On 4 September 2022, Vietnam Television (VTV) broadcasted a special feature, the third in its EU-Vietnam series, to highlight the bilateral partnership for stronger climate change adaptation and resilience, as well as quality-of-life developments along the Nam Rom River. The TV report focuses on the Water and Natural Resources Management (WARM) project, jointly launched by the EU Delegation to Vietnam (EUD) and Agence Française de Développement Group (AFD) in May 2020.

The news piece shows how the project improves the resilience of Dien Bien, a province that is particularly susceptible to severe urban flooding and the erosion of both arable and residential land, due to the Nam Ron River that passes through the area. The support includes the construction of hydraulic structures along the river, as well as solar-powered designs.

Residents of the area shared their distressheart-breaking stories due to the effects of urban flooding, and conversely, the shortage of water during the dry agricultural season. ‘Each household has a 15-metre cultivated piece of land in width, but this crack is even more than 20 metres’, one resident of the Thanh Xuong commune said when interviewed in front of his home, showing the devastation that continues to leave locals feeling unsafe. The show emphasised the very real consequences that climate change has had on residents’ lives and livelihoods.

WARM supports the preparation and implementation of strategic investment projects for water and natural resource management. The facility is financed by a EUR 20 million grant from the EU delegated to AFD, which will mobilise those funds in coordination with the Vietnamese authorities.

The project is part of the European Green Deal strategy, and the EU’s determination to mobilise expertise and financial resources towards sustainability, through cooperation with partner countries.

Watch other episodes in this reportage series: