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| One more year of Aus4Transport: the partnership continues being strong and the Program keeps on moving forward
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| NMPTCP - Highly-anticipated ground-breaking ceremony in Lai Chau and commencement of Construction
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| TCCS - Sustainable transport infrastructure: the one and only pathway for Vietnam
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Aus4Transport celebrates 4 years of operations by examining successes and challenges
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Another year has passed and Aus4Transport is proudly celebrating 4 years of operations, which presents a great opportunity to examine the overall progress and achievements of the Program reached so far, especially over the last few months.
Despite a very challenging year, in which Aus4Transport, like so many other programs, has struggled to cope with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, all of the Program’s stakeholders have put in a tremendous effort to overcome restrictions and find innovative ways to continue moving forward. The Program currently has 14 on-going activities, and 7 more are under preparation and will soon be submitted for approval.
The Aus4Transport team has been operating at full speed, working in close cooperation with all partners and stakeholders, allowing the Program to keep up with the planned timeline and to accomplish all the activities’ workplans. Aus4Transport would like to send a big thank you to all the professionals that have made it possible and continue to do so every day! |
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| Physical works start on the Northern Mountains Provinces Transport Connectivity Project
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The highly-anticipated ground-breaking ceremony for the Northern Mountain Provinces Transport Connectivity Project (NMPTCP) was held on 27 December 2021 in Lai Chau. The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam, H.E. Phạm Bình Minh, representatives of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and MOT officials.
The commencement of construction is a very important milestone for a project that has been dealing with many challenges, especially those caused by COVID-19 restrictions on operations causing significant delays in progress. The NMPTCP is one of Vietnam’s priority transport infrastructure projects, as it will ensure a stronger and more reliable connection between the provinces of Lai Châu, Lào Cai, and Yên Bái to the Nội Bài – Lào Cai Expressway. The project aims to reduce costs in goods and passenger transport, minimise traffic congestion and accidents, enhance links between provinces, promote economic development, and alleviate poverty. |
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Supporting the Vietnamese e-Government agenda through three independent activities
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The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), through Aus4Transport, has been funding three independent activities to assist MOT in its digitisation process in support of the Vietnamese e-Government agenda. Aus4Transport has been partnering with the Ministry of Transport (MOT), the Vietnam Railway Authority (VNRA) and Vietnam Inland Waterway Administration (VIWA) to develop integrated web-based platforms that allow MOT, concerned administrations and related stakeholders, to collect and manage information on transport infrastructure and investment projects more easily and efficiently, facilitating operation and management, as well as attracting more investment from domestic and international investors.
The “Transport Project Management Information System (TPMIS)”, jointly managed by Aus4Transport and the Department of Transport Construction and Quality Management (TCQM) under MOT, is approaching its final phase, of development and testing while the other two activities, “Integrated Management Information System to support Inland Waterway Transport Improvement (IW-MIS)” and “Building A Management Information System For Railway Infrastructure (VNRA-MIS)”, were approved at the end of 2021 and are in the initial stages of implementation.
All three activities have made significant progress despite obstacles and challenges due to COVID-19 restrictions.
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| Transforming transport infrastructure to help reduce the environmental footprint in Vietnam
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In Vietnam, CO2 emissions from transport are about 30 million tons annually, with road transport accounting for 85%, inland and coastal waterway transport for 10%, and air transport 5%. These figures are anticipated to be rapidly increasing because of the development and expansion of the transport network which will put the country at a higher environmental risks, particularly air pollution, leading to climate change and increasing the frequency of natural disaster. However, a right design can help to mitigate those negative impacts and to prevent the foreseeable natural hazards.
The Aus4Transport Program, an Australian initiative to support the development of Vietnam’s transport sector, is currently assisting the Government of Vietnam to better consider and address social and environmental impacts before, during and after project implementation. Specifically, through the activity “Environmental and Social Benefits and Costs of Transport Infrastructure Projects (ESIA)”, the Program is developing three sets of Sector Standards (TCCS) for three transport sub-sectors: road, inland waterway and railway, which will recommend assessment tools and processes to guide effective evaluation of projects’ impact on ecosystems, environments, and people. The activity is in its final stage and close to completion thanks to the continued efforts and strong commitment of all stakeholders.
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Sustainable Transport Infrastructure: the Pathway for Vietnam
| Whilst we cannot deny the vital role of transport for the socio-economic development of any country, we must admit it can also have a significant impact on the environment. According to the World Bank, transport accounts for approximately 64% of global oil consumption, 27% of all energy use and 23% of the world’s energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.
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| How can we transform infrastructure to be more sustainable? How can we improve its durability and service in the long run, without compromising on speed of design and construction? | |
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Unfortunately, there isn’t a universal, established mechanism for sharing the learnings from the different environmental and social impact mitigation approaches across communities of practice or sectors of industry. Neither is there a so-called “default model” or “go-to model” to follow. The only thing that is universally clear is that the pathway toward sustainable transport infrastructure is built around four main elements: environment, people, institutions, and economic progress. In other words, transport infrastructure should be resilient to climate change, socially inclusive, environmentally sensitive, technologically advanced, promoted and supported by government, flexible and productive. |
Unlike many other industries that are gradually reducing emissions through deliberate measures, the global transport sector continues to report an alarming 0.8 percent growth in metric tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent every year. | | | |
Hence, it is a high priority for the transport sector to develop procedures that respond to climate change and mitigate natural disasters. Balancing the benefits of large infrastructure projects against costs on environment and society is vitally important and requires a defined Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) framework to guarantee comprehensive consideration and management of environmental impacts before, during and after construction. |
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Within the framework of the Aus4Transport Program, and in line with Vietnamese regulations, the ESIA activity will provide concrete procedures and guidelines through three sets of Sectors Standard (TCCS). These TCCS will make project preparation and approval processes more efficient, optimise investment and provide important environmental and social benefits for Vietnam. | | |
The application of the sector standards by the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam (DRVN), Vietnam Railway Authority (VNRA) and Vietnam Inland Water Administration (VIWA), will enhance their management ability to efficiently and accurately analyse and predict environmental risks and develop effective measures for social and environmental protection.
In the longer term, the Sector Standards will support technical staff and experts involved in transport development projects to acquire cutting-edge knowledge and adopt best international practice that are in line with the current related Vietnamese regulations, motivating them to undertake comprehensive, systematic and high-quality environmental and social impact assessments. At the same time, it will also support MOT leaders to access and use these assessments to make informed decisions and stay consistent with its stance towards central agencies and private sector investors.
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| "When talking about transportation, we always think about men. Why?" |
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Ms Cao Đoan Trang, MOT officer, reflects on Gender Equality and the role of women in the transport sector and in the Vietnamese society. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS, ACTIVITIES AND MILESTONES |
Aus4Transport is always moving forward. There are a few more things we have planned for the next few months. You can follow our blog or subscribe to receive periodic updates. | | |
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| INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY |
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PROGRAM STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING |
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Follow Aus4Transport news as they happen. We will be periodically updating our blog with progress, important events and news relevant to the transport sector infrastructure in Vietnam. | Feel free to go to our online platform to subscribe.
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