The northern province Nam Dinh is participating in the Vietnam Forests and Deltas (VFD) Program which is tailored to help accelerate Vietnam’s transition to a climate change resilient, low carbon, and sustainable society. The project comprises three technical components with different objectives, including sustainable landscapes and land use; climate change adaptation and resilience; and national coordination and policy development. Each component is implemented in selected provinces based on local conditions. Nam Dinh was selected to pilot adaptation approaches, which aim to increase the resilience of residents, landscapes, and livelihoods in river deltas by providing adaptation assistance and disaster risk management. The project aims to support the National Strategy for Natural Disaster Prevention, Response and Mitigation towards 2020, according to Le Thi Hong Van, a member of the VFD management board. A series of activities have been carried out since the project was launched in April 2014, starting with a vulnerability and capacity assessment co-organized by VFD and the provincial Red Cross to identify potential risks and develop action plans at commune levels. Quat Lam, Giao Long, Giao Hai, Hai Dong, Hai Phuc and Hai Hoa are amongst the communes covered by the assessment. The project plans to have all 30 communes take part in the evaluation process by 2017. Vice Chairman of the provincial Red Cross Pham Minh Phuong said a sub-project will be designed for each commune based on the outcomes of the assessment, with applied resilience models proposed by local authorities. Additionally, the VFD program has been supporting the province in designing communication campaigns and an information centre to increase the public’s awareness of climate change, learn from best practices in climate change resilience, evaluate local fresh water resources and organize workshops on relevant issues. More interventions are underway to build capacity and mobilize local resources for responding to short-term risks, such as natural disasters, as well as preparing for long-term impacts, such as sea level rises, salt water intrusion and ecosystem degradation. Vietnam Forests and Deltas is a 5-year program (2013-2017) funded by USAID with a grant of more than 26 million USD. It has been implementing national policies and strategies on climate change response and sustainable development in the four provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Long An and Nam Dinh. (Vietnamplus Nov 25)
