Netherlands to Help Vietnam Cope with Climate Change

The Netherlands is willing to share its experience and expertise with Vietnam in adapting to climate change, Associate Prof-PhD F.P. Weerman from the Dutch University of Amsterdam said at a seminar in Can Tho city on Mar. 29-30. The Dutch Embassy and the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment co-held the two-day seminar to map out plans to help the Mekong Delta region deal with climate change, state media reported Mar. 30. The event is part of a memorandum of understanding signed by the Vietnamese ministries of Natural Resources and Environment, and Agriculture and Rural Development and the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works, & Water Management in 2009. The Mekong Delta is forecast to be hardest hit by climate change in Vietnam. If sea levels rise by one meter, between 19% and 38% of the area, which produces 50% of Vietnam’s rice output, will be submerged, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Pham Khoi Nguyen said.  More than 60 domestic and foreign scientists also discussed reports to ensure the safety for the Vietnamese largest granary before the risks of floods and salinity intrusion.