Vietnam and the Netherlands strengthen ties on water management and climate adaptation
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte signed a Memorandum of Understanding to deepen their cooperation in water management and food security, especially in the Mekong Delta. The MoU was signed in Hanoi on 9 April during a visit by Dutch Prime Minister Rutte to Vietnam. Rutte headed a delegation of Dutch ministers and Dutch companies with a focus on the agri- and horticulture, water, logistics and offshore wind energy.
7th inter-governmental meeting on climate change adaptation and water management, attended by Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung and Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen (photo: Twitter/Dutch Government).
Strategic partnerships on water and food
The official visit highlights the growing economic relationship between Vietnam and the Netherlands, and follows up on bilateral agreements made in the past. In October 2010, both countries established a Strategic Partnership on climate change adaptation and water management. Both countries also established a Strategic Partnership on sustainable development and food security in June 2014.
Climate adaptation
Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung and Dutch minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen both attended the 7th meeting of the Vietnam-Netherlands Inter-Government Committee on climate change adaptation and water management in Hanoi on 9 April.
In his opening speech Dung confirmed that the strategic partnership in climate change adaptation and water management continues to be a priority and an important pillar of Vietnam-Netherlands relations.
Director Vu Quang Cac (right) of the Ministry of Planning and Investment PMU and Managing Director Vietnam Bas van Dijk (left) of Royal HaskoningDHV signing the Mekong Delta contract. (photo: Twitter/Dutch Government)
Minister Van Nieuwenhuizen offered Dutch support for the implementation of Vietnamese policies and the development of new policies.
She saw opportunities for support in water logistics, for example with inland waterways in the Mekong Delta and the modernisation of seaports and airports.
Integrated Mekong Master Plan
Consultancy firm Royal HaskoningDHV signed a contract with the Vietnamese Government to develop a spatial planning across different disciplines in the Mekong river delta to 2030, with a further view towards 2050.
Part of this future-focused plan will be a tool for digitalised decision-making. The tool will included a sophisticated database and analytical tools such as hydro-hydraulic modelling software.
Deputy Minister Vo Tuan Nhan (left) and Minister Van Nieuwenhuizen (right) launching an underwater drone to mark the start of a training programme for a new generation of water engineers (Photo: TU Delft).
An important feature to support the decision-making process will be the transparent and visualised information for all stakeholders.
New generation of engineers
Deputy Minister Vo Tuan Nhan and minister van Nieuwenhuizen officially launched the Climate Proof Vietnam programme that aims to train a new generation of engineers who are well equipped to protect their land against the water.
Over the next three years, two Dutch universities (Delft and Twente) and two Vietnamese universities (Hanoi and Thuy Loi) will support such training of Vietnamese water management professionals.
The education programme has a practical approach. For example, there will be a field lab where students can practice and test. There is also a lot of attention for high-tech applications such as drones.
Read also on this website
● TTC Land and Royal HaskoningDHV to design Lotus shaped artificial island off the Vietnamese coast, 24 April 2018
● Extreme drought central theme at 5th Dutch-Vietnamese intergovernmental meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, 31 March 2016
● Delta Alliance supports Mekong Delta taking next step in safeguarding the delta's values, 18 February 2015
● Mekong river delta climate adaptation plan officially presented by Dutch minister Schultz in Hanoi, Vietnam, 17 December 2013
● Expertise: Enabling delta life
● Country: Vietnam
More information
Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management
The Hague, the Netherlands
+31 70 456 00 00
www.government.nl/issues/water-management
Delft University of Technology
Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geo Sciences
Delft, the Netherlands
+31 15 27 89 802
www.tudelft.nl/en
Royal HaskoningDHV
Amersfoort, the Netherlands
+31 88 348 20 00
www.royalhaskoningdhv.com
Netherlands Embassy in Hanoi
Hanoi, Vietnam
+84 8 3823 59 32
www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/countries/vietnam