Accelerate cooperation progress between MAE and JICA

On the morning of September 5, during his working visit to Japan, Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang met with Senior Vice President Hataeda Mikio at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Senior Vice President Hataeda Mikio expressed his gratitude to the Acting Minister for making time for the meeting and conveyed his wish to discuss key areas of cooperation between the two sides, particularly in agriculture and environment.

JICA informed that Project JICA 3 has already been revised and is expected to move forward soon, whereas Project JICA 5 is still pending Vietnam’s approval of the Pre-Feasibility Study (Pre-FS). They also noted that the training center in Hoa Lac has been fully constructed, but many of its facilities and components have not yet been put into use.

With regard to disaster prevention and control, the sediment disaster risk reduction project at the Sabo dam in Son La has been completed and is anticipated to be expanded in the near future. Nonetheless, several other ODA projects are currently facing delays due to unresolved issues related to tax exemptions. Therefore, Vietnam is encouraged to finalize the investment policy reports at the earliest possible time. In addition, the approval documents for the Phase 3 Sustainable Natural Resource Management Project (SNRM3) are still under process and have yet to be completed.

On climate change, JICA emphasized that the SIM-NDC Project will support Vietnam in fulfilling its emission reduction commitments, while the project on enhancing waste management capacity toward a circular economy has already been approved, with a survey mission scheduled to visit Vietnam in 2025.

On this basis, Mr. Hataeda Mikio proposed that Vietnam submit an official request for the expert position of “Advisor on promoting sustainable food and agriculture systems” and expressed his hope to expand new technical cooperation projects in order to further enhance the effectiveness of collaboration between the two sides.

Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang emphasized that the projects supported by JICA are all of strategic importance, contributing to addressing core challenges such as water management, capacity building in training, and value chain development. Cooperation with JICA has generated significant outcomes, ranging from biodiversity conservation to livelihood improvement for local communities.

In particular, Japan’s Sabo dam model has proven highly effective in mitigating the risks of flash floods and landslides in mountainous areas. At the same time, the SIM-NDC Project is supporting Vietnam in delivering on its emission reduction commitments, aligning well with the country’s orientation toward a circular economy, waste management, and pollution control.

Nevertheless, project implementation has been progressing slowly due to multiple reasons, most notably the lack of synchronization in administrative procedures between the two sides. This remains a common challenge facing ODA projects between Vietnam and Japan.

To ensure the projects deliver tangible results, the Vietnamese side affirmed its commitment to accelerating disbursement and implementation of Project JICA 3, while also requesting JICA to promptly assign experts to jointly prepare the Pre-Feasibility Study (Pre-FS) for Project JICA 5. This would help both sides reach consensus on investment plans and the application of science and technology, thereby shortening the appraisal process and securing an early loan commitment. The Hoa Lac Center will be reviewed, with clear assignment of a managing agency to ensure its effective utilization.

“With regard to non-project expert and advisor assignments, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is currently preparing a proposal, which is expected to be submitted to the Ministry of Finance in early 2026 for Japan’s consideration. We hope JICA will continue to prioritize projects in high technology and digital transformation in agriculture, the OCOP program, capacity building in irrigation management and agricultural processing. At the same time, we look forward to JICA’s support in scaling up the Sabo dam system in Son La and in addressing tax exemption issues for grant aid projects.

Vietnam proposed that JICA consider supporting new projects such as SNRM3, a non-project package on UAV-based forest monitoring equipment, a disaster risk reduction education project for children managed by UNICEF, as well as initiatives on developing an MRV system, waste management and recycling, industrial emission treatment, and green urban–rural development models,” Acting Minister noted.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with JICA, facilitating survey missions, and ensuring that projects are implemented on schedule, thereby making practical contributions to the Extensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Japan.