Tag: Vietnam

From 20 to 23 April 2026, the Blue Dragon Programme (Blue Deal's Vietnam partnership), in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Can Tho City and the Can Tho Irrigation Department, successfully organised the fifth week of Pool 4 training on climate change adaptation.

The event brought together more than 20 officials from An Giang Province and Can Tho City, alongside students from Can Tho University. Technical guidance was provided by two experts from Hollands Noorderkwartier Water Authority, Mrs Anet Labans and Ms Denise Winters, as well as Dr Dinh Diep Anh Tuan from the Mekong Institute at Can Tho University.

During this last week of training the Dutch experts synthesised the content of the previous four training weeks and shared practical lessons on resilient urban planning and Nature-based Solutions applied in the Netherlands. The programme also featured a presentation by Dr. Dinh Diep Anh Tuan on the urban flooding challenges facing Can Tho City, as well as an overview of the socio-economic context of Binh Thuy Ward, one of the city’s flood-prone areas.

The training programme concluded successfully, translating the expertise of Dutch and Vietnamese specialists into concrete outputs. The most significant results were detailed action plans to address land subsidence in the U Minh Thuong area of An Giang Province and an urban flood adaptation plan for Binh Thuy Ward in Can Tho City.

In addition, the event provided a valuable platform for collaboration and knowledge exchange between local authorities and technical experts, laying the groundwork for future cooperation on climate adaptation and resilience.

In March 2026, Blue Dragon Vietnam carried out a GIS training together with Can Tho University and also conducted a fact-finding mission on clean water in An Giang province.

GIS training for Mekong Delta provinces

The expert pool on Geographic Information System (GIS) executed its seventh week of training in the first week of March 2026. The 7^th week focused on identifying agricultural land use using remote sensing.

Mrs. Petra Hulsman (Water Authority De Stichtse Rijnlanden) and Mr. Rob van Ede (Water Authority Rivierenland) conducted the training in cooperation with the Can Tho University. All provinces of the Mekong Delta take part in this training.

Factfinding mission on clean water

During the second week of March the two trainers of the training pool on wastewater treatment and the 2 Dutch KIWI participants conducted a factfinding mission in An Giang province and Can Tho city in the Mekong Delta. KIWI participants are professionals from the Dutch water authorities who spend two years deepening their knowledge of climate adaptation, project development, and environmental management. They combine intensive learning sessions with hands-on experience in international projects, such as that of Blue Deal in Vietnam.

Together with the partnership managers and the provincial partners existing wastewater treatment plants were visited and options for training discussed. The KIWI’s focussed on clean water by visiting possible rural locations in both provinces for a possible pilot project on rural wastewater treatment, rainwater storage and awareness raising regarding garbage disposal in surface waters.

Together they will draft a training programme and possible options for a pilot project.

Blue Deal Vietnam's "Blue Dragon" Programme took part in VIETWATER 2025, held from 22–24 October in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. VIETWATER is an annual exhibition and conference similar to Aquatech, bringing together water professionals from across the region.

The Netherlands hosted a large pavilion at the exhibition, inviting Dutch companies, NGOs, and government-related programmes to contribute. On 25 October, partnership managers Birgitte de Kraker and Tjeerd Dijkstra introduced the Blue Dragon programme Vietnam at the Netherlands Pavilion.

During their presentation, they outlined the program’s objectives and progress, which include capacity building and the implementation of pilot projects. They also highlighted an ongoing pilot in An Giang Province, focusing on nature-based solutions to prevent riverbank erosion.

GIS Training for Mekong Delta Provinces

On 19 November, the expert pool on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) completed its sixth week of training. All provinces in the Mekong Delta are participating in this program, which is conducted in cooperation with Can Tho University and focuses on agriculture (rice) and water management.

Dutch experts Wietse Wierks (Water Authority De Stichtse Rijnlanden) and Rob van Ede (Water Authority Rivierenland) contributed by sharing practical examples from the Netherlands.