2, Chapter IV of this Circular and the regulations on inter-agency data connection and sharing.

c) For data sources specified in Clauses 5, 6, and 7 of Article 11 of this Circular, implementation shall be conducted periodically in accordance with the specialized laws on climate change.

2. Methods for collecting, acquiring, creating, and updating databases

a) Methods for collecting, acquiring, creating, and updating databases include: directly from climate change business operations; indirectly from organizations, businesses, citizens, and data integration platforms; automatically through applications and information technology services.

b) In cases where there are proposals for amendments or supplements from agencies, organizations, or individuals, or when inaccurate data is discovered, collection, acquisition, creation, and updating of databases shall be carried out in accordance with the specialized laws.

 Chapter IV

 INFORMATION SYSTEM AND DATABASE CONNECTION, SHARING, EXPLOITATION, AND USE

Section 1

 INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR DATABASES

Article 13. Requirements for the technical infrastructure of the information system for databases

1. The national information system for climate change databases must be deployed on the technical infrastructure of the agriculture and environment sector, ensuring security, confidentiality, stable and continuous operation, and scalability appropriate to the requirements of centralized deployment nationwide.

2. The technical infrastructure must meet the requirements for connecting, acquiring, processing, storing, managing, and sharing climate change information and data from central to local levels.

3. The technical infrastructure must be compatible with software architecture, deployment scale, and centralized system design; ensuring sufficient backup, archiving, and data recovery mechanisms in case of incidents.

4. The technical infrastructure must comply with and be consistent with the National Digital Architecture Framework and the Digital Architecture Framework of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Article 14. Requirements for the Software of the National Database Information System

1. The software of the National Database Information System on climate change must be developed according to the software architecture framework that complies with the National General Architecture Framework, the Digital Architecture Framework of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, and technical standards and guidelines for software development in state agencies.

2. The user interface of the software must be user-friendly, easy to use, compatible with common access devices such as computers, tablets, and smartphones; ensure consistency in layout, color, font, and display elements throughout the system; provide comprehensive functions for searching, filtering, and sorting visual data, facilitating exploitation and use.

3. The software must support connection and integration of information and data with other systems through data services (web service) or standard protocols; be compatible with Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6); ensure the ability to share and synchronize data with systems both within and outside the climate change domain.

4. The software must meet requirements for centralized deployment nationwide; ensure processing performance, capacity to serve a large number of users simultaneously, and fulfill operational tasks at various management levels.

5. The software must comply with information security requirements at the level prescribed by current laws; support account management, permission allocation, and centralized authentication; ensure application security, source code confidentiality, system logging, and data backup and recovery in case of incidents.

6. The software must provide online assistance functions, record user feedback, and support automatic technical patch updates (if applicable) to ensure system stability and improve operational efficiency.

7. Requirements for protocols and data formats in integration, connection, and sharing:

a) Regarding data transmission protocols: The software must support standard data transmission protocols ensuring safety and security. For web services, adopt the Representational State Transfer Application Programming Interface (RESTful API) architecture over the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) protocol to ensure information security during data integration and sharing. For spatial data, it is recommended to support web service standards according to the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) such as Web Map Service (WMS), Web Feature Service (WFS), and Web Coverage Service (WCS) to enhance data integration and reusability. For file data, the software must support File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP), File Transfer Protocol Secure (FTPS), or object storage service-based transfer methods compatible with S3 or equivalent;

b) Regarding data formats: The software must support standard data formats ensuring interoperability, conversion capability, and compatibility between systems. Specifically, for structured data (attribute data), use JSON or XML format; for spatial data, use Geographic JSON (GeoJSON) or Geography Markup Language (GML) format, applying the national coordinate system VN-2000 as prescribed; for tabular data, use Comma Separated Values (CSV) format; for digital documents and texts, use Portable Document Format (PDF); for spatial raster images, use GeoTIFF format;

c) Regarding version control of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs): APIs used for data integration and sharing must be designed and managed under a clear version control mechanism, ensuring backward compatibility and notification of changes.

