Promote cooperation in water resources management with Hungary

The foundation for long-term, sustainable cooperation

Within the framework of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's official visit to Hungary, on January 19, Mr. Hoang Trung and the Vietnamese delegation had a bilateral working session with the delegation of the Ministry of Interior of Hungary headed by Deputy Minister Retvari Bence.

Expressing his pleasure in visiting and working with the Ministry of Interior of Hungary, Mr. Trung affirmed that Vietnam has always valued friendship and cooperation with Hungary.

Economic and trade relations between the two countries have been maintained over the years. From 2020 until now, the trade turnover between the two countries has reached over US$ 1 billion.

According to the Deputy Minister, Vietnam is a potential market with nearly 100 million people, with a stable economic growth rate of 6-7%/year over the past time. Vietnam is also the gateway for investors to enter the Southeast Asian market, with more than 650 million people.

"Along with the EVFTA taking effect from August 1, 2020, we have a solid basis to believe that cooperation between the two countries will increasingly develop strongly", Mr. Trung said.

Introducing the achievements of the agriculture sector, Deputy Minister Hoang Trung emphasized the cultivation field. He said that from a country that had to import food in the 1980s, after more than 30 years of reform, Vietnam is now in the world's top 3 rice exporting countries.

"To maximize the potential and improve the quality of crop products one step further, the contribution of irrigation projects is extremely important. Vietnam highly appreciates Hungary's experiences in overall water management." appropriate, specifically river basin management, drought forecasting and flood warning. Hungary also strongly develops water filtration and wastewater reuse technologies," the leader of the MARD continued.

Based on the potential and need for cooperation, the Governments of Vietnam and Hungary signed a cooperation agreement in water management on September 16, 2013. Then, in 2020, the two sides will continue to implement the results of the 9th Meeting of the Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation between Vietnam and Hungary, including the cooperation program in water resources.

The MARD and the Ministry of Interior of Hungary sent representatives to join the Working Group on water management cooperation. The group discussed and developed a work program for 2020 - 2022. However, due to difficulties during the Covid-19 pandemic, the program's activities have not been implemented.

Mr. Trung believes that with a series of results after the visit of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, especially the signing of the Action Plan for the period 2024 - 2026, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Interior of Hungary will have the basis for realizing cooperative activities in the near future.

Five collaborative content groups

Deputy Minister of MARD affirmed that Vietnam is ready to welcome Hungarian experts to Vietnam in 2024 to meet the Water Management Working Group to discuss technical cooperation in introducing and transferring Hungary's advanced water treatment technologies in more detail.

At the same time, share experiences in water management to support the cooperation and agricultural development of the two sides to adapt to the complex developments of the current climate.

Deputy Minister Hoang Trung proposed five cooperation contents to Hungary. The first is to promote cooperation in irrigation management and rural clean water supply, focusing on research and development of institutions and policies in irrigation and ensuring water security and sustainable agricultural development according to adaptation to climate change.

Second, research and develop water use planning in the basin, flood management solutions, and some flood warning and forecasting techniques.

Third, exchange experiences in modernizing irrigation system operations, especially during drought, water shortage, saltwater intrusion, and rising sea levels; irrigation service pricing mechanisms, diversifying irrigation services towards multi-target and multi-value.

Next, technical exchange on clean and safe water supply issues for rural areas; water filtration technologies for rural clean water supply systems.

The final is to cooperate in exchanging experts and enhancing professional and management capacity in related fields.

Expressing his joy at welcoming the Vietnamese delegation and appreciating the idea of developing cooperative relations between the two countries, including the agricultural sector, Deputy Minister Retvari Bence said that climate change affects every country.

Countries have researched many options to respond proactively and flexibly to climate change. From Hungary's experience, this country focuses on water resources because this field contributes significantly to ensuring the speed of development of the world economy.

Hungary has a lot of experience in international cooperation in irrigation, according to Mr. Retvari. Based on its rich and diverse water supply system, Central Europe has organized many international conferences and seminars, including the Planet Budapest 2021 Sustainability Expo and Summit.

"Hungary is a small, landlocked country with a basin-shaped terrain. The rivers in Hungary all originate from neighboring countries. Therefore, irrigation and irrigation activities are critical to us. ", Mr. Retvari shared.

Deputy Minister Retvari Bence admitted that climate change dramatically affects Hungary due to the basin's terrain. Recognizing this, Hungary is developing a drought monitoring management system. This system has more than 100 research stations across the country.

The country of 10 million people is also studying the impact of climate change on Vietnam and is willing to share this experience.

Thuyloi University is assigned as the implementation focal point

At a working session with the MARD delegation, Deputy Minister Retvari Bence said that professional training is essential in sustainably building and managing irrigation systems.

The country on the Danube and Tisza rivers has many universities implementing training programs in foreign languages, specifically English. These help Hungarian universities have many conditions to expand training cooperation, including professional and specialized training.

The Budapest University of Technology and Economics and the Ludovika University of Public Service are prominent in water management training. In particular, the first university specializes in water and environmental management, contributing about 70% of the civil engineering, chemistry, and natural sciences resources to Hungary.

Both universities have resources for international training and cooperation in implementing foreign projects.

Vietnamese students can apply to participate in the Hungarian Government's scholarship system to study at both universities. In addition, Vietnamese universities can also exchange students with those.

"Vietnam and Hungary have a history of training exchanges. The two countries' joint working group on water management has been established. We are committed to creating favorable conditions for Vietnamese partners to participate in training facilities in Hungary. In the past, Hungary sent experts to Africa and is now ready to ship exports to Asia," Deputy Minister Retvari Bence emphasized.

Responding to the comments of the Hungarian side, Deputy Minister Hoang Trung hoped that Hungary would continue to share experiences in the integrated and sustainable water management field.

"Vietnam needs experience and knowledge in dam safety management, drought and flood regulation, and human resource training. Hopefully, shortly, more Vietnamese students will receive scholarships to attend. Participate in training programs at two famous Hungarian universities," he expressed.

Mr. Trung also proposed that the Hungarian Government soon send experts to cooperate and help Vietnam develop strategies and policies in water management.

Within the framework of the meeting, the two sides agreed to assign Thuyloi University (TLU) to be the focal point for cooperation in training and technology transfer, student exchange, undergraduate and postgraduate training and short-term courses, scientific research, and technology development.

TLU is a leading university in water resources management, hydropower, natural resources, environment, and disaster management. TLU aims to become one of the top multi-discipline universities in Vietnam with a high level of ability to integrate into tertiary education systems in the region and the world.

Prof. Dr. Trinh Minh Thu, Rector of TLU, believes that, with the support of the MARD, the Ministry of Interior of Hungary, and related partners, the university will perform its role well as a focal point of cooperation in water resources management, improving Vietnam's water resources management capacity, and meeting the country's sustainable socio-economic development requirements.

At the end of the meeting, Deputy Minister Hoang Trung and Deputy Minister Retvari Bence signed the Vietnam - Hungary bilateral cooperation action plan for the period 2024 – 2026.