(VEN) – “For nearly 20 years in Vietnam, Grontmij has substantially contributed to the country’s socioeconomic growth, and in this role has consistently been a reliable partner for the Vietnamese Government and private enterprises.” – Enrico Moens, Business Development Director of Grontmij Vietnam, told Vietnam Economic News’ Hung Cuong.
Why did Grontmij choose Vietnam as an investment destination and which sectors does the company focus on when operating in Vietnam?
Firstly, the Vietnamese economy is experiencing dynamic growth in the Southeast Asian region with major business opportunities in urban development, climate change adaptation and renewable energy, which matches well with our core company business strengths. Since 1992 we have contributed to the sustainable development of Vietnam.
We are a leading consulting firm in the fields of water and wastewater, environment, transportation and the energy sector in Vietnam. Within these fields of expertise, we have successfully completed more than 100 public and private projects in Vietnam. As an example, there is the Buon Me Thuot Sanitation Sub-component Project, for which we are the main consultants for designing and building the first separate sewerage system for efficiently collecting and treating domestic wastewater in Vietnam. This demonstration has become a good model for replication of modern wastewater treatment systems in other parts of Vietnam.
Could you share with our readers Grontmij’s projects in Vietnam? What have these projects contributed to the development of Vietnam?
Grontmij has worked on a substantial number of diverse water and environmental projects. The following are examples of how we have improved water quality and the livelihoods of people in Vietnam: the Southern Binh Duong Province Water Environment Improvement Project, the Dalat City Wastewater Sub-component, the Vinh Wastewater and Waste Disposal in Provincial Towns, the Hai Phong Three Cities Sanitation Project, and the Buon Ma Thuot Sanitation and Water Supply Sub-component Project.
In addition, Grontmij Vietnam has been actively involved in preparing strategies and plans for preventing and treating pollution in both the industrial and urban sectors. We have worked with the Vietnamese Ministry of Construction (MoC) to modernize the urban planning process in Vietnamese cities as well as to ensure that strategic environmental assessments are applied to all urban construction plans and that environmental impact assessments are appropriately applied to all major urban infrastructure projects. Further, we have developed a framework for making the urban planning process more participatory. We have created policies and guidelines for the active involvement of citizens, the private sector, and other development sectors into the urban planning process. In terms of the industrial sectors, Grontmij Vietnam has worked with international and Vietnamese partners in promoting the use of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) principles in industrial development and management, which make the industries more attractive to foreign investment and more sustainable in Vietnam.
I know that you travelled to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) on April 7 to attend the final workshop of a program entitled “HCMC moving toward the sea with climate change adaptation”. What could you say about this program and its implications for the growth of HCMC?
The program focuses on the long-term socioeconomic development of HCMC and the quality of lives of its citizens. Therefore the city has to strengthen the climate proofing of the future plans for the city. It is very important to make the city and the immediate region more climate resilient. Therefore a climate adaptation strategy was developed in which six directions were presented to deal with climate change in the future. The program was implemented by different departments of the People’s Committee of HCMC with support from Dutch experts from the Vietnam Climate Adaptation Partnership (VCAPS-consortium) under the leadership of Grontmij.
Could you tell me about future projects which Grontmij intends to carry out in Vietnam?
Grontmij would especially like to be involved in further projects related to the sustainable urban development of cities. Depending on the urgency of the need for support, we will look for further opportunities. The recently concluded program ‘HCMC moving towards the sea’ gives us opportunities to be involved in following up projects sponsored by the Dutch Government. We are ready to apply the vast Dutch expertise in dealing with climate change and water management that has been built up over the history of the Netherlands./.
Đăng ký: VietNam News
