New contract signed with the Vietnam National Mekong River Committee

Dr. Le Duc Trung – General Director of VNMRC (right) and Mr. Duong Quoc Vinh – Managing Director DHI Vietnam (left) – at the contract signing ceremony on 4 June 2013

On Tuesday, 4 June 2013, we signed a USD 4.3 million contract for a new project with the Vietnam National Mekong River Committee (VNMRC). VNMRC is under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Vietnam. They chose us to study the environmental and social impacts of mainstream hydropower plants on the Mekong River.

Authorities in Laos recently announced plans to build the Xayaburi hydropower plant on the Mekong mainstream – the first off 11 such projects. Vietnam is concerned with the potential adverse impacts of the planned hydropower development. Vietnamese authorities are especially concerned about the possible effects on the Mekong River Delta and Tonle Sap Lake, where residents’ livelihoods depend on Mekong fishery and agriculture.

Over the next 30 months, we will collect data and carry out multi-disciplinary studies to generate more information about the potential environmental impact of the planned mainstream hydropower projects. This will help to provide a sound basis for decisions on future hydropower development on the Mekong mainstream.