The long awaited day has finally arrived: OneVietnam Network’s Beta Launch!  We invite you to log onto OneVietnam.org and connect with your local and global communities.  Make your voice heard, meet people who share your interests and goals, and become the champion of your cause!

By signing up early, you can get an exclusive preview of the site, gain leverage in learning the ropes, strengthen your own network, and provide feedback on what you liked or thought needed to be improved on the site.

Help build an online Vietnamese community, bonded across generation gaps and geographic barriers, united by philanthropic efforts.

We are excited to see you on OneVietnam.org–sign-up now for our exclusive beta preview!

Click here for our Press Release or Press Kit.

OneVietnam.org, an online network for Vietnamese across the globe, will launch its beta site on June 17 and open up a new door for community involvement.

Palo Alto, CA, 10 June 2010 – Vietnamese communities worldwide will soon have a unique platform for communication and connection with OneVietnam.org. Founded by 1st and 2nd generation Vietnamese-Americans, OneVietnam is an online network that acts as a nexus between individuals, communities, and philanthropic groups serving Vietnamese communities worldwide.  Its interface uses the latest in Web 2.0 technology for easy accessibility and instant connections to causes most relevant to its members. Starting June 17, those interested in reconnecting to and strengthening the community can log onto OneVietnam.org for an invitation to preview OneVietnam’s beta site.

OneVietnam came into being when a group of recent UC Berkeley and Harvard graduates perceived a growing disconnect between Vietnamese communities worldwide. Since the post 1960s Vietnamese diasporas, Vietnamese have spread out across over thirty countries around the globe. With generation gaps widening and geographic barriers present, cultural identification languishes and philanthropic organizations lose what should be a strong support system.

Using social media and Web 2.0, this group of college graduates developed OneVietnam with community, philanthropy, and online innovation in mind. Rather than creating another social network, the founders focused their network on cultivating ties between Vietnamese communities and providing an outlet for later Vietnamese future makers to get their voices heard.

OneVietnam has already managed to get the conversation flowing between individuals worldwide through its Facebook Page with 6,000 supporters and Vietnam Talking Points blog with over 200 original articles.

“OneVietnam Network is in a position to transform Vietnam’s philanthropic landscape by bridging organizations and the Vietnamese expatriate community in united efforts of unprecedented scale.” – Paul Pham

About OneVietnam Network

OneVietnam Network is an online network that connects you to millions of Vietnamese around the world. Within seconds, you can discover and take part in your community through OneVietnam’s one -click, search, find, and contribute system. Sign up to preview its beta site starting June 17 at OneVietnam.org.

For more information about the exciting features we’re building and the faces behind OneVietnam, click here to download our press kit. Vietnamese readers can also view Nguoi-Viet newspaper’s feature story on OneVietnam here.

Exclusive interview by Kristine Sa from SBTN’s Heart to Heart television show with OneVietnam’s co-founders:

Photobucket - Dang Thiep

The legacy of Agent Orange is still very much alive today.   While the war ended many decades ago, its chilling aftermath still lingers today and affects over 150,000 children in Vietnam.  To refresh your knowledge about this harmful chemical, please read the article Understanding Agent Orange.

While VTP has published numerous articles describing Agent Orange,  a common question (and debate) has surfaced time and again regarding how to address the Agent Orange legacy.  Today’s article will review current approaches to this problem while offering a historical perspective on the progress made thus far.

The following information reflects the efforts of the Ford Foundation and its many partners.

The First Phase – Test and Contain

The Ford Foundation and its grantees developed “a multifaceted approach to test and contain dioxin-contaminated soils, restore landscapes, develop treatments and support centers for affected Vietnamese, and educate the US public and policymakers.  Towards these efforts, the Ford Foundation has since 2000 brought in new supporters and foundations and has committed $12 million.

Most importantly, the initial phase called for collaborative efforts between the US and Vietnam to identify, contain, and clean-up dioxin “hot spots”.  The story begins in 2000.

