Netherlands ready to assist Vietnam in sustainable sand mining, water management
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dang Quoc Khanh on March 18 had a working session with visiting Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Mark Harbers, who expressed his country’s readiness to assist Vietnam in offshore sand mining, groundwater management, and mineral exploitation.
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dang Quoc Khanh (R) and Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Mark Harbers at the meeting in Hanoi on March 18. (Photo: baotainguyenmoitruong.vn)
Hanoi (VNA) – Minister of Natural Resources andEnvironment Dang Quoc Khanh on March 18 had a working session with visiting DutchMinister of Infrastructure and Water Management Mark Harbers, who expressed hiscountry’s readiness to assist Vietnam in offshore sand mining, groundwatermanagement, and mineral exploitation.
Harbers spoke highly of the active moves by the VietnameseMinistry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) to protect the environment,especially nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation.
He shared opinions about the cooperation programmes onsustainable offshore sand mining, sustainable groundwater management in the MekongDelta, the exploitation of essential minerals, and activities at the InternationalPanel on Deltas, Coastal Areas and Islands.
These are strengths of the Netherlands, and it is ready toassist and share its policies, experience, techniques, and financial solutionswith Vietnam, the minister stressed.
With regard to sustainable offshore sand mining, Khanh agreedwith his guest on the need to quickly issue guidance for the projects onseeking offshore sand sources.
Talking about sustainable groundwater management in the MekongDelta, he noted that the geographical location has made this region vulnerableto climate change and extreme weather conditions. Given this, the MoNRE hopesto receive assistance and experience from the Netherlands to devise water storagesolutions to help solve water excess in the flood season and water scarcity inthe dry season there, thus balancing water resources and boost sustainabledevelopment in the Delta.
The Phu Ninh waterworks in Quang Nam province (Photo: VNA)
In terms of activities at the International Panel on Deltas, CoastalAreas and Islands, the Vietnamese minister considered this as a good platformfor sharing knowledge about climate change adaptation.
The MoNRE’s Department of Climate Change, Department of WaterResources Management, and Vietnam National Mekong Committee Standing Office willcoordinate with the Netherlands to work out proposals for improving the nationalcapacity to make use of water resources amid climate change and give livelihoodsupport to residents in the Delta, he added.
At the meeting, the two ministers also discussed the buildingof a programme marking the 15th founding anniversary of the framework on climate change adaptation and water resourcesmanagement between the two countries. They said this is an occasion for countries in the region and theworld to learn about the two sides’ efforts to comply with international commitmentson climate change response./.
VNA
Related News
The year 2023 was an important milestone in the Vietnam-Netheralnds relations as the two countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties.
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dang Quoc Khanh discussed cooperation in environment and energy with Ambassador of the Netherlands to Vietnam Kees van Baar in Hanoi on March 4.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha received Canadian Ambassador for Climate Change Catherine Stewart and Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam Shawn Perry Steil in Hanoi on March 14.
A legal and technical writeshop was held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vanuatuan Government in Ha Long city, the northern province of Quang Ninh, on March 16 - 17 to look into the proceedings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s advisory opinion on climate change.
Climate change, sea level rise, saltwater intrusion and unsustainable water use fuel the water scarcity risks in Vietnam, said Tong Ngoc Thanh, director general of the National Centre for Water Resources Planning and Investigation (NAWAPI).
The elongated tortoise is one of the most beautiful and rare terrestrial tortoise species, listed in both the Vietnam Red Data Book and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. It typically inhabits tropical and subtropical forests and plays an important role in maintaining ecological balance. However, due to illegal trade and habitat loss, its wild population has been declining sharply.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded technical cooperation project on drainage management for climate resilience in Can Tho aims to improve planning capacity for wastewater collection, enhance operations and management of existing treatment plants, and the city’s ability to run public awareness campaigns.
