Red River Delta in Need of Investment to Respond to Climate Change

The second Red River Delta Climate Change Symposium, organized on Feb 25 by Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), advocated increasing investments to help the Red River Delta adapt to climate change, especially at the delta area. The symposium saw the participation of researchers, activists, representatives of international development partners, and Vietnamese government officials from the central and provincial levels, including those from the country’s five Red River Delta provinces, namely Haiphong, Quang Ninh, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, and Ninh Binh. At the symposium, representatives of the five provinces shared their provincial climate change action plans, which were updated with the help of USAID’s Vietnam Forests and Deltas Program after the first symposium. The consultancy team then presented three proposals for interprovincial cooperation to mitigate climate change, namely strengthening mangrove forest ecosystems, accelerating agricultural development in response to climate change, and increasing the water management capacity over the Red River and the Thai Binh River. “The symposium is the first step for the government, non-government organizations, the private sector, and farmers to better cooperate in our shared fight against climate change in the Red River Delta,” said Le Quoc Doanh, Deputy Minister of Agriculture. According to U.S Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius, Vietnam is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change, and the Red River Delta is particularly at risk. Currently, the active cooperation programmes in the region include the Vietnam Forests and Deltas Program, the Halong Bay-Cat Ba Alliance, the Red River Delta Adaptation and Youth Program, and the U.S. Sister Cities Disaster Preparedness Initiative, all managed through USAID. “The U.S. also welcomes any opportunity to collaborate with other development partners and donors to assist the Red River Delta in responding to climate change,” said Osius. The Red River Delta is particularly at risk to the impacts of climate change but often receives less attention than the Mekong Delta. According to World Bank estimates, if the sea level rises by one meter, 11% of the Red River Delta area would be submerged. The first Red River Delta Symposium, organized in 2014 in Nam Dinh, offered the five coastal provinces a first-time opportunity to discuss their common challenges and the need for coordinated responses on a regional level. (Vietnam Investment Review Feb 25)