Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep on April 20 called for faster administrative procedures and closer coordination with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to remove bottlenecks and accelerate the Japan-funded Ben Tre Water Management Project.
Project on track but faces procedural bottlenecks
Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep said the project was largely proceeding in line with agreed orientations, with key components already endorsed by both sides. Several contract packages have been implemented as scheduled. Package No. 2 is expected to begin construction in July 2026, while the remaining packages are being prepared for launch later this year.
However, the project continues to face challenges related to administrative procedures and document processing timelines under the loan agreement signed in 2017. Without appropriate adjustments, meeting the schedule for launching the remaining packages in 2026 could be challenging.
The Deputy Minister urged JICA to consider reducing appraisal times for key documents — including bidding documents, bid evaluation reports, and contracts — from around one month to approximately 15 days for each item. This is seen as a key measure to shorten the overall contractor selection process.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment also requested JICA to provide early guidance on procedures for extending the loan agreement, enabling the Vietnamese side to proceed proactively and avoid disruptions to the overall project timeline.
On procurement, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep noted that some prequalified contractors may no longer meet financial capacity requirements under current conditions. He called for JICA guidance to allow appropriate adjustments to contractor consortiums in line with regulations, ensuring a transparent and legally compliant bidding process.
For Package No. 5 (monitoring and observation system), Viet Nam proposed shifting to domestic competitive bidding, as the package value now falls below the threshold for international bidding. The adjustment is expected to simplify procedures and shorten implementation time.
The Deputy Minister also pointed to shortcomings in the design phase, particularly delays in document processing due to ineffective coordination between international consultants and domestic units. He urged JICA to strengthen oversight of international experts and consider delegating certain technical tasks to domestic consultants to help maintain progress.
Hiep reaffirmed Viet Nam’s readiness to work closely with JICA and relevant partners to resolve outstanding issues, ensure timely implementation, and enhance the project’s effectiveness in strengthening water resources management and climate change adaptation in the Mekong Delta.
Faster processing, quality requirements
Responding at the meeting, Fukuda Chihiro, Deputy Chief Representative of the JICA Vietnam Office, said both sides agreed to continue technical-level discussions on extending the loan disbursement period in line with each side’s regulations.
Regarding the proposal to shorten appraisal timelines, JICA said it would seek to expedite reviews for construction packages XL1 and XL3. However, it stressed that all submissions must meet quality standards, be complete, and comply with technical requirements.
On updating the capacity of prequalified contractors for packages XL1 and XL3, both sides agreed to proceed in parallel with the review of bidding documents. The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment will instruct the project owner to review and update contractor capacity information for JICA’s consideration in accordance with regulations.
Expanded disaster risk management cooperation
The two sides also emphasized expanding cooperation in disaster risk management between Viet Nam and Japan.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment plans to send a delegation to Japan from April 22 to 28, 2026, at JICA’s invitation, to exchange experience and promote cooperation in disaster risk management.
As climate change intensifies, Viet Nam is facing increasingly severe and complex natural hazards, while Japan has extensive experience and advanced technologies in this field.
The delegation will study the application of science and technology in disaster risk reduction, river basin management models, reservoir operations, systems for flash floods and landslides, and especially SABO dam technology for sediment control.
It will also conduct field visits to modern facilities such as disaster prevention parks, large-scale urban underground drainage systems, and integrated flood control models. The findings are expected to contribute to improving policies and enhancing disaster management effectiveness in Viet Nam in the coming period.
As the Viet Nam–United Kingdom Comprehensive Partnership continues to be strengthened, cooperation in climate change response, green transition, and sustainable development has been identified by both sides as a key priority, contributing to the shared goals of Net-Zero emissions and sustainable growth.
At a working session with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland to Viet Nam on December 15, the Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang expressed appreciation for the Swiss Government’s proposal on cooperation in carbon credit exchange under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. He emphasized that international carbon credit exchange would support countries in fulfilling their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) while working toward the shared goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
On December 12, during a meeting with Mr. Tsutomu Takebe, Special Advisor to the Japan–Viet Nam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance and former Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang affirmed that high-quality human resource development is a key pillar for elevating agricultural cooperation between Viet Nam and Japan. In a context where the two countries demonstrate clear complementarities in labor and technology, cooperation in education and training linked with practical experience and entrepreneurship has been identified as a strategic direction.
On December 9, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep received Mr. Lee Choong Yun, Vice Chairman of S-TEC SYSTEM Co., Ltd., to officially receive a donation of VND 2 billion to support residents of Dak Lak province in recovering from recent natural disasters. This contribution represents timely and heartfelt solidarity from the enterprise towards the affected communities.
The USD 2 million emergency grant underscores ADB’s commitment to supporting Viet Nam in disaster response and assisting central provinces hit hard by recent storms and floods in overcoming difficulties.
