BLUE DRAGON PROGRAM VIETNAM AT THE GREEN ECONOMIC FORUM AND EXHIBITION 2024

On 22 October 2024, Partnership managers Birgitte de Kraker and Tjeerd Dijkstra introduced the Blue Dragon Program Vietnam (2018 - 2030) at the Netherlands Pavilion at the Green Economy Exhibition and Forum 2024 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The Blue Dragon Program is a partnership between the Dutch Water Authorities and the Vietnamese Government in the Mekong Delta (Vietnam) to exchange knowledge and experience in Water Resources Management. The Blue Dragon Program Vietnam is developed under the umbrella of the Blue Deal, which is an international water development program between the Dutch Water Authorities and the Dutch Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Infrastructure and Water Management.

Birgitte de Kraker presented the contents and objectives of the Blue Dragon Program in Vietnam which also includes capacity building (current topics: Asset management & Operation & Maintenance, Flood risk management, Climate adaptation in Mekong Delta cities, GIS applications and analysis, and Wastewater treatment) and the possibility of implementing pilot projects such as a pilot project on nature-based solutions to prevent riverbank erosion in Kien Giang province.

Tjeerd Dijkstra focussed on one of the important capacity-building topics, Asset Management, sharing the importance of good operation and maintenance on the life cycle of structures. Proper Operation and Maintenance is important to break the cycle of Built – Neglect – Repair. Following the presentations, some questions from the audience were answered.

Written by: Blue Dragon Program Team