A series of environmental and marine-related events to held in the central province of Nghe An from June 4-6 will generate a broad social impact, helping transform awareness into action and commitments into concrete results, and contributing to Vietnam’s goals of green growth, circular economy development, net-zero emissions and harmonious coexistence between people and nature.
According to marine experts, the repeated appearance of dolphins near the shore of Cai Chien Island is a positive sign that the local marine environment is well protected.
According to the Department of Forestry and Forest Protection, as of May 12, more than 1,350 communes and wards nationwide were under the highest forest fire warning of Level 5, while 294 others at Level 4.
To support conservation efforts, the national park has invested in a comprehensive system of breeding enclosures, quarantine areas, reproductive research facilities, wastewater treatment systems and surveillance cameras.
The climate resilience and sustainable infrastructure project in Lang Son consists of two main components, focusing on sustainable infrastructure and environmental improvement; and technical assistance and capacity building, with AFD experts expected to train project management officials and local agencies in disaster response and climate adaptation.
Beyond helping Hai Phong tackle environmental issues, Eco Hopia's primary objective is to transfer advanced technologies to Vietnam, enabling local partners to master them and contribute to the sustainable development of the country's agricultural sector.
The number and activity of tropical cyclones and depressions over the East Sea, internationally known as the South China Sea, and their direct impacts on mainland Vietnam are expected to be comparable to the multi-year average. The long-term average over the East Sea is 5.2 typhoons, with 1.9 making landfall.
Launched in 2021 with funding from the Norwegian people through WWF-Norway and WWF-Vietnam, the “Hue – Plastic Smart City in Central Vietnam” project aims to help Hue protect rivers, wetlands and coastal ecosystems from plastic pollution while building the city into a model plastic-reduced urban area in central Vietnam.
The Bac Lieu Forest Protection Unit under the provincial Forest Protection Sub-Department said that it had completed procedures to transfer and release the animal into its natural habitat.
Initiatives on biodiversity finance, carbon credits, public – private partnerships, nature-based tourism, and private sector investment are creating more opportunities to increase resources for ecosystem conservation and restoration, said an official.
Vietnam has established a network of 180 terrestrial and marine nature reserve covering more than 2.67 million hectares. These sites are being further strengthened to improve ecological connectivity, restore habitats and conserve endangered species. Forest cover remains stable at over 42%, contributing to water protection, climate adaptation and carbon absorption.
The animals included two masked palm civets, four stump-tailed macaques, and seven rhesus macaques. All belong to Group IIB under Circular No. 85/2025/TT-BNNMT issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment on the management of endangered, precious and rare species, as well as the implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The animal was identified as a clouded monitor (Varanus nebulosus), weighing approximately two kilograms and measuring around 70 centimetres in length. The species belongs to Group IB — a category of endangered and rare forest wildlife species given the highest level of protection in Vietnam, with all forms of commercial exploitation and use strictly prohibited.
The stump-tailed macaque, scientifically known as Macaca arctoides, is classified as a rare and endangered species under Group IIB in Vietnam’s regulations on endangered wildlife management.
Ho Chi Minh City aims to push urban green coverage above 1 sq.m per person by 2030, while stepping up greenhouse gas reduction initiatives on the way to Net Zero by 2050.
Designed to process 2,000 tonnes of waste per day and generate 45MW of electricity for the national grid, the project is the first high-tech waste-to-energy plant in southwestern Hanoi, where large-scale solid waste treatment facilities have long been lacking.
The figure includes losses of 6.7 billion VND in Cao Bang province and 3.5 billion VND in Dak Lak province, while Quang Ninh and Thanh Hoa provinces have yet to report estimated damages.
The three turtles, each weighing around 1.5 kilogrammes with shells measuring about 25 centimetres long and 20 centimetres wide, are green sea turtles. They were accidentally caught in fishing nets and found drifting at sea near Con Co waters on May 16 by fisherman Bui Dinh Thuy in Cua Viet commune during a fishing trip.