Viet Nam and Lao PDR strengthen cooperation on transboundary rivers

On 22 December 2025 in Hanoi, Nguyen Hoang Hiep, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) of Viet Nam with special responsibility for water met Chanthanet Boualapha, Vice Minister of MAE of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), to discuss transboundary water cooperation. The two countries plan to sign a transboundary water cooperation agreement by mid-2026, which will establish a data sharing mechanism in the transboundary rivers.

09 Mar 2026

Photo: VM Chanthanet Boualapha of Lao PDR MAE (left) and VM Nguyen Hoang Hiep of Viet Nam MAE (right) presented a commemorative gift at the meeting © Viet Nam MAE

The meeting brought together representatives of MAE’s Department of Water Resources Management, Department of International Cooperation, National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, and IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Both Viet Nam and Lao PDR have completed integrated water resources management plans for the Ma river basin. However, these plans were developed based on the individual visions and priorities of each country. Both sides expressed strong interest in strengthening information sharing, early warning systems, monitoring and management of water quality, including groundwater, as well as the impacts of hydropower in the transboundary Ca-Neun and Ma river basins.

It is expected that the transboundary water cooperation agreement will include establishing an inter-ministerial committee to cooperate on water management in the Ca-Neun and Ma river basins with emphasis on three areas:

Information sharing, monitoring, and management of water;
Monitoring of water-related infrastructure such as hydropower reservoirs, irrigation works, and pumping stations; and
Monitoring and management of water quality, with particular attention to mining activities that pose significant risks to water resources

Participants at the bilaterial meeting in Ha Noi, Viet Nam © MAE

The inter-ministerial committee establishment will strengthen cooperation in the Neun-Ca and Ma river basins, an objective of the project “Fostering water and environmental security in the Neun-Ca and Ma transboundary river basins and related coastal areas in Lao PDR and Viet Nam”.

This project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) International Waters and implemented and executed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and IUCN respectively in both countries in 2023-2028, aiming at enabling Viet Nam and the Lao PDR to address freshwater resource management and ecosystem health in the transboundary Neun – Ca and Ma river basins and coastal zones by creating a constructive environment for transboundary cooperation and action.

In the upcoming months, IUCN will work closely with relevant departments of MAE in Lao DPR and Viet Nam to develop the transboundary water cooperation agreement, arrange consultations and hopefully to have it signed by both governments in due course.