Updates of Water Environment
Governance in Viet Nam
Nguyen Minh Cuong
Deputy Director,
Department of International Cooperation and Science, Technology
FPPT.comVietnam Environment
Administration (VEA)

CONTENT
1.
2.
3.

Facts and statistics of water quality
Legislative framework for water environmental
governanceFuture targets/plans, issues and challenges ofwater environment governanceFacts and statistics of water quality
Table No 1: Water quality to be calculated using WQI according toDecision 1460/QĐ-TCMT, 2019 by Viet Nam Environment
Administration are shown in values from 0-100WQI value

Explanation

91 - 100

Good for drinking water supply

76 - 90

Good for drinking water supply with special
treatment options

51 - 75

Good for agricultural activities

26 - 50

Good for waterway transportation

10 - 25

Heavily polluted water needs treatment before
usage<10Toxic water needs treatment

Color code

Facts and statistics of water quality

Chart No 1: WQI values for 10 main river basins in Viet Nam from 2016-2020

Facts and statistics of water quality• Ground water quality isquite good, within thethreshold of the Standard
09-MT:2015/BTNMT.
• Metal and ammonium
pollution in groundwater
occurs mostly in highmining areas in theNorth, Central and South.
Current status of groundwater resources in Vietnam

Facts and statistics of domestic wastewater management

Chart No 2: Generation of domestic waste water in 6 regions in Viet Nam

Facts and statistics of domestic wastewater management

Chart No 3: Ratio of standard waste water treatment plant in 6 types of cities in Viet Nam

Facts and statistics of domestic wastewater management
RegionRed River Delta

Northern Central and Coastal Central
South Eastern Delta
Mekong Delta

ProvinceHa Noi
Bac Giang
Ninh BinhBac Ninh
Nghe AnThanh Hoa
Khanh Hoa
Binh Dương
Ho Chi Minh city
Ba Ria-Vung Tau
Dong Thap

Volume (m3/day)
75,00051,00013,00065,00026,5782,800
10,000136,700
143,701
56,88012,477

Table No 2: Generation of industrial waste water in several provinces in Viet Nam

Facts and statistics of domestic wastewater management

Chart No 4: Percentage of waste water treatment plants in industrial parks in Viet Nam

Legislative framework for water environmental governance
LAW ON ENV. PROTECTION 2020
15 chapters, 171 articles

LAW ON WATERRESOURCES 2012

1. Water quality management
and control of discharge to thewater environment

1. Prevention of water pollution,degradation and shortage

2. Management of wastewater

2. Monitoring of water resources

3.
Supportivetools
tomanagementofwaterenvironment

3. Water resources protection
corridorLegislative framework for water environmental governance
01 QCVN for surface water quality; 12 QCVN for waste water;•QCVN 14:2008/BTNMT for domestic
waste water•

QCVN 25:2010/BTNMT for waste
water from landfill•

QCVN 28:2010/BTNMT for hospitaland medical waste water•

QCVN 29:2010/BTNMT for waste
water from oil ans gasoline facitlity•

QCVN 40:2011/BTNMT for industrial
waste water•

QCVN 01-MT:2015/BTNMT for waste
water from pretreatment of naturalrubber•

QCVN 11-MT:2015/BTNMT for waste
water from seafood processing•

QCVN
12-MT:2015/BTNMT
forwaste water from paper and pulpindustry•

QCVN
60-MT:2015/BTNMT
waste water from alcohol
processingforfuel•

QCVN
62-MT:2016/BTNMT
waste water from foundryfor•

QCVN
08-MT:2015/BTNMT
surface water quality•

QCVN 09-MT:2015/BTNMTGroundwater quality standard•QCVN 10-MT:2015/BTNMT for Coastal
water quality standard•

QCVN
52-MT:2017/BTNMTforwastewaterfromsteel
manufacturing

03 QCVN for waste water applied to theCapital area:•QCTĐHN 02:2014/BTNMT forindustrial waste water in Ha Noiareafor•QCTĐHN 04:2014 for waste waterfrom textile industry in Ha Noi areafor•QCTĐHN 05:2014 for waste waterfrom paper and puld industry in Ha
Noi areaInstitutional framework for water environmental governance
MONRE&MOC

MONRE
&MOC

Policy andLegal
Development

Programs&Projects
DONRE&DOC

MONRE,
MPI &MOF

Provicial
PC

Water supplyand SewageCo.

