1. Viet Nam 2017-18 Water Management Country Status Factsheet
SDG Indicator 6.5.1: Degree of implementation of
integrated water resources management (0-100)
Viet Nam
Target 6.5 By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate.
SDG implementation
Country Background (WB 2017)
Population: million
Area: 330,967 sq. km
Human Development Index rank/category: 116/Medium (UNDP 2017)
General overview: Water availability is highly seasonal and variable across the country. Rapid urbanisation and industrialisation are causing significant water pollution problems. Subsistence and commercial fisheries and aquaculture remain important sectors. Approximately 60% of water resources originate outside the country.
Water Governance Background
National Institutions: Department of Water Resources Management, Ministry of Natural Resources.
National Policy: No overarching policy, multiple policies fragmented across ministries.
National Law: Law on Water Resources (2012), Law on Environmental Protection (2014), others.
National IWRM Plan: National Action Plan
Basin Management: RBOs exist for some major river basins, but they mostly have insufficient capacity and influence for effective implementation.
Aquifer Management: Limited coverage. Some provinces have developed hydrogeology maps.
IWRM dimension
Score (0-100)
Summary of implementation status
1. Enabling environment (policies, laws and plans)
Medium-low: 47
Policies, laws and plans exist, particularly at national level, and implementation is underway, though coordination between ministries remains a challenge. Frameworks at sub-national and basin levels remain slightly weaker.
2. Institutions and Participation (institutional capacity, cross-sector coordination and stakeholder participation)
Medium-low: 35
Institutions exist at national level, and some at basin level, but, despite a 2005 Decree on the coordination between administration units, cross-sectoral coordination remains limited. Stakeholder participation, including the private sector, is limited. Gender objectives are addressed but with limited implementation and budget.
3. Management Instruments (management and monitoring programmes, data & information sharing)
Medium-low: 36
There are constrained systems in place to monitor availability, manage water use, and address disaster risk, but pollution and ecosystem management is very low. Data and information sharing within Viet Nam and with neighbouring countries are extremely limited.
4. Financing (budgeting and financing)
Medium-low: 34
Generally sufficient budget for investments (though often not coordinated or not addressing negative social/environmental impacts). Budget for recurring costs available for water supply and irrigation. Revenue raising is limited.
IWRM implementation status (0-100)
Medium-low: 38
The enabling environment is generally in place, but capacity in institutions at all levels needs to be increased, as well as coordination between sectors. Mechanisms for public and private sector stakeholder engagement need to be formalized.
IWRM Implementation
Very low
Low
Medium-low
Medium-high
High
Very high
Score range
0-10
11-30
31-50
51-70
71-90
91-100

2. Water Resources Background (source: Aquastat)
Water availability: 9,461 m3/cap/yr (2014)
Water withdrawal: 956 m3/cap/yr (2005)
Renewable Surface Water: ^9 m3/year (2014)
Renewable Groundwater: 71 10^9 m3/year (2014)
Envir. Flow Req. (EFR): ^9 m3/year (2017)
Water Services Background (International Benchmarking Network IBNET)
Dam capacity per capita: 310 m3/cap (2010) (Aquastat)
Water connection coverage: 80% (2015)
Sewerage connection coverage: 46% (2015)
Revenue to operation cost revenue: 1.55 (2015)
Non-Revenue Water (NRW): 24% (losses) (2015)
Investment in water and sanitation with private sector participation: USD 401 mill. ( )
Financing:
- Budgets generally sufficient though greater coordination is required to ensure effective and sustainable outcomes.
- Some revenue raising mechanisms in place though collection of fees is limited.
Private sector: Historically heavy dependence on ODA expected to gradually reduce. Significant opportunities for PPPs, supported by the PPP Decree (2015), particularly in wastewater treatment and management, and environmental monitoring. (
SDG 6 indicators
Status
6.1.1 Access to safely managed drinking water
91%1 (2015)
6.2.1 Access to safely managed sanitation
78%1 (2015)
6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater safely treated
No data
6.3.2 Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality
6.4.1 Water-use efficiency
1.4 USD/m3 (low) (2015)
6.4.2 Level of water stress (withdrawals / available freshwater resources)
13% (2014)
6.5.2 Proportion of transboundary basin area with operational water cooperation arrangements
6.6.1 Change in extent of water-related ecosystems
12% gain ( vs )
1 ’At least basic’ service only.
Sectoral use
% of total withdrawals1
Priority level2
Municipal (Domestic)
1.5%
Highest
Agriculture
95%
Medium
Industry
3.5%
High
Energy
Environment
EFR 28% (2017)
1Aquastat 2005; 2UNEP 2012 IWRM status report
IWRM Implementation
Very low
Low
Medium-low
Medium-high
High
Very high
Potential priority areas, constraints and enablers
Effective mechanisms for coordination between sectors need to be established, given Viet Nam’s complex institutional and regulatory framework, ambitious development agenda, and rapid urbanization and industrialization.
Broad stakeholder participation is needed to ensure equitable and sustainable outcomes from water resources development.
Private sector engagement needs to be increased, through both PPPs and Social Corporate Responsibility.
Pollution control measures, particularly wastewater treatment, coupled with ecosystem management, need urgent attention.
For more information and support
Including completed country questionnaires:
This factsheet has been produced by: UN Environment-DHI Centre
Financial support: Danida.