A grant of $150,000 made to the Vietnam Red Cross Agent Orange Victims Fund provided a valuable opportunity to obtain an “on-the-ground” perspective of the “profound impact of Agent Orange and how much remained to be done”.

Around this time, a study released by the Vietnam Ministry of Health-Hatfield environmental consulting firm showed that “high levels of dioxin remains at former US military bases”.  This suggested that dioxin was “principally a point-source pollutant” and that an effective containment strategy would focus on these “hot spots”.

To test this “hot spot hypothesis”, the Ford Foundation granted $289,000 to the Vietnam Ministry of Health and Hatfield to survey former US military bases.  The study, conducted between 2002-2005, showed that 28 military sites contained significant amount of dioxin. The results of these studies provided an opportunity to engage the US government.

The Next Step – Diplomatic Breakthroughs

In 2003, Ford funded a conference held in Washington D.C.  on “The Future of the US-Vietnam Relationship”.  The conference involved dialogues among “senior officials of both governments” and “academics, NGOs, and the business community” on topics of trade agreements, etc.  The conference also addressed the “most difficult subject of all” – the legacies of war and Agent Orange.  The outcome of this conference helped propel the Agent Orange issue into “international politics and diplomatic arena”.

In November of 2006, a diplomatic breakthrough occurred when President George W. Bush and President Nguyen Minh Triet issued a joint statement on Agent Orange stating that both nations acknowledged the dioxin problem and agreed to address this issue in order to continue “development of [US-VN] bilateral relationship”.

In February of 2007, former US Ambassador to Vietnam, Michael Marine, secured $400,000 in government funding for “remediation at Da Nang”, an area heavily affected by Agent Orange.  The Ford Foundation contributed an additional $1.3 million to this project.

Current Strategy – Engage the Public

While Ford and its partners have been successful in many projects in the past, the future of “effective and sustainable programs over time would require more than the support of two governments and courageous grantees”.  The current strategy has been to initiate a “citizen-to-citizen dialogue to raise awareness of people in the US” including officials and business leaders.

In 2007, the US-VN Dialogue Group on Agent Orange/Dioxin met “to advance a humanitarian approach”.  The group made a significant impact by briefing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and State Department officials in addition to testifying at Congressional hearings.  The result of such lobbying efforts led Congress to appropriate $3 million for Agent Orange/dioxin work in Vietnam for the fiscal years 2007, 2009, 2010.

Ford and 4 other foundations will continue to support the Dialogue Group and its mission to “address the health and environmental consequences of Agent Orange”.  The Dialogue Group has contributed to “strengthening health services for people with disabilities, helped upgrade medical facilities, trained healthcare workers, and provided surgeries, therapy, education and job opportunities”.

Other efforts include an innovative case-management system in Da Nang which promotes “equal opportunities for young adults with disabilities, support self-help groups, challenged the stigma and discrimination, and continue public education in the US and Vietnam.”

Social Media, Web 2.0 and the World

Any movement towards a noble cause requires a strong focus on public outreach and education.  The legacy of Agent Orange and the future of remediation efforts by foundations and non-profit groups must focus on ways (and venues) to reach out to the public.

The phenomenon of the web 2.0 and the popularity of social media has become the prime vehicle for news delivery and social awareness.  OneVietnam Network is committed to educating and engaging the public about the impact of Agent Orange and current efforts to help victims of this toxic chemical.

For more stories about Agent Orange, please read our other features on VTP.

Let’s get personal.  I wish that I could tell you that I have always been one of those people who straddled the line between American and Vietnamese Culture.  On the contrary, I’m that girl – the girl who ran as far away from that line as possible the minute she figured out how to completely cross it.  I’m the white-washed, culture abandoning girl.

Well, I was.

A couple of years ago, I came to terms with something about myself – I’m gay.  I know the question.  How does this bring you back to the Vietnamese culture?  It’d be pretty simple for me to keep running – keep heading in the direction of the culture that is so much more open to who I am.  The reason I’m heading back is because no matter how far I run, the Vietnamese traditions will still define my family – the people who I know will be most affected by this news.