Bugdetallocations &management

Investment

Operations&Maintenance

DONRE&DOC

Investors

Companies

MONRE&MOC
Supervision&ControlWater environmental governanceNew regulations in: Law on Environmental Protection 2020 No 72/QH2020;
Government Decree No 08/2022-ND-CP and Circular No 02/2022/TT-BTNMT:
Surface water environment plan:-Comply with National Environment Master Plan
Consists of assessment of change trendline in water environment quality
Mapping the pollution hotspots and new emerging pollution points
Type and total load of pollutants to water environment
Assessment of loading capacity, discharge quotas, roadmap for minimizing discharge into water
environment
Measures for prevention and minimization of water environment pollution
Measures to conserve and improve surface water quality

Water environmental governanceNew regulations in the Law on Environmental Protection 2020:
MONRE

DONRE

Guiding the assessment of the load carrying
capacity of the surface water environment;
Guidance on assessment of surface waterquality;
Plan for quality management of surface water
environment for inter-provincial rivers and lakes
Manage the quality of surface water, sediment,and load capacity of the surface water
environment for inter-provincial river and lakebasinsManage the quality of surface water
environment in the management area;
Collect information and data on the current
state of the water environment, waste sources
and the total amount discharged into the water
environment in inter-provincial river and lakebasins in the area under management under
the guidance of the MONRE

Water environmental governanceNew regulations in the Law on Environmental Protection 2020:

Wastewater monitoring, objects of automatic and continuous monitoring of wastewater
Concentrated production, business and service zones, industrial clusters that discharge
wastewater into the environment; Investment projects, establishments in the form of risk ofcausing environmental pollution with medium or higher discharge of wastewater into theenvironment; Investment projects, establishments are not in the type of risk of causing
environmental pollution with large volume of wastewater discharge into the environment.
Periodic monitoring of wastewater
Concentrated production, business and service zones, industrial clusters discharging wastewater
into the environment; Investment projects, establishments with a large volume of wastewater
discharge into the environment Determine the targets and roadmap to reduce discharge intowater sources that are no longer able to bear the load.

Water quality monitoring framework••

Legal framework for monitoring:•

Decree 08/2022/ND-CP, 2022 DETAILS SOME ARTICLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION LAW•

Decree 127/2014/ND-CP, 2014 providing regulation on conditions and requirements of monitoring
services•

Decree 38/2015/ND-CP on the management of waste and secondary materials

Monitoring activities•

MONRE maintaining annual monitoring programs for surface water at 360 locations with frequencyof 4-5 round per year; Line ministries monitor at 100 locations in urban and industrial areas withfrequency of 3-6 round per year.

•Provincial DONREs maintaining annual monitoring programs for surface water at 5 – 30 locations
with frequency of 2-6 round per year varies by provinces.

•

655 automatic wastewater monitoring stations.

Enforcement instruments for water environment management••

Legal framework for inspection:•

Decree 08/2022/ND-CP, 2022 DETAILS SOME ARTICLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
LAW•

Decree 155/2016/ND-CP on the administrative penalties in the field of environmentalprotection•

Decree 142/2013/ND-CP on the administrative penalties in the field of water resources andminerals

Enforcement activities•

2014 – 2018, MONRE has implemented inspection at more than 3,000 entities. 1,400entities among those had violations and paid the penalties equivalent to 200 bil. VND.

•Provincial DONREs also organised about 3,000 inspections at 10,000 entities including
companies, industrial parks, 4,100 entities among those got the administrative penalties.

Future targets/plans, issues and challenges of water
environment governance
1. Implementation of Law on Environmental Protection and under-law legal
documents
2.

Strengthening the capacity of the institutional framework to avoid overlapping
areas in water governance at the central and local level

3.

Issue policy and regulation to promote the development of environmental
technology for waste water treatment

4.

Development of policies that promote cooperation between government
agencies, private sectors and civil society; policies to promote privatization andinvestment to wastewater treatment and management

Thank you for your attention!