VIETNAM: AMBASSADOR'S CALL ON THE MINISTER OF

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000373

SIPDIS

STATE FOR OES - MARSHA GOLDBERG
STATE PASS TO USAID - PATRICIA CHAPLIN
STATE PASS TO EPA - DENNIS CUNNINGHAM
STATE PASS TO NOAA - JONATHAN JUSTI
BANGKOK FOR USAEP - WINSTON BOWMAN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV KSCA TBIO VM
SUBJECT: VIETNAM: AMBASSADOR'S CALL ON THE MINISTER OF
NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT



1. Summary. On February 1, the Ambassador paid an
introductory call on Minister of Natural Resources and
Environment Mai Ai Truc. The Minister portrayed MONRE's
task as assisting the GVN, National Assembly and other
government ministries to achieve a balance between rapid
economic development and environmental protection. In
particular, he pointed to Prime Minister Phan Van Khai's
recent proclamation of "a new direction" in environmental
protection. According to Truc, the PM declared that Vietnam
would not sacrifice environmental protection for economic
growth. Minister Truc also briefly described Vietnam's main
environmental challenges including waste treatment,
pollution, protecting biodiversity, traffic, air pollution
and natural disaster mitigation. Minister Truc highlighted
the good cooperation between GVN and the USG in
environmental protection and hydro-meteorology and expressed
interest in increased support. End Summary.


2. On February 1, the Ambassador paid an introductory call
on Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Mai Ai
Truc. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
(MONRE) was established in 2002 to consolidate existing
institutions responsible for land administration, minerals,
water resources, hydro-meteorology, survey mapping and
environmental protection.

High-level Political Support for Environmental Protection
-------------- --------------


3. Minister Truc portrayed MONRE's task as assisting the
GVN, National Assembly and other government ministries to
achieve a balance between rapid economic development and
environmental protection. MONRE has drafted a new law on
environmental protection that Truc expects the National
Assembly to pass in early 2005. The draft law specifies
which Ministry is responsible for protecting various natural
resources and emphasizes the role of provincial and local
authorities, communities and private enterprises to ensure
environmental protection.


4. Minister Truc is also keen on implementing Politburo
Resolution 41/NQ-TW (dated 11/15/2004),which calls for
harmonization between socio-economic and environmental
protection to achieve the sustainable development goals of
the country. All the Ministries have been organized to
implement the Resolution, he said. Earlier that week, MONRE
had hosted an International Support Group on Environment
(ISGE) meeting to discuss the Resolution and propose
priority initiatives to the international donor community.


5. According to Minister Truc, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai
recently proclaimed "a new direction" in environmental
protection. The Prime Minister reportedly declared, "We
will not exchange the environment for economic development,
but we will also not let our people go hungry or suffer just
for environmental protection. If we have to choose between
rapid development with limited environmental protection and
slower development with strict environmental protection,
then we choose the latter. We would rather be poor in a
rich environment then be rich in a poor environment."

Growing Pains: Main Environmental Challenges
--------------


6. Minister Truc identified Vietnam's main environmental
challenges including solid waste treatment, municipal and
industrial wastewater treatment, pollution in craft villages
and rural areas, protection of biodiversity, traffic and
urban air pollution, and natural disaster mitigation. The
Ambassador and the Minister agreed that rapid urbanization
and the impact on water and air quality, including problems
related to solid waste, would be a rising concern. Truc
noted that environmental protection is also a socio-economic
concern. If satellite cities are not developed, rural people
will continue to enter Vietnam's main cities and urban
pollution will continue to worsen.

GVN Interest in Continued Technical Assistance
-------------- -


7. Remarking on the good cooperation between GVN and the USG
in environmental protection and hydro-meteorology, the
Minister noted that USAID's US-Asia Environmental
Partnership (US-AEP) has also provided technical support in
urban environmental management. Since 1999, USAID has
provided USD 8.2 million in technical assistance, grants and
study exchanges to improve environmental policy and
governance in urban areas under the US-AEP program and
approximately USD 3 million for support to biodiversity and
coastal management in Vietnam. Since 2000, USAID has also
provided USD 3.75 million in technical assistance to the
UNDP and the National Hydro-Meteorological Service of
Vietnam for coastal flood risk mapping for seven central
provinces in Vietnam and early storm warning systems for
fisherfolk. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) has also provided technical support to
National Hydro-Meteorological Service of Vietnam, formerly
under the Ministry of Science and Technology but now under
the administration of MONRE. The Minister expressed
interest in increased levels of support from the United
States in the future.

MARINE