Article 15. Requirements for Building and Developing Software

The software of the National Database Information System on Climate Change must be built and developed based on technical solutions ensuring the following requirements:

1. Regarding foundational technical solutions

a) Compatibility with existing information technology infrastructure and alignment with the development orientation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment;

b) Technical support and commitment to maintenance from the organization providing the software development platform or service;

c) Preference for open, widely used, easily integrated technologies and solutions with large supporting communities.

2. Regarding deployment solutions and system scale

a) Capable of being deployed according to a centralized model nationwide, ensuring simultaneous service for central and local user groups;

b) Having backup, data storage, and recovery mechanisms, ensuring stability, continuity, and data integrity throughout operation.

3. Regarding performance assurance solutions

a) Capable of processing data promptly, smoothly, and stably under conditions of simultaneous access by a large number of users performing different tasks;

b) Ensuring continuous operation 24/7, meeting peak exploitation demands.

4. Regarding system expansion and maintenance solutions

a) Capable of scaling up, upgrading functions, updating technology, and integrating new subsystems according to management needs at each stage;

b) Expansion and upgrades do not disrupt system operations;

c) Maintaining stability and data integrity throughout the exploitation and operation lifecycle.

5. Regarding data access and sharing management solutions

a) Ensuring unified, controlled access, exploitation, and data sharing across the entire system;

b) Effective integration and sharing of data with related database information systems as prescribed.

Article 16. Requirements for Software Functions

The software of the National Database Information System on Climate Change must fully meet the following main functions:

1. System and database management function:

a) Managing users, implementing hierarchical access control;

b) Monitoring access, logging system activities, and security control;

c) Regularly backing up, restoring, and verifying data integrity;

d) Managing connections and integration with related systems and databases.

2. Data management, exploitation, and sharing function:

a) Updating, managing, exploiting, and sharing data according to hierarchical management, ensuring compliance with prescribed procedures and authority;

b) Checking, processing, storing centralized climate change data in the national database, ensuring quality, integrity, and appropriate access rights;

c) Compiling, statistically analyzing, forecasting, and visualizing data for management, monitoring, and decision support;

d) Flexibly searching, querying, and extracting data according to various criteria, meeting user exploitation needs;

đ) Connecting, integrating, and sharing data with specialized information database systems, national databases;

e) Converting, inheriting, and integrating data from current local information database systems.

 Section 2

 DATA CONNECTION AND SHARING

Article 17. Principles for Connecting and Sharing Data

1. Ensuring compliance with legal provisions on data, network security, cyber security, personal data protection, and related specialized laws.

2. Adhering to general principles for mandatory connection and sharing of data among state agencies within the political system, and for connecting and sharing data in electronic transactions of state agencies.

3. Fully complying with the Digital Architecture Framework issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

4. Ensuring accuracy, timeliness, transparency; bearing responsibility for the legality and quality of provided and shared data.

5. Personal and organizational information and data must be coded with unique identifiers to ensure uniqueness, legal value, and facilitate connection, sharing, exploitation, digitization, and creation of data.

6. Ensuring efficiency, simplicity, and convenience for agencies, organizations, and individuals in implementing administrative procedures, public services, and other activities.

7. International data connection and sharing on climate change shall be carried out in accordance with legal provisions and international cooperation agreements (multilateral, bilateral) between parties.

Article 18. Mandatory Data for Connection and Sharing

1. Mandatory data for connection and sharing on climate change includes:

a) Primary data and metadata on climate change as stipulated in this Circular;

b) Open data on climate change listed in the open data catalog issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment;

c) Common-use data in the field of climate change including classification categories and codes used uniformly in the national database on climate change;

d) Special-use data on climate change of state agencies as decided by the Prime Minister to serve defense, security, diplomacy, confidential matters, economic and social development, digital transformation, national interests, and public interest;

e) Data serving the resolution of administrative procedures, public services, and operational guidance for central ministries, agencies, and localities.

2. Mandatory data for connection and sharing within the scope of state secrets shall be connected and shared in accordance with legal provisions on protecting state secrets.

Article 19. Models for Connecting and Sharing Data

1. Connecting and sharing climate change data among units under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and localities through the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment's Integrated and Shared Data Platform.

