Environmental Governance in Vietnam: Institutional Reforms and Failures

327 Pages·2017·3.479 MB·English

by  Stephan Ortmann (auth.)

ENVIRONMENTAL
GOVERNANCE IN VIETNAM
Institutional Reforms and Failures
Stephan Ortmann
Environmental Governance in Vietnam
Stephan Ortmann
Environmental
Governance in
Vietnam
Institutional Reforms and Failures
Stephan Ortmann
Department of Asian and International Studies
City University of Hong Kong
Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
ISBN 978-3-319-49759-4 ISBN 978-3-319-49760-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-49760-0
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016962627
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017
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Cover illustration: © mediacolor’s / Alamy Stock Photo / Polluted canal in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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Acknowledgments
As with any other work, none of this could have been written without the
invaluable support of numerous people who devoted their time and effort
to its completion. This is my first major book project since my Ph.D. the-
sis which would not have been possible without the unwavering support
from my former adviser Professor Mark R. Thompson, who is currently
the head of the Department of Asian and International Studies as well as
the Southeast Asian Research Centre at City University of Hong Kong.
Moreover, I also want to thank my former boss at the FernUniversität in
Hagen, Germany, PD Dr. Stephan Bröchler, who is currently a research
fellow at the Humboldt University in Berlin and whose insights and
advice have always inspired me greatly. In addition, all my colleagues in
the Department of Asian and International Studies at the City University
of Hong Kong have given me great strength and encouragement dur-
ing my six years at the university. Without their support, I would not
have come this far. Specifically, I wish to express my thanks to Professor
Graeme Lang who found the time to provide extremely useful comments
for this book. In addition, the work has also greatly profited from the
very helpful suggestions of the anonymous reviewers of the manuscript.
My greatest appreciation goes to the many people who I have met dur-
ing my five trips to Vietnam and without whose help I could have never
finished this book. My passion for the country was first stoked by my
participation in a workshop on Socio-economically Sustainable Urban
v
vi Acknowledgments
Development at the National Economics University in Hanoi from
December 1 to 3, 2010, in which I presented a paper on the attempt of
Vietnamese cities to learn from Singapore. During this workshop, I met
Hoang Ngoc Han, who over the years was of immense help in navigating
the environmental state, helping me find contacts, and explaining me the
intricacies of Vietnamese culture. Moreover, I have also greatly profited
from the help with the notoriously difficult Vietnamese language from
Vu Ngoc Anh, Ngyuen Nhu Ha, Hoa Tien Pham, Nguyen Hong, and
many others who cannot all be mentioned here. Naturally, I also extent
my thanks to all the interviewees who took their time to share with me
many insights about environmental governance in Vietnam but which
shall remain unnamed here.
Finally, I also want to extent my thanks to the Southeast Asian Research
Centre of City University of Hong Kong for providing support for part
of the research in the form of a small research grant. In this context, I also
want to express my gratitude to the center’s secretary Ms. Irene Chan for
her tireless support and effort in regard to the writing and administration
of the grant. Some ideas from this book were also presented at the sev-
enth Asian Political and International Studies Association (APISA) con-
ference in Ankara, Turkey, October 25–26, 2013. Despite many careful
revisions, all errors remain my own.
Contents
1 Introduction: The Environmental Challenges in Vietnam 1
2 Evolving Environmental Governance 35
3 The Vietnamese Government and Institutional Reforms 67
4 The Failure to Implement Environmental Policies 99
5 The Society 127
6 The Role of Businesses 165
7 The International Dimension 201
8 P erspectives for the Future 235
References 267
Index 301
vii
List of Abbreviations
ADB Asian Development Bank
AQI Air Quality Index
CARE Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere
CCTV China Central Television
CCWG Climate Change Working Group
CEA Canadian Executing Agency
CED Centre for Education and Development
CEM Centre for Environmental Monitoring
CEO Chief Executive Officer
CERED Center for Environment Research, Education and Development
CG Consultative Group
CIA Central Intelligence Agency
CIDA Canadian International Development Agency
CIDSE CoopérationInternationalepour le Développement et la
Solidarité
CIEM Central Institute for Economic Management
CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation
COMINGO Committee for Foreign NGO Affairs
CP Cleaner Production
CSCEC Steering Committee for Environmental Management System
Certification
CSO Civil Society Organization
ix
x List of Abbreviations
DANIDA Danish International Development Agency
DHMCC Department of Hydrology Meteorology and Climate Change
DONRE Department of Natural Resources and Environment
DPP Democratic Progressive Party (Taiwan)
EIA Environmental Impact Assessment
EPA Environment Protection Agency
EU European Union
EVN VietNam Electricity Group
FLEGT Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade
FPDF Forest Protection Development Fund
FSC Forest Stewardship Council
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GEF Global Environment Facility
GONGO Government-Organized Non-Governmental Organization
ICCO Interchurch Organization for Development Cooperation
IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development
INEST Institute for Environmental Science and Technology
INGO International Non-Governmental Organization
ISEM Institute of Science for Environmental Management
ISG International Support Group
ISGE International Support Group on Natural Resources and
Environment
ISO International Organization for Standardization
ISPONRE Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and
Environment
ISS Institute for Social Studies
IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature
MARD Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
MBI Market-based instruments
MCD Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community
Development
MEET-BIS Mainstreaming Energy Efficiency through Business
Innovation Support
MEP Ministry of Environmental Protection (China)
MOLISA Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs
MONRE Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
MOST Ministry of Science and Technology
MOSTE Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (now
MOST, MONRE)
List of Abbreviation s xi
MoU Memorandum of Understanding
MPI Ministry of Planning and Investment
NEA National Environment Agency (now VEA)
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
NIMBY Not-in-My-Backyard
NRERP National Resources and Environment Research Programme
ODA Official Development Assistance
OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
PanNature People and Nature Reconciliation
PES Payment for Environmental Services
PMB Project Management Board
PSC Project Steering Committee
REDD+ Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest
Degradation in Developing Countries
SEA Strategic Environment Assessment
SECO Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs
SEMLA Strengthening Environment Management and Land
Administration
SEPA State Environmental Protection Agency (China, now MEP)
SIDA Swedish International Development Cooperation
SRD Centre for Sustainable Rural Development
TPP Trans-Pacific Partnership
UN United Nations
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Organization
UNU-WIDER United Nations University–World Institute for Development
Economics Research
VACNE Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and
Environment
VAWR Vietnam Academy for Water Resources
VCP Vietnam Communist Party
VEA Vietnam Environment Administration
VEPF Vietnam Environment Protection Fund
VFEJ Vietnam Forum of Environmental Journalists
Vinashin Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Group
VNCPC Vietnam Cleaner Production Centre
VND Viet Nam Dung (Vietnamese currency)
VNGO Vietnamese non-governmental organizations
VNS Viet Nam News