Viet Nam and Lao PDR minitries convene to advance transboundary water cooperation project

In July 2025 in Vientiane, Lao PDR, IUCN in collaboration with the Department of Water Resources Management (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Viet Nam), Department of Water Resources (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Lao PDR), and FAO, convened a series of events under the GEF International Waters project “Fostering water and environmental security in the Neun-Ca and Ma transboundary river basins and related coastal areas”.

19 Aug 2025

Photo: Representatives of DWM, MAE, Lao PDR (left) and DWRM, MAE, Viet Nam (right) co-chaired PRSC meeting © IUCN Viet Nam

The Neun-Ca and Ma project seeks to address freshwater resource management and ecosystem health in the transboundary Neun-Ca/Ma river basins and coastal zones by creating an enabling environment for transboundary cooperation and action. The project is implemented by FAO and executed by IUCN in partnership with governments of Lao PDR and Viet Nam.

On 7 July, a meeting was held to present the technical approach and implementation plan for the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) led by SNV to water resource management experts from Viet Nam and Lao PDR, members of the Regional Project Steering Committee (RPSC), FAO, and IUCN. Discussions focused on the thematic assessments, scenarios, and analysis of environmental flows.

On the same day, the second RPSC meeting took place. Its purpose was to monitor and ensure the technical quality of project outputs, strengthen coordination among government partners, discuss strategic issues, implementation plans, and budget.

The first RPSC meeting was held in May 2024 in Ha Noi. At the second RPSC meeting, representatives from DWRM and DWR, IUCN, and FAO discussed project progress, RPSC terms of reference, proposed pilot initiatives, and implementation plan and budget from January 2025 to June 2026.

The transboundary water project meetings were followed by a July 8 workshop on transboundary water governance and data sharing. This gathering brought together government agencies from both countries, the Mekong River Commission (MRC), SNV and a range of water experts. The workshop was an opportunity to exchange on transboundary water management, data sharing agreements, ways to strengthen cooperation, and inputs to the TDA.

Overall, these three events were opportunities for detailed technical discussions and team building. They also demonstrated government commitment to cooperate in sustainable water resources management in the transboundary Ma and Ca/Neun river basins.