New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade supports TLU in research collaborations

On 14th May 2019, representatives of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand met with TLU leaders to review and evaluate the activities and results of the Viet Nam - New Zealand Dam Safety Project and to discuss the activities for the coming period.

TLU welcomes the delegation of New Zealand MFAT

Vietnam - New Zealand Dam Safety Project is a collaboration between Vietnam Government and New Zealand Government with the overall aim of reducing the risks and impacts of dam failures and flooding in the Ca River catchment in central of Vietnam. The project has been implementing since 2012, including 2 phases: Phase 1 (2012-2015) and Phase 2 (2016-2021).

Assoc.Prof. Nguyen Canh Thai presenting the activites and obtained results of the project

Up to May 2019, the project has completed preliminary dam-break flood maps and dam prioritisation lists for a total of 142 dams including 54 dams in Nghe An province and 88 dams in Ha Tinh province. Within the project framework, three training series for different groups of trainees from the central to local levels have been implemented effectively. The project has also published a book titled "Handbook on dam rapid assessment and impacts on downstream community" to introduce and provide a complete guidance on the Dam Rapid Assessment and Prioritisation Tool (DRAPT). This is a useful tool for dam rapid assessment as well as disaster risk management and mitigation. More information about the Project is provided on the website: http://damsafetyvnz.tlu.edu.vn/.

"Handbook on dam rapid assessment and impacts on downstream community"

Representing New Zealand MFAT in this mission to Vietnam, Ms. Jacquie Dean, Manager of Global Development and Scholarship Division, and Mr. Jonathan Lee, Development Officer acknowledged the positive contributions of Thuyloi University during the project implementation. Ms Dean said she was deeply impressed and highly appreciated the results obtained from the project so far. She totally agreed with TLU's emphasis on the necessity to widely popularise the DRAPT and apply it to the dams in other areas in Vietnam. On behalf of the MFAT, she committed to support the expansion of the research areas to further enhance the project's influence and positively contribute to the management and mitigation of natural disaster risks in Vietnam, especially in the context of the increasingly serious climate change.

Ms. Jacquie Dean (the middle) is discussing the related problems of activities and results of the project.

Vice President Nguyen Canh Thai highly appreciated the effective collaboration of the experts, also thanked the New Zealand MFAT for funding the project.

The meeting ended on a high note with the mutual expectation that the specialized partnership in dam safety between Thuyloi University and New Zealand partners will be further strengthened in the coming time.

Hoài Thương - Bích Việt