2. Connecting and sharing climate change data with agencies within the political system; organizations and individuals through the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment's Integrated and Shared Data Platform, sectoral and provincial data sharing platforms, and the National Integrated and Shared Data Platform, via the National Data Center's Data Sharing and Coordination Platform through an Agent Node located at the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

3. Directly connecting and sharing climate change data with other information systems and databases when the National Integrated and Shared Data Platforms, the National Data Center's Data Sharing and Coordination Platform, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment's Integrated and Shared Data Platform, and sectoral and provincial data sharing infrastructures are not yet ready.

Article 20. Methods for Connecting and Sharing Data

1. Methods for connecting and sharing data include:

a) Online connection and sharing of data between the national database on climate change and other national databases related to agriculture and the environment, with the National Data Center and other national databases, through the National Data Center's data sharing and coordination platform, by synchronizing all or part of the data;

b) Shared data is packaged and stored on information storage media.

2. Advanced and modern digital technology methods that ensure data security and safety are encouraged for use in data sharing.

3. For the data sharing method specified in point a, Clause 1 of this Article, data sharing is continuously determined either within a specific period or indefinitely from the time the Climate Change Department accepts data sharing.

4. Data exchange and sharing occur in file form through data exchange services or storage devices.

5. Data format standards used in exchanging and sharing climate change information and data

a) For spatial climate change data, GML or GeoJSON formats are applied;

b) For attribute climate change data, extended XML or JSON formats are applied;

c) For unstructured climate change data, the format stored in the database is used;

d) For raster data, Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFF (COG) format is prioritized.

Article 21. Structure of Data Exchange for Shared Data

1. The structure of the exchanged data package must use standard formats (JSON, XML, CSV, GeoJSON...).

2. The structure of the data exchange includes authentication data (token, API key, digital signature, or other authentication information), shared data, and sharing result messages.

3. For important, core, and sensitive data, encryption methods such as AES, RSA may be applied.

4. Authentication data for connections must be regularly changed to avoid security information leaks and unauthorized access.

5. When exchanging raster data, Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFF (COG) with footprint metadata is preferred.

Article 22. Infrastructure for Connecting and Sharing Data

1. Mandatory technical infrastructure components include:

a) A data storage and sharing server system (Data server/API server) that ensures stable accessibility and supports large volumes of data (Big Data);

b) A specialized geographic information system (GIS) server system for managing, analyzing, and sharing data as services, supporting all OGC service standards: WMS for map image sharing; WFS for vector data sharing; Web Map Tile Service (WMTS) for tile map sharing; WCS for raster/coverage data sharing;

c) Geographic information servers can be deployed using common solutions such as GeoServer, MapServer, ArcGIS Server, or equivalent platforms.

2. Technical solution requirements

a) Compatibility with information technology infrastructure;

b) Commitment and support from organizations providing application development and service platforms;

c) Meeting requirements for data access and distribution service solutions;

d) Meeting requirements for sharing and integration solutions; appropriate backup and recovery data solutions based on risk levels.

3. Deployment scale requirements

a) Meeting deployment scale nationwide;

b) Meeting the needs of different user groups in managing, operating, updating, and exploiting the national database on climate change.

4. Performance requirements

a) Meeting processing time requirements;

b) Meeting simultaneous user access requirements to the system.

Section 3

 PROVISION, EXPLOITATION AND USE OF DATABASE

Article 23. Principles for Providing, Exploiting, and Using Database

1. All activities related to providing, exploiting, and using the national database on climate change must comply with the provisions of laws on responding to climate change, data, intellectual property rights, cybersecurity, electronic transactions, information technology, personal data protection, state secrets protection, and other relevant laws.

2. Provided data must ensure accuracy, completeness, consistency, reliability, up-to-date status, timeliness, security, safety, confidentiality, and legal validity.

3. Ensure efficiency, simplicity, and convenience for agencies, organizations, and individuals in implementing public services, administrative procedures, and other activities.

Article 24. Methods for Providing, Exploiting, and Using Database

Information and data belonging to the national database on climate change shall be provided and exploited through the following methods:

1. Direct exploitation and use on the national database information system on climate change; searching and retrieving through the National Data Portal, National Public Service Portal, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Electronic Information Portal, Climate Change Department's Electronic Information Portal, National Identity Application, electronic identity and authentication platform, and other means provided by authorized agencies.

2. Indirect exploitation and use through data sharing connections between information systems as stipulated in Clause 4, Article 10 of Decree No. 194/2025/NĐ-CP dated July 3, 2025, of the Government detailing certain provisions of the Law on Electronic Transactions regarding the national database, connection, and data sharing, open data serving electronic transactions of state agencies.

3. Exploitation and use through the provision of information and data in written form with legal confirmation from the Climate Change Department.

4. Exploitation and use of information and data through other methods according to the provisions of laws on access to information and specialized laws on climate change.

Article 25. Announcing and Providing Open Data

1. Announcing Open Data on Climate Change

a) Open data on climate change provided must belong to the list of open data issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development;

b) Agencies, organizations, and individuals must cite and record information on the use of open climate change data in products, services, and related documents that use such data and comply with the designated content in the dataset metadata when exploiting and using the data and the provisions on open data in this Circular and relevant laws.

2. Providing Open Data on Climate Change

a) Open data on climate change provided must ensure quality, have an open format, be capable of being sent, received, stored, and processed by digital devices, ensure user accessibility, and comply with the provisions of Clause 2 and Clause 3, Article 43 of the Law on Electronic Transactions;

b) The provision of open data on climate change must meet the following requirements: Not disclosing personal information; having been assessed and limited risks of personal information disclosure when open data is combined with other information; ensuring cybersecurity and network security during the use of open data, including risks caused by open data or risks when open data is combined with other data; the list of open data on climate change must be reviewed annually; in case of changes or updates in content, amendments and supplements must be made to the list within three months from the date of announcement; complying with the provisions of relevant specialized laws;

c) Open data on climate change is provided in the form of open datasets on the Open Data Portal under the National Data Portal.

Article 26. Term for Exploitation and Use of Data

1. Climate change data exploited in accordance with the form prescribed in Clause 1, Article 24 of this Circular shall be immediately usable upon exploitation unless otherwise provided.

2. Climate change data exploited through the form prescribed in Clause 2, Article 24 of this Circular may be used within a specified period. The term of data usage is calculated from the last synchronization point from the source database to the target database. Upon expiration of the usage term, the data in the target database will lose its usability or the target database must synchronize the data again with the source database.

3. Climate change data exploited in accordance with the forms prescribed in Clauses 3 and 4, Article 24 of this Circular may be reused multiple times within the scope of the contract or agreement on climate change data supply.

Section 4

 ENSURING DATA SECURITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

Article 27. Principles and Requirements for Ensuring Data Security and Confidentiality

1. Compliance with laws on information security, personal data protection, state secrets protection, cyber security, and related regulations.

2. The national database system on climate change must classify data and determine the level of the information system based on the provisions of Decree No. 85/2016/NĐ-CP dated July 1, 2016 of the Government on ensuring information system security according to levels, TCVN 11930:2017, TCVN 14423:2025, and current or newly issued standards and technical regulations.

3. Ensure requirements for confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity verification of information in the national database system on climate change.

4. Clearly define responsibilities among agencies, organizations, and individuals in managing, operating, and exploiting the national database system on climate change.

5. Organize training to enhance awareness and skills in information security for officials, civil servants, employees, and users.

Article 28. Technical Requirements for Ensuring Information Security when Connecting and Sharing Data

1. Connect and share data through a secure protocol that has been tested, ensuring data confidentiality, integrity, and source authentication appropriate to the level of the information system; measures to prevent unauthorized access must be implemented.

2. Record all activities of accessing, modifying, deleting, and exploiting data in logs; protect logs from unauthorized modification or deletion; store logs at least according to the level of the system.

3. Regularly back up data to ensure recovery capability when necessary; backup and storage of copies must comply with technical requirements stipulated in Clause 5, Article 30 of this Circular.

4. The connection and sharing system must be regularly evaluated for information security according to the level of the system; critical vulnerabilities must be promptly addressed according to warnings from specialized agencies on information security.

5. Data sharing must have an agreement specifying the scope, term of use, security measures, responsibility for handling incidents, and responsibility for ensuring information security.

