Vietnam and Laos will foster water and environment security in the Ma and Neun Ca River basins and related coastal areas under a project launched in Hanoi on March 12.

The four-year project has received funding of $8 million from the Global Environment Fund (GEF).

It was approved by the two countries in 2021.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s Department of Water Resources Management (DWRM), Ngo Manh Ha, said the project is in line with the Vietnamese Government’s orientations and vision for sustainable water resources development.

It is aimed at assisting the two countries in managing freshwater resources and ecosystem health in the transboundary basins of the Ma and Neun Ca Rivers and related coastal areas, by creating an environment conducive for cross-border cooperation activities.

Mr. Inthavy Akkharath, Director General of the Lao Department of Water Resources, said the Vietnamese and Lao Governments will work closely with the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and other partners in both countries to address challenges posed by climate change and improve natural resources management in the two river basins.