US embassy cable - 02HANOI2686

UNCLAS HANOI 002686 
 
SIPDIS 
                           UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ0712 
 
PAGE 01        HANOI  02686  01 OF 02  060950Z 
ACTION AID-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    CIAE-00  SRPP-00  DS-00    EAP-00   EB-00 
      FBIE-00  UTED-00  FDRE-01  VC-00    TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-00 
      L-00     VCE-00   DCP-01   NSAE-00  PM-00    IRM-00   TEST-00 
      TRSE-00  ECA-00   PMB-00   DSCC-00  PRM-00   NFAT-00  SAS-00 
        /002W 
                  ------------------04253A  060950Z /38 
P 060936Z NOV 02 
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8026 
INFO AMEMBASSY MANILA PRIORITY 
AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 
ASEAN COLLECTIVE 
USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI 
JICPAC HONOLULU HI 
SECDEF WASHDC 
NSC WASHDC 
USDOC WASHDC 
 
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 002686 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV AND EAP/PD 
USAID/DCHA/FFP FOR BRAUSE AND LANDIS 
USAID/DCHA/OFDA FOR THAYER 
MANILA FOR USAID/OFDA FOR DOLAN AND ROGERS 
USAID/ANE FOR FERRARA 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        HANOI  02686  01 OF 02  060950Z 
CINCPAC FOR FPA, J3 AND J4 
SECDEF FOR OSD/LIC/SOLIC/PKHA 
USDOC FOR 4431/MAC/AP/OKSA/HPPHO 
PACIFIC COMMAND 
 
AID/DCHA/OFDA THAYER 
MANILA FOR OFDA TDOLAN 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID, PREL, VM 
SUBJECT: VIETNAM - WHERE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS IS SERIOUS 
BUSINESS 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  USAID/DCHA/OFDA'S REGIONAL COORDINATOR FOR 
ASIA VISITED HANOI OCTOBER 27-30 TO REVIEW DISASTER 
PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE ACTIVITIES INCLUDING THOSE FUNDED 
BY OFDA. THE GVNGVN CONTINUES TO DEMONSTRATE AN EXCEPTIONAL 
COMMITMENT TO DISASTER PREPAREDNESS THAT IS PERHAPS 
UNMATCHED IN THE ASIA REGION. THIS COMMITMENT STEMS FROM A 
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS CULTURE SHAPED BY VIETNAM'S EXTREME 
VULNERABILITY TO NATURAL DISASTERS SUCH AS FLOODS AND 
TYPHOONS. FLOOD LEVELS IN THE MEKONG BASIN THIS YEAR WERE 
COMPARABLE TO 2000 AND 2001, BUT EFFECTIVE GVN PREPAREDNESS 
MEASURES GREATLY REDUCED LOSS OF LIFE AND PROPERTY. 
USAID/OFDA IS SUPPORTING TWO ONGOING DISASTER PREPAREDNESS 
PROJECTS IN VIETNAM, INCLUDING A FLOOD EARLY WARNING SYSTEM 
IN CENTRAL VIETNAM AND A COASTAL STORM EARLY WARNING SYSTEM. 
USAID/OFDA HAS ALSO PROVIDED EMERGENCY RELIEF ASSISTANCE TO 
VIETNAM TOTALING ABOUT USD 1.3 MILLION SINCE 1999. 
 
2.  USAID/DCHA/OFDA'S REGIONAL COORDINATOR FOR ASIA VISITED 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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HANOI OCTOBER 27-30 TO REVIEW DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND 
RESPONSE ACTIVITIES IN VIETNAM, INCLUDING THOSE FUNDED BY 
OFDA. REGIONAL COORDINATOR ROB THAYER MET WITH EMBASSY AND 
USAID COLLEAGUES, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS 
REPRESENTATIVES, NGOS, AND A GVN DISASTER MANAGEMENT UNIT 
WHICH IMPLEMENTS TWO OFDA-FUNDED DISASTER PREPAREDNESS 
PROJECTS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE UNITED NATIONS 
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (UNDP). 
 
3.  A DISASTER PREPAREDNESS CULTURE:  THE GVN CONTINUES TO 
DEMONSTRATE AN EXCEPTIONAL COMMITMENT TO NATURAL DISASTER 
PREPAREDNESS THAT IS PERHAPS UNMATCHED IN THE ASIA REGION. 
GOVERNMENT INVESTMENTS IN DISASTER PREPAREDNESS DWARF 
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, AND THE 
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AGENDA HERE IS CLEARLY DRIVEN BY 
NATIONAL PRIORITIES AND NOT BY DONORS. 
 
4.  VIETNAM'S COMMITMENT TO DISASTER PREPAREDNESS STEMS FROM 
WHAT HAS BEEN CALLED A DISASTER PREPAREDNESS CULTURE, SHAPED 
BY THE COUNTRY'S HISTORIC VULNERABILITY TO FLOODS AND 
TYPHOONS. RECENT REMINDERS OF THIS VULNERABILITY INCLUDE THE 
DEVASTATING CENTRAL VIETNAM FLOODS OF 1999, AND THE MEKONG 
RIVER FLOODS OF 2000, EACH RESULTING IN HUNDREDS OF DEATHS 
AND PROPERTY LOSSES IN THE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. 
EVEN HANOI ITSELF, PROTECTED FROM THE RED RIVER FOR 
CENTURIES BY AN ELABORATE SYSTEM OF DIKES, IS FEARED TO BE 
VULNERABLE NOW, AS NATURAL FLOOD PROTECTION SUCH AS UPSTREAM 
FORESTATION IS DEPLETED. 
 
5.  THE GVN WAS REMARKABLY WELL-PREPARED FOR THIS YEAR'S 
MEKONG DELTA FLOODING WHICH PEAKED IN SEPTEMBER, ACCORDING 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 04        HANOI  02686  01 OF 02  060950Z 
TO RELIEF AGENCIES WORKING IN THE AREA. WHILE FLOOD LEVELS 
WERE COMPARABLE TO THOSE OF 2000 AND 2001, LOSS OF LIFE AND 
PROPERTY WERE CONSIDERABLY REDUCED BY CREATION OF "ISLANDS" 
AS SAFE HAVENS FOR EVACUEES AND THEIR BELONGINGS (IN MOST 
CASES ELEVATED AND WIDENED ROADWAYS); EFFECTIVE PRE- 
POSITIONING OF RELIEF SUPPLIES IN FLOOD-PRONE SUB-DISTRICTS; 
AND STRENGTHENING OF SECONDARY DIKES WHICH PROTECTED MUCH OF 
THE FOOD CROP LONG ENOUGH TO ENABLE HARVESTING. 
 
6.  THE COORDINATING BODY FOR NATURAL DISASTER RESPONSE AND 
PREPAREDNESS IN VIETNAM IS THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE FOR FLOOD 
AND STORM CONTROL, HEADED BY THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND 
RURAL DEVELOPMENT, WHICH OVERSEES A NETWORK OF PROVINCIAL 
AND DISTRICT-LEVEL COMMITTEES. THE PRIME MINISTER TAKES A 
PERSONAL INTEREST IN THESE EFFORTS, AND LOCAL OFFICIALS IN 
DISASTER-PRONE AREAS ARE SAID TO BE ACUTELY AWARE THAT JOB 
SECURITY DEPENDS PARTLY ON THEIR PERFORMANCE IN PREPARING 
FOR AND RESPONDING TO THESE DISASTERS. 
 
7.  USAID/OFDA DISASTER ASSISTANCE:  USAID/DCHA/OFDA IS 
CURRENTLY FUNDING TWO MULTI-YEAR DISASTER PREPAREDNESS 
PROJECTS IN VIETNAM: A FLOOD EARLY WARNING SYSTEM IN CENTRAL 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
                           UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ0713 
 
PAGE 01        HANOI  02686  02 OF 02  060950Z 
ACTION AID-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    CIAE-00  SRPP-00  DS-00    EAP-00   EB-00 
      FBIE-00  UTED-00  FDRE-01  VC-00    TEDE-00  INR-00   VCE-00 
      DCP-01   NSAE-00  PER-00   PM-00    IRM-00   TEST-00  TRSE-00 
      EPAE-00  ECA-00   PMB-00   DSCC-00  PRM-00   NFAT-00  SAS-00 
        /002W 
                  ------------------042541  060950Z /38 
P 060936Z NOV 02 
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8027 
INFO AMEMBASSY MANILA PRIORITY 
AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 
ASEAN COLLECTIVE 
USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI 
JICPAC HONOLULU HI 
SECDEF WASHDC 
NSC WASHDC 
USDOC WASHDC 
 
UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 HANOI 002686 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV AND EAP/PD 
USAID/DCHA/FFP FOR BRAUSE AND LANDIS 
USAID/DCHA/OFDA FOR THAYER 
MANILA FOR USAID/OFDA FOR DOLAN AND ROGERS 
USAID/ANE FOR FERRARA 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        HANOI  02686  02 OF 02  060950Z 
CINCPAC FOR FPA, J3 AND J4 
SECDEF FOR OSD/LIC/SOLIC/PKHA 
USDOC FOR 4431/MAC/AP/OKSA/HPPHO 
PACIFIC COMMAND 
 
AID/DCHA/OFDA THAYER 
MANILA FOR OFDA TDOLAN 
 
 
VIETNAM (USD 994,000 FROM 2000-2004), AND A COASTAL STORM 
EARLY WARNING SYSTEM (USD 1.44 MILLION FROM 2001-2004). BOTH 
PROJECTS ARE IMPLEMENTED BY THE DISASTER MANAGEMENT UNIT 
(DMU), A UNDP-SUPPORTED TECHNICAL UNIT UNDER THE CENTRAL 
COMMITTEE FOR FLOOD AND STORM CONTROL. 
 
8.  THE USAID/OFDA-FUNDED CENTRAL VIETNAM PROJECT HAS 
ALREADY RESULTED IN REGULAR FLOOD AND STORM WARNING 
BROADCASTS ON THE THREE NATIONAL TELEVISION STATIONS, AND 
WILL EVENTUALLY RESULT IN STATE-OF-THE-ART FLOOD EARLY 
WARNING CAPABILITIES IN SEVEN FLOOD-PRONE PROVINCES. THE 
WEBSITE DEVELOPED THROUGH THIS PROJECT IS NOW THE PRIMARY 
SOURCE OF DAILY AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON DISASTER 
CONDITIONS IN VIETNAM FOR DISTRICT, PROVINCIAL, AND NATIONAL 
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, EVIDENCED BY MORE THAN 73,000 VISITS 
TO THE VIETNAMESE LANGUAGE VERSION OF THE WEBSITE TO DATE. 
THE WEBSITE CAN BE ACCESSED AT WWW.UNDP.ORG/DMU. 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        HANOI  02686  02 OF 02  060950Z 
9.  THROUGH THE USAID/OFDA-FUNDED COASTAL STORM EARLY 
WARNING PROJECT, TECHNOLOGY IS BEING DEVELOPED TO ENABLE 
VIETNAM'S SUBSISTENCE FISHING BOATS TO RECEIVE ADEQUATE 
WARNING OF APPROACHING STORMS THROUGH LOW-COST, SIGNAL- 
ACTIVATED RADIO RECEIVERS. VIETNAM HAS ABOUT 80,000 
REGISTERED VESSELS ALONG ITS COASTLINE, MOST OF THEM SMALL 
FISHING BOATS. THE VULNERABILITY OF THESE FISHING 
COMMUNITIES TO COASTAL STORMS WAS DRAMATICALLY ILLUSTRATED 
IN 1997 WHEN OVER 3,000 FISHERMEN AND WOMEN WERE LOST DURING 
TYPHOON LINDA. 
 
10.  USAID/OFDA HAS ALSO PROVIDED EMERGENCY RELIEF THROUGH 
EMBASSY HANOI IN RESPONSE TO FLOODS AND STORMS IN CENTRAL 
AND SOUTHERN VIETNAM TOTALING ABOUT USD 1.3 MILLION SINCE 
1999, MAINLY THROUGH THE RED CROSS AND NGOS. TWO TRAILER- 
MOUNTED WATER PURIFICATION UNITS RECENTLY PROVIDED TO THE 
GVN BY USAID/OFDA THROUGH CARE/VIETNAM, EACH CAPABLE OF 
PRODUCING 200,000 LITERS OF DRINKING WATER DAILY, ARE NOW 
BEING UTILIZED IN FLOOD-AFFECTED MEKONG COMMUNITIES. 
 
BURGHARDT 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED