Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Le Cong Thanh emphasized that the conference took place in the context of Asia facing climate change, extreme natural disasters and water resource depletion.
With the theme "Sustainable water governance, digital transformation and investment cooperation for the future", the conference reflects AWC's strategic vision, while also following the trend of green growth and data-based governance.
As a downstream country of many major river systems and strongly affected by climate change, Vietnam identifies water resource management as a strategic priority. The Government has issued many policies to ensure water security and fairness in accessing and sustainably using this resource.
At the conference, Vietnamese and Korean experts shared many solutions for digital transformation and smart water resource management. Mr. Nguyen Minh Khuyen - representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment said that Vietnam has built a national database, a smart monitoring system and an IoT application in real-time reservoir operation, helping to improve operational efficiency and contribute to the budget.
However, the challenge is still huge as 63% of surface water sources come from outside the territory, while the water security index has only reached 2/5. Vietnam needs to continue to improve institutions, promote digitalization and expand international cooperation.
In the urban area, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Diep - Chairman of the Vietnam Drainage Supply and Supply Association said that the rate of treated wastewater is currently only about 20%, causing great pressure on the environment. He proposed increasing investment and cooperation with international partners, especially with South Korea, to develop a sustainable water supply system and adapt to climate change.
AWC President and General Director of the Korea Water Corporation (K-water) Seogdae Yun commented that climate change is a cross-border challenge, requiring countries to cooperate closely and take action together.
On the sidelines of the conference, many Korean enterprises introduced modern technology such as smart water management systems, organic sludge treatment, flood warnings, ultra-precision flow meters and wastewater recycling technology into drinking water.
Notably, the conference also announced the Hanoi Initiative - Action for Asian National Security, focusing on 3 main directions: data sharing and inter-national monitoring; improving forecasting capacity, applying AI and digital technology; enhancing policy cooperation, mobilizing international resources.
Within the framework of the event, Deputy Minister Le Cong Thanh and Mr. Seogdae Yun had a bilateral working session to promote cooperation between the Vietnam Water and Environment Association (VWEA) and K-water. The two sides affirmed that they will jointly promote sustainable development in water resource management and exploitation.
On the same day, the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Secretariat of AWC, VWEA and NVWATER took place in Hanoi. The B2B meeting between businesses of the two countries was also held, opening up opportunities for investment cooperation, technology sharing and developing the regional water industry in a green and sustainable direction.