Article 29. Technical Requirements for Ensuring Information Security in Managing, Operating, and Exploiting the Database

1. Access Control Requirements

a) Implement identity management and access control according to an appropriate model;

b) Record and log all changes to access rights;

c) Periodically review accounts, groups of permissions, and revoke or lock access rights when they are no longer appropriate.

2. Requirements for Maintenance and Security Assurance

a) Update security patches for the operating system, database, applications, and services;

b) Software and services used must be clearly sourced and still operational;

c) Conduct testing after updates and apply alternative measures if software or services are no longer updated with new versions or fixes.

3. Backup Requirements

a) Perform daily backups for core and important data to ensure recoverability when needed;

b) Backup and storage of copies must comply with technical requirements stipulated in Clause 5, Article 30 of this Circular.

4. System Information Security Management Requirements

a) Ensure 24/7 information security monitoring systems;

b) Connect and share alerts with specialized units when there are signs of attacks or incidents;

c) Establish mechanisms, tools, and technical configurations for monitoring according to requirements stipulated in Clause 7, Article 30 of this Circular.

5. Requirements for Regular Security Inspection and Evaluation

a) Regular security inspections and evaluations must be conducted at least once a year or after significant changes (architecture, platform, integration, data);

b) Inspection and evaluation contents include scanning vulnerabilities and penetration testing appropriate to the level; addressing weaknesses and vulnerabilities before continuing operations.

6. Requirements for Exploiting Information and Data from the National Database on Climate Change

a) Exploitation of information and data from the national database on climate change must comply with access rights, purposes of use, and security regulations;

b) All data exploitation activities must be fully logged to ensure traceability and verifiability when necessary;

c) Direct access to original data is not allowed for unauthorized entities;

d) Shared data must be protected appropriately, including filtering out unnecessary information, processing, or encrypting to meet security requirements.

Article 30. Technical Requirements for Ensuring Safety and Security of Climate Change Database

1. Deploy next-generation firewalls with IDS/IPS features, clearly delineate network zones, particularly the DMZ zone for connections and information/data sharing on climate change; Configure firewall policies appropriate to the level of the information system and type of data.

2. Apply necessary security measures to encrypt and ensure the integrity of core, important, and sensitive climate change data during transmission and storage according to the classification level of the data and the level of the information system; Implement authentication mechanisms and ensure data origin when exchanging and sharing with relevant parties.

3. Deploy strong authentication and secure access management solutions for administrative accounts and accounts accessing important climate change information and data; Ensure technical mechanisms supporting reasonable delegation and review, revocation of access rights when there is no longer a need for use or they are not suitable for assigned tasks.

4. Securely configure operating systems, management systems, and applications exploiting the national climate change database; Disable unnecessary services; Regularly update security patches and immediately upon urgent warnings from specialized agencies on information security.

5. Encrypt backups of the national climate change database; Store at least in two independent locations or systems, including at least one offline backup or write-protected copy; Verify the integrity of backups and conduct recovery drills at least once a year.

6. Deploy traffic control and attack prevention solutions (APT, DDoS, brute-force, SQL injection, XSS) and other common forms of attacks against network infrastructure and API for sharing climate change information and data.

7. Establish continuous monitoring, detection, and alert mechanisms for security incidents concerning the national climate change database system; Ensure connectivity and information sharing capabilities with specialized units when detecting security risks or attacks.

8. Conduct regular or timely security testing and evaluation when significant changes occur in systems and applications managing and exploiting the national climate change database; Promptly address identified vulnerabilities and security gaps before implementation or continued operation.

Chapter V

IMPLEMENTATION

Article 31. Effective Date

This Circular takes effect from February 6, 2026.

Article 32. Responsibility for Implementation

1. Ministries, ministerial-level agencies having climate change data, and provincial People's Committees shall be responsible for disseminating, directing, and implementing this Circular.

2. The Climate Change Department shall be responsible for organizing the construction, updating, maintenance, management, governance, operation, and exploitation of the national climate change database information system.

3. The Digital Transformation Department shall be responsible for operating digital infrastructure and platforms of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to implement and maintain the operation of the national climate change database information system.

4. The Climate Change Department and the Digital Transformation Department shall be responsible for assisting the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in urging, guiding, and inspecting the implementation of this Circular./.