On 19 June, 2020, Research Institute for Climate change (DRAGON-MEKONG Institute) collaborated with Hue University to hold the workshop on Valuing the benefits of Blue/Green Infrastructure for flood resilience, natural capital and urban development in Can Tho city, Viet Nam under the sponsor of NAFOSTED. The workshop attracted over 50 attendants from local agencies, companies and academic institutions.

The aim of the workshop is to engage relevant stakeholders to share information relating to blue green infrastructure (BGI) and brainstorm ideas on developing BGI in Can Tho city. This also identifies  existing flood level projections and develop a new high-resolution modelling system to assess the effectiveness of selected BGI measures in reducing flood risk in comparison to traditional engineering solutions

Workshop on Valuing the benefits of Blue/Green Infrastructure for flood resilience, natural capital and urban development in Can Tho city, Viet Nam

Dr. Tran Huu Tuan (Hue University) and Msc. Dinh Diep Anh Tuan equiped participants with flood risks and BGI solution in Can Tho city

At a plenary session, attendants were splitted into different groups to discuss issues and problem solving on flood management in Can Tho city.

On March 25th, 2020, Research Institute for Climate change (DRAGON-MEKONG Institute) and  Climate and Resilience Officer (CRO) had a online meeting with Ms. Lali Tran, NPOs Service Coordinator of The LIN Center for Community Development  (LIN).

An online meeting with LIN (Photo: DRAGON Mekong Institute)

At the meeting, the information about two sides was introduced for understanding together and seeking cooperating chance. The LIN Center for Community Development (LIN) is a Vietnamese, non-governmental and not-for-profit organization under the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations with aim at helping local NPOs, skilled volunteers, and donating to fulfill their potential as vehicles for sustainable development, poverty alleviation, and citizen participation in Vietnam.

Given some similarities between the two universities that were necessary for the partnership, Assoc.Prof.Dr. Nguyen Hieu Trung, Director of DRAGON-MEKONG Institute, believed the meeting is expected to help tighten the cooperative ties between both sides.

MekongNet is abbreviation of the Network of Environmental Protection and Response with the Climate Change in the Mekong Delta in 2010. It works as an open forum attracted to the participation of representatives in the field of environmental protection to cope with anticipated climate change impacts in the coming decades, including the government, non-governmental organizations in Vietnam, the scientists and the authorities in provincial department as well as civil society organizations.

The network connects the stakeholders  in many different ways to form the single entity in order to exchanging and sharing the information as well as experience related to the field, supporting environmental and natural resource protection projects, assessing the vulnerability due to climate change and proposing its strategy in the Mekong Delta.

MekongNet is run out of CTU’s Research Institute for Climate Change (CTURICC), also known as the DRAGON Institute.  The CTURICC coordinates all climate change related work at the university (Fig 1).  With funding from local NGO WARECOD, CTURICC organized two meetings and several training workshops for all 13 provinces with a focus on awareness raising and capacity building.  CTU sent invitation letters to all relevant provincial government departments.  This is a standing letter that enables their on-going participation.

DRAGON Institute is also the coordination member of the Network of Environmental Protection and Response with the Climate Change in the Mekong Delta (referred to as Mekong Network – Mekong Net). Since 2014, the DRAGON Institute have been working at Involved Management in the VNGO & CC Network along with other organizations include the Centre for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD) - Head, Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development ( MCD), the Center for community health Research and development (COHED), Center for Rural development (CRD).

Figure 1. Can Tho University Research Institute for Climate Change (CTURICC) collaboration

The initiative began from an attempt by a Vietnamese NGO called WARECOD (with funding from Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung) and 4 provinces (An Giang, Can Tho, Kien Giang and Ca Mau) to work together on climate change issues. But because partners did not have the necessary authority and mandate to start up such a network, CTU was approached to establish and facilitate the network activities. As a national university, CTU has the mandate to respond to provincial government capacity building and research needs. The original agenda was to respond to government and community needs in CC awareness and capacity building. The network did not have a policy advocacy agenda.

Rosa-Luxemberg funding of approx $50,000/yr was provided via WARECOD for community and government training workshops both at CTU and in the Provinces over the course of 2010 and 2011. Other funding has been drawn on an ad-hoc basis from existing projects where objectives were aligned but there is no committed long term funding for the MekongNet.

CTU organized the first workshop which brought in all 13 MD provinces in 2010. Official CTU invitation letters to participate were issued to all relevant provincial government departments to participate. This is a standing letter that is in place now enabling continued provincial participation. The current provincial contact persons for the MekongNet initiative are as follows: