US embassy cable - 05HANOI373

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000373 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR OES - MARSHA GOLDBERG 
STATE PASS TO USAID - PATRICIA CHAPLIN 
STATE PASS TO EPA - DENNIS CUNNINGHAM 
STATE PASS TO NOAA - JONATHAN JUSTI 
BANGKOK FOR USAEP - WINSTON BOWMAN 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: SENV, KSCA, TBIO, VM 
SUBJECT:  VIETNAM:  AMBASSADOR'S CALL ON THE MINISTER OF 
NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT 
 
 
1. Summary.  On February 1, the Ambassador paid an 
introductory call on Minister of Natural Resources and 
Environment Mai Ai Truc.  The Minister portrayed MONRE's 
task as assisting the GVN, National Assembly and other 
government ministries to achieve a balance between rapid 
economic development and environmental protection.  In 
particular, he pointed to Prime Minister Phan Van Khai's 
recent proclamation of "a new direction" in environmental 
protection.  According to Truc, the PM declared that Vietnam 
would not sacrifice environmental protection for economic 
growth.  Minister Truc also briefly described Vietnam's main 
environmental challenges including waste treatment, 
pollution, protecting biodiversity, traffic, air pollution 
and natural disaster mitigation.  Minister Truc highlighted 
the good cooperation between GVN and the USG in 
environmental protection and hydro-meteorology and expressed 
interest in increased support.  End Summary. 
 
2. On February 1, the Ambassador paid an introductory call 
on Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Mai Ai 
Truc.  The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment 
(MONRE) was established in 2002 to consolidate existing 
institutions responsible for land administration, minerals, 
water resources, hydro-meteorology, survey mapping and 
environmental protection. 
 
High-level Political Support for Environmental Protection 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
3. Minister Truc portrayed MONRE's task as assisting the 
GVN, National Assembly and other government ministries to 
achieve a balance between rapid economic development and 
environmental protection.  MONRE has drafted a new law on 
environmental protection that Truc expects the National 
Assembly to pass in early 2005.  The draft law specifies 
which Ministry is responsible for protecting various natural 
resources and emphasizes the role of provincial and local 
authorities, communities and private enterprises to ensure 
environmental protection. 
 
4. Minister Truc is also keen on implementing Politburo 
Resolution 41/NQ-TW (dated 11/15/2004), which calls for 
harmonization between socio-economic and environmental 
protection to achieve the sustainable development goals of 
the country.  All the Ministries have been organized to 
implement the Resolution, he said.  Earlier that week, MONRE 
had hosted an International Support Group on Environment 
(ISGE) meeting to discuss the Resolution and propose 
priority initiatives to the international donor community. 
 
5. According to Minister Truc, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai 
recently proclaimed "a new direction" in environmental 
protection.  The Prime Minister reportedly declared, "We 
will not exchange the environment for economic development, 
but we will also not let our people go hungry or suffer just 
for environmental protection.  If we have to choose between 
rapid development with limited environmental protection and 
slower development with strict environmental protection, 
then we choose the latter.  We would rather be poor in a 
rich environment then be rich in a poor environment." 
 
Growing Pains: Main Environmental Challenges 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
6. Minister Truc identified Vietnam's main environmental 
challenges including solid waste treatment, municipal and 
industrial wastewater treatment, pollution in craft villages 
and rural areas, protection of biodiversity, traffic and 
urban air pollution, and natural disaster mitigation.  The 
Ambassador and the Minister agreed that rapid urbanization 
and the impact on water and air quality, including problems 
related to solid waste, would be a rising concern.  Truc 
noted that environmental protection is also a socio-economic 
concern. If satellite cities are not developed, rural people 
will continue to enter Vietnam's main cities and urban 
pollution will continue to worsen. 
 
GVN Interest in Continued Technical Assistance 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
7. Remarking on the good cooperation between GVN and the USG 
in environmental protection and hydro-meteorology, the 
Minister noted that USAID's US-Asia Environmental 
Partnership (US-AEP) has also provided technical support in 
urban environmental management.  Since 1999, USAID has 
provided USD 8.2 million in technical assistance, grants and 
study exchanges to improve environmental policy and 
governance in urban areas under the US-AEP program and 
approximately USD 3 million for support to biodiversity and 
coastal management in Vietnam.  Since 2000, USAID has also 
provided USD 3.75 million in technical assistance to the 
UNDP and the National Hydro-Meteorological Service of 
Vietnam for coastal flood risk mapping for seven central 
provinces in Vietnam and early storm warning systems for 
fisherfolk.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA) has also provided technical support to 
National Hydro-Meteorological Service of Vietnam, formerly 
under the Ministry of Science and Technology but now under 
the administration of MONRE.  The Minister expressed 
interest in increased levels of support from the United 
States in the future. 
 
MARINE