VCAPS commissioned to ensure implementation climate adaptation strategy Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Vietnamese Climate Adaptation Partnership (VCAPS), led by Dutch consultancy firm Grontmij, has been commissioned to secure the climate adaptation strategy in the urban planning of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
This commission follows the completion of the adaptation strategy for this delta city by VCAPS last year. 
Frequently flooded
Ho Chi Minh City is already frequently flooded due to heavy rainfall and its low position in the Delta. Problems and risks for the inhabitants are likely to increase due to sea level rise and higher river discharges.
At the same time the population and economy of Ho Chi Minh City are growing rapidly. The city is expanding, also towards the sea.
In April 2013 the city board, the people's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, was presented a Climate Adaptation Strategy.
Subsequently the board announced that it would apply the strategy to make the city climate-proof. In responce VCAPS made a plan of action for the board.
Assurance climate adaptation strategy
"When drafting the climate adaptation strategy the motto has always been: Vietnamese ownership and Dutch partnership. This created local support for all our activities", said Enrico Moens, team leader of the project and also program manager Climate & sustainability at Grontmij.
"Now it is important to stay determined. and see to it that the strategy is taken into account in the city's plans, projects and procedures by the different departments involved."
"We will assist the Ho Chi Minh City Climate Change Bureau that was specially set up for this task. Doing so we will use the knowledge and experience that the city of Rotterdam has built up in recent years. The goal is the overall integration of climate change adaptation in all aspects of urban developments in Ho Chi Minh City", assured Moens.
About VCAPS
VCAPS comprises Grontmij Netherlands (lead), Witteveen+Bos, Bosch Slabbers landscape architects and Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM).
The consortium is supported by local experts. It is funded by the Dutch programme Partners for Water of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and implemented in close cooperation with the city of Rotterdam.
This news item was originally published on the website of Grontmij (Dutch only).
Also read on this site
● Climate adaptation strategy for Ho Chi Minh City officially handed over by Rotterdam City, 18 April 2013
● High level Dutch-Vietnamese delegation visits climate adaptation sites in Ho Chi Minh City by boat, 12 October 2012
● Adaptation strategy: Ho Chi Minh City moves port to the sea, 11 October 2011
More information
Vietnam Climate Adaptation Partnership (VCAPS)
c/o Grontmij
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
+84 8 3899 6175
www.vcaps.org/en