Vietnam's efforts in sustainable agriculture and dam safety received a boost today as the Acting Minister of Agriculture and Environment, Tran Duc Thang, met with Mariam Sherman, the World Bank's Country Director for Vietnam.
The September 23 working session focused on accelerating an upcoming USD 50 million grant for the country's flagship low-emission rice project and securing technical support for post-project issues on major dam infrastructure.
The two officials reviewed the status of several significant projects supported by the World Bank (WB), including the Sustainable Development of One Million Hectares of High-Quality, Low-Emission Rice Associated with Green Growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030 (referred to as the One million hectares rice project). They also discussed the Dam Safety and Rehabilitation Project (WB8), the Mekong Delta Integrated Climate Resilience and Transformation Project (MERIT), and the Sustainable Fisheries Development Project.
Acting Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang holds a working session with Mariam Sherman, World Bank Country Director for Vietnam. Photo: Tung Dinh.Regarding the One million hectares rice project, Vietnam is finalizing procedures to accept an approximate USD 50 million non-refundable grant mobilized by the World Bank. Both parties agreed that the process must be expedited to ensure swift deployment of the funds.
The recently concluded Dam Safety and Rehabilitation Project (WB8) was a key discussion point, as technical issues have arisen regarding several Vietnamese dams. Ms. Sherman confirmed the World Bank is ready to provide technical assistance to Vietnam to assess and review the safety of these structures. She stressed that both sides need to coordinate over the next two months to fully address all outstanding project matters.
Acting Minister Thang underscored the project's importance to the government and the Ministry. "The relevant departments within the Ministry will submit a report to me on all outstanding issues related to the project this week. Based on that, I will issue directives to resolve the problems in the shortest time frame possible", he affirmed.
Ms. Sherman offered a positive evaluation of other initiatives, specifically noting the good progress of the Mekong Delta Integrated Climate Resilience and Transformation Project (WB11) and the Sustainable Fisheries Development Project. While praising the current pace, the Country Director also expressed interest in the preparatory timelines for future projects and committed to sharing necessary documentation soon to facilitate negotiation talks.
In addition, Ms. Sherman offered the World Bank's support for the pre-feasibility and feasibility assessments of a new project focusing on coastal risks.
Acknowledging Vietnam's rapid economic growth, the World Bank official concluded the meeting by proposing to organize high-level strategic discussions to pinpoint critical areas where the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment wishes to prioritize World Bank support and global mobilization efforts.