How were they going to react?  A million different scenarios ran through my head – so, I did what any sane human would do during a moment of confusion: I Googled it – “homosexuality in Vietnam”. Wikipedia came to the rescue.  In the short article, it states that homosexuality is not illegal, but it’s been made more than known that it is considered a “social evil”.  Outside of that, results were scarce. The few things I found about the internal point of view stated that Vietnamese people were “narrow-minded” and that it was in the best interest of gays and lesbians to stay closeted.

I kept on Googling until I thought that maybe the lack of an answer was the answer.  Homosexuality seems to be one of those topics that Vietnamese people just don’t want to talk about.  It’s there, but never acknowledge.  It seems taboo.

Then I thought about my own family.  How is it that when statistics show that one out of every four people is gay, in a family of over thirty relatives, I have never heard mention of a gay friend or even acquaintance?

This was when my stress level reached a new high.  I won’t live a lie. This means that I will eventually come out to my family.   What am I scared of?  The shock that any parents will experience – no matter where they’re from.  What am I most scared of?  Becoming that cultural taboo — someone my family will no longer want to talk about.

Right at that moment, something serendipitous happened.  Clicking through the pages, I somehow ended back on that Wikipedia page I had browsed before.  This time, I landed on a section I had missed my first time.  It was a section showing the progression of the view of Vietnamese people towards homosexuality.  These statistics, plainly put, say more than I could with a thousand words.  In 2001, 82% of the people surveyed said that homosexuality was never acceptable.  In 2007, 80% of adolescents surveyed said “no” when asked if homosexuality was a bad thing.

What did all this lead me to?  My fear is still here.  I’m still afraid of older mindsets that will paint me out to be an “evil”.  But there’s hope.  In a country where culture and tradition are so strong, you expect things to stay the same.  But there’s change – empirically shown change driven by the youth of Vietnam.  This new generation that’s so open minded about the world and enthusiastic about the possibilities in front of them make me excited for the future of Vietnam.  They make me realize that past views on homosexuality will not dictate how my family sees me now.  It’s this ever-evolving culture of Vietnam that makes me not want to run from that line anymore.  It’s what makes me a little less afraid.

The year 2010 marks the 1,000^th anniversary since the founding of Hanoi, and in less than five months, the city will be commemorating this anniversary. Vietnam was dominated by the Chinese for approximately 1,000 years, and the country gained independence in the 10^th century. Prior to 1010 AD, the capital of Vietnam was located in Hoa Lu, which is modern day Ninh Binh, located about 97 km (60 miles) south of Hanoi.

Hanoi, which means Between Rivers or River Interior in reference to the Red River that runs southeast and bends through the city before entering the Gulf of Tonkin, was previously referred to as Thang Long (Ascending Dragon) and Dong Do (Eastern Capital). The city was first inhabited prior to 2000 BC and, along with Vietnam that then stretched southward to Hue, dominated by China from 111 BC to 1010 AD. In 1010 AD, Ly Thai To, the first emperor of the Ly Dynasty, moved the country’s capital from Hoa Lu to Thang Long. The name Thang Long was changed to Hanoi in 1831 by the Nguyen emperor Minh Mang. Although Hanoi was not always the capital of Vietnam since reclamation in the 10^th century, it has had the longest history of being the country’s capital.

Current day Hanoi is thriving with a population of 6.5 million people, the second largest metropolitan area in Vietnam after Ho Chi Minh City, and its future development plan is ambitious. The municipal government recently revealed a development plan to invest US$90 billion over the next 40 years while the city government historically generates annual average revenues of only US$3.6 billion before expenditures. As the city continues to modernize, preservation of cultural sites will become more apparent, as observed in current standing architectures and daily cultural customs that contrast with modern internet cafes and lavish hotel lobbies. For instance, redevelopment within Hanoi’s Old Quarter cannot exceed a certain height, which attests to the city’s preference to have things both ways – modern and traditional.

Back to the 1,000 year commemoration, the main event will be held in Hanoi from October 1 to 10, 2010 and preparation is underway for a rare festivity that will include a wide array of concerts, