Cooperation in responding to climate change

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Can Tho City, climate change in Can Tho City is becoming increasingly evident, complex, and difficult to predict. Drought, saltwater intrusion, and freshwater shortages for agricultural production are occurring, especially in river mouth and coastal areas. In 2025 alone, due to the impacts of climate change, the entire city experienced 121 riverbank and coastal erosion events; 78 heavy rainstorms accompanied by strong winds; and 6 floods and tidal surges. These natural disasters resulted in 4 injuries, damage to houses for 347 households, and estimated total property damage of approximately 51.34 billion VND.

Many experts warn that in recent years, the Mekong Delta has experienced a trend of decreasing rainfall, increasing droughts, rising sea levels, and a growing risk of flooding and erosion. Up to 40% of the area is at risk of erosion; more than 10% of rice-growing areas could be affected by climate change, including Can Tho City. In response to this situation, the WARM (Water and Natural Resources Management) Fund, implemented by the French Development Agency (AFD), has launched numerous climate change adaptation projects, with a dedicated team and international consulting firms working in collaboration. AFD has funded over 90 projects in Vietnam with a total capital of nearly 2.1 billion EURO, including those in Can Tho City, focusing on infrastructure, energy, and agriculture, in line with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Can Tho City is implementing a green urban development project adapting to climate change in Nga Bay, while also coordinating research on the socio-economic impacts of climate change and energy transition in the next phase.

In Phase 1, the city is implementing the Climate Change Adaptation Green Urban Development Project in Nga Bay using funds from an AFD loan, non-refundable grants, and local counterpart funds, with a total budget of VND 1,211.372 billion (equivalent to EURO 44,457,280) to be implemented over 4 years (from 2023 to 2026). According to Mr. Nguyen Van Ca Lo Anh, Director of the Can Tho City Civil and Industrial Construction Investment Project Management Board, the project aims to build a synchronous urban infrastructure in a modern direction, approaching the standards of a green and civilized city, developing to be one of the city's core urban areas. The project consists of 4 components: Component A focuses on flood risk mitigation; Component B improves wastewater management and environmental sanitation; Component C renovates and upgrades the urban area and develops public spaces; and Component D provides technical support.

In Phase 2, Can Tho City, in collaboration with AFD, implemented the GEMEMS project on the socio-economic impacts of climate change and energy transition in Vietnam. The project focused on assessing the macro-level impacts of climate change on the economy and society, and researching a suitable energy transition roadmap for Vietnam. Based on the 2025 and 2026 editions of the GEMMES Vietnam project, information was used to inform policy planning for climate change adaptation in Can Tho City.

Strengthen implementation

To ensure the effectiveness of these projects, the leaders of Can Tho City requested AFD to continue its attention and send experts and technical partners to support the city in transferring and effectively applying the research results of the GEMMES Project to the practical management and adaptation to climate change. This will contribute to concretizing Vietnam's commitments at COP26 regarding the goal of net zero emissions by 2050. They also requested support in reviewing and updating the climate change response action plan for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050; and transferring and guiding the application of analytical models from the GEMMES Project to comprehensively assess the socio-economic impacts of energy transition pathways.

At the meeting with AFD, Mr. Tran Chi Hung, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Can Tho City, said: "Currently, the Department of Agriculture and Environment is advising the City People's Committee to submit to the City Party Committee a Resolution on 'Green Can Tho, Adapting to Climate Change, Sustainable Development for the period 2025-2030, with a vision to 2035,' which includes many tasks related to developing a green economy, a circular economy, improving infrastructure to adapt to climate change, sustainable agricultural models, activities to improve the quality of the living environment, nature conservation, biodiversity... Can Tho City requests AFD to continue to cooperate in the implementation of this resolution in the future, and at the same time support the replication of green urban models that adapt to climate change and develop low-carbon projects suitable to the local conditions."

To further enhance the effectiveness of Phase 1 cooperation between AFD and Can Tho City, the People's Committee of Can Tho City proposed that AFD, through the WARM Fund, provide funding to the city to continue implementing the Long My Urban Upgrading and Renovation Project (in Long My, Long Binh, and Long Phu 1 wards), with works including upgrading and renovating the urban drainage system; constructing a wastewater drainage system and a centralized wastewater treatment plant; building embankments along canals to withstand climate change; upgrading and investing in urban roads; urban beautification, upgrading and renovating the lighting system, parks, and green spaces... The above proposals were acknowledged and considered for investment by AFD.