News Items | 21-06-2022 | 00:00
The meeting on the promulgation of the newly launched Mekong Delta Regional Master Plan, chaired by Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chin, was held on July 21, 2022 in the southern Vietnamese city of Can Tho. Vietnam’s first integrated regional master plan fits very well into the long-term bilateral relations between Vietnam and the Netherlands, especially the strategic partnership between the two countries in water and climate change and sustainable agriculture and food security.
The Netherlands and the Mekong Delta are both vulnerable deltas and have many similar challenges. The Netherlands is committed to continuing to contribute to the bright future of the Mekong Delta.
More than 10 years ago, Vietnam requested the Netherlands to help develop the Mekong Delta program. This plan was approved in 2013 and approved by the Vietnamese government. This was the basis and inspiration for the Government of Vietnam’s Resolution 120 for a Sustainable Delta approved in 2017. This year, Vietnam has set a milestone by approving the Mekong Delta Regional Integration Master Plan, which offers (1) long-term and (2) crosses. -Sectoral (3) integration plan to support and catalyze Delta’s social, economic and environmental development.
“I became a proud Dutch ambassador because a consultant from the Dutch consultant and engineering company Royal Haskoning DHV advised me on creating a master plan.
Going forward, the Netherlands will continue to work with the Government of Vietnam, the private sector, science and non-governmental organizations to successfully implement the Integrated Master Plan to support the prosperity of the people, economy and nature of the Mekong Delta. is. “At the meeting, Ambassador Ackerman said.
The Netherlands continues to support Vietnam in implementing the regional master plan
Commitments include agricultural transformation by developing sustainable value chains, especially in aquaculture, saltwater agriculture, fruits and vegetables, and sustainable livestock with strong links to water issues. In the Netherlands, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has developed an agricultural transformation program and is coordinating and facilitating this process in collaboration with the state of Mekong, internationally in the private sector, science, civil society, and strategicization, policymaking and implementation. Institution and bilateral partner.
Second, the Netherlands continues to work with Vietnam on nature-based solutions that are important for biodiversity, carbon storage and coastal protection, such as mangrove reforestation combined with crab and lajonkairia production. In this regard, the Government of the Netherlands and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have pledged to help the Government of Vietnam strengthen the resilience of the coastal areas of the Mekong Delta and its inhabitants. The Netherlands has commissioned a consortium to contribute to the early stages of project development for mangrove plantations. With this nature-based solution approach, Vietnam is expected to further contribute to biodiversity improvement and climate change mitigation in the Mekong Delta’s overall plan.
In addition, the Netherlands will provide experience and expertise to work with Vietnam in the development of transportation, logistics and agribusiness hubs. This is essential to ensure that the product can safely arrive in the city for “sale and consumption” and in the port for “export”. The € 1 billion Kaimepha Deep Sea Port and Logistics Center planned by the Vietnam-Netherlands-Belgium consortium will be an important component in ensuring access to the European market for shrimp and fruits from the Delta. The Netherlands is eager to continue cooperation in port development, cold chain development, storage capacity, and inland waterway improvement, inland waterway transport, and crew training.
Water management is at the core of Vietnam-Netherlands cooperation to protect critical freshwater and coastal areas, improve water quality (especially related to agriculture and aquaculture), adapt to climate change and manage natural disaster risks. Will continue to exist. As a result of groundwater extraction, we now have more floods than climate change, so we need to take into account the importance of land subsidence.
Master plan builds investor confidence
At the conference, Gabor Fluit, Vice President of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EUROCHAM) and CEO of Royal De Heus Asia, emphasized the importance of a regional master plan for the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta. Investing in inland waterways and port development offers more opportunities to make the Mekong Delta an agricultural business hub in the region.
Fluit emphasized that the Mekong Delta Regional Master Plan announced today will help foreign companies and investors have a clear understanding of the long-term vision and strategy of local governments. This will certainly give foreign investors more confidence in their decision to invest in the Mekong Delta.
