The visit covered Hanoi, Haiphong and Ho Chi Minh City and consisted of meetings with water supply and sewerage companies, associations and academic institutions, namely:
● Southeast Asian Water Utilities Network
Ministry of Construction of Vietnam
● Vietnam Water Supply and Sewerage Association
- Hanoi University of Civil Engineering
● Hanoi Water Business Company No. 1
● Hanoi Water Business Company No. 2
● Haiphong Water Supply Company
● Haiphong Sewerage & Drainage Company
● Binh Duong Water Supply – Sewerage – Environment Company
● Saigon Water Corporation
These meetings provided IWA with some insights and better understanding of the water supply and sanitation in Vietnam – its development, achievements and challenges. Mr. Paul greatly appreciated the development of water sector in Vietnam with new degrees released by Vietnam Government in order to promote investment, operation management, improve the quantity and quality of water and sanitation services to meet the demand and welfare of the people, contribute to industrialization and modernization. He also shared with these companies regional and international water experiences.
Of particular significance was the meeting with the Vice-Minister of Construction in Vietnam Mr Tran Ngoc Chinh. After brief introduction to IWA and some of its events in 2008 made by Mr. Paul, the Vice Minister of Construction expressed the full support from him and the MOC in the IWA activities in Vietnam, especially the Conference on Sanitation Options to be jointly organized by IWA and SEAWUN in Hanoi in November this year to ensure the success for this event. The Vice-Minister also verbally accepted the invitation to attend the World Water Congress in Vienna, Austria in September.
During the visit, SEAWUN and IWA had substantive discussions on a three-year collaborative work plan between these two organizations, including among others, the Water Operators Partnerships, Non revenue water reduction, capacity building and the agreement to jointly organize a Conference on Sanitation Options in the Asia-Pacific in Hanoi on 18-20 November 2008.