Denmark helps Vietnam cope with climate change

Denmark funded 45 million kronor, equivalent to 8 million USD, for Vietnam's climate change research program.

Yesterday the sponsorship agreement was signed between Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Tran Viet Thanh with Danish Ambassador John Nielsen.

Ambassador John Nielsen and Deputy Minister Tran Viet Thanh signed an agreement to extend the program
research cooperation between Vietnam and Denmark for three years. Photo: Huong Thu

The total amount of Danish funding is about 8 million USD in three years (from 2011 to 2013). Accordingly, this year, funding is about 2.7 million USD with three selected projects.

This amount will be spent over three years, from now until 2013, for climate change projects; seeking solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change, promoting training and capacity building of Vietnamese researchers; improve research infrastructure for a number of domestic scientific and technological organizations.

According to Mr. Tran Viet Thanh, in this research cooperation program, Vietnamese scientists will chair the project and actively select Danish partners to work together on the basis of domestic priority topics.

Danish Ambassador John Nielsen said: " Vietnam is one of the countries that will be most affected by climate change, supporting Vietnam in this regard is the highest priority of the Danish government " .

Storm surge causes flooding in HCMC. When climate change increases, projected sea level
rising to affect coastal areas. Photo: Vinh Phu.

He also expressed the present satisfaction of the program, and affirmed that the continuation of the program again demonstrates the close cooperation between Vietnam and Denmark.

Deputy Minister Tran Viet Thanh believes that the new phase of the program will bring more cooperation opportunities for researchers of the two countries and the results of that cooperation can be applied in the future.

According to UNDP's Human Development Report in 2007/2008, with a one-meter sea level scenario, about 22 million people, or about a quarter of Vietnam's population, will have to be displaced. Many areas of agricultural land will also be affected by seawater intrusion and heavy crop destruction due to flooding in the Mekong Delta.

Vietnam is currently the only country in Asia to be deployed by Denmark.