Blue Dragon Program Vietnam

Vietnam has been facing enormous challenges when it comes to water management. Not only do typhoons and intense rainfall but also periods of drought often occur in the country. Meanwhile, The Mekong Delta is particularly at risk, aggravated by rapid land subsidence and climate change. Since the livelihood of more than 21 million people living in the Mekong Delta is at stake and due to the importance of the region to the economy of Vietnam, immediate action is urgent. 

With the absence of a single authority to integrally manage the water resources in the Mekong Delta river basin, the institutional context forms an additional challenge. This makes the governance of integrated water resources management in the Mekong Delta extremely complex and different compared to other partnerships being developed under the umbrella of the Blue Deal.

About Blue Deal

The Blue Deal is an international water development program between the Dutch Water Authorities (DWA) and the Dutch Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Infrastructure and Water Management.

• Ambition is to contribute to clean, safe, and sufficient water for 20 million people by 2030. This goal ties in with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG6) of the United Nations.
• Improving water management step by step.
• Consisting of 17 long-term partnerships with regional water authorities in 14 countries worldwide: Argentina, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Mali, Palestinian Territories, Peru, Romania, Eswatini, Vietnam, South Africa.
• Providing the water authorities and ministries the opportunity to support regional and national governments for long-term commitment of twelve years. Not as an investor or project developer, but as a partner that helps to find solutions.

In the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, within the framework of the Blue Deal and co-funded by stakeholders, the needs and approach for this next step in the partnership have been explored in close cooperation with Vietnamese and Dutch partners. So, Blue Dragon Program was established as a result, referring to the Blue Deal and to the Mekong Delta which is referred to by locals as the Nine Dragon river delta.

In the Blue Dragon Program, Dutch Water Authorities and Vietnamese counterparts are joining forces to increase the positive impact on the integrated water resources management in Mekong Delta. 

Altogether, we can analyze the specific situation in Mekong Delta and choose the most suitable approach through four work packages: 

• Blue Dragon Pools 
• Blue Dragon Academic 
• Blue Dragon Community
• Blue Dragon Scale-up Accelerator (pilots)

These activities include the capacity development program for local government officials, implementing workshops and pilots by connecting organizations and experts in the field to look for inspiration, create innovative solutions, and learning-by-doing.

• Assisting Mekong Delta residents to improve their livelihood by benefiting from sufficient, safe and possibly clean water.
• Contributing to the 2100 vision of the Government of Vietnam for sustainable and climate-resilient development of the Mekong Delta (Resolution 120).
• Aiming to reach out to 1 million people in 2030. Then, making a long-term positive impact for all more than 21 million people in Mekong Delta would be the ultimate contribution.

Up to 2030, the Blue Dragon offers a framework program including one inception phase and 3 main phases 

• The inception phase (2018-2019) was implemented by step by step approach. Blue Dragon Program had made a stepping stone partnership in Can Tho, then expanding the partnership to Kien Giang and Hau Giang province.
• The first phase (up to the end of 2023), which is characterized by ‘engaging’ partners to collaborate. Bringing in inspiration and showing short-term results will be important to engage more partners throughout the Mekong Delta. Also, ways of working will be explored, tested, and evaluated aiming for an effective method to scale up to the rest of the Mekong Delta. Especially, Blue Dragon Pools as a model for cooperation in practice will be evaluated and improved from one phase to the other. During the first phase, Can Tho City and two provinces (Kien Giang and Hau Giang) will participate. 
• The second phase (2024 - 2026), which is characterized by scaling up and mobilizing more partners; the ways of working and solutions developed during the first phase are adopted and the speed of positive impact will increase. 
• The third phase is characterized by institutionalizing the new ways of working and solutions on the scale of the Mekong Delta. 

The phasing and scaling up of the program in the Mekong Delta is visualized in the graph below.