Irrigation in Vietnam
Irrigation management is mainly dominated by the state whereas there have been certain reforms leading to change during the last years.
Different strategies have been developed within the last decade to deal with environmental problems and mitigate possible impacts of climate change.
After having changed the policies and opened the market, Vietnam was finally able to earn foreign exchange within these years and hence gain financial power.
[1] Due to the shift of agriculture from self-supporting production to highly intensified cropland systems there has been a total investment of the Vietnamese Government of ~125 trillion VND in irrigation infrastructure during the last four decades.
Irrigation utilizing pumps (electric or with oil engines) is mainly located in the delta regions (~2/3 of total).
[3] External Investment Proposals 1995-2000 Source: World Bank et al, Viet Nam Water Resources Sector Review 1996[3] As irrigation in Vietnam is an essential component for the farmers to achieve middle income status, its development is based on institutional reforms and settings.
In the process of decentralization, the WUAs gain responsibilities for commune and inter-commune branch canals and structures while the PIM has been introduced in 15-20 provinces only supported by international donors.
[1] Vietnam counts as one of the highest rainfall countries in the world with an annual precipitation of 1940 mm making a total volume of 640 billion m3 per year.
Beneath an uncountable number of lakes, ponds, lagoons and pools, there are water reservoirs with a total capacity of 26 billion cubic metres (21,000,000 acre-feet).
High amount of water losses due to insufficient irrigation systems and structures which lack maintenance and operate ineffectively.
Although there has not been sufficient research yet, saline intrusion and the degradation of soils due to erosion or chemical deterioration cause serious problems locally.
[5] According to the Vietnamese Legislation, the entire population owns the water resources and single users and organizations are legally allowed to use them in order to meet their daily life and production.
[6] The institutional framework can be divided into three main categories: The national (see table=central), provincial (see table= Province) and local level (see table=Districts, communes, etc.
): Irrigation on national scale is primarily managed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
Especially for the irrigation sector they advise a shift in policies from supply-focused to demand-focused approach which might reflect the nature of water service products more effectively.
[1] The central and local governments as well as foreign donors generally invest capital in irrigation and drainage (see Fig.
[1] Due to the fast development of service and industry sectors in Vietnam during the last decades the contribution of agriculture to the national GDP decreases continuously from 80 to 90% to approximately 30-50%.
The economic returns from irrigation production activities for each unit of water used vary significantly dependent on river basin (from 1,000 VND/m3 to 14,000 VND/m3).
The medium emission level scenario for 2080-2099 predicts a higher annual rainfall which occurs in the already wet months of the year.
Nevertheless, the participation in international conferences and the trend of the government to decentralize the system and implement a participatory based irrigation management strategy suggest that this country is willing to develop its policies further in order to gain long-term food security and save its natural resources at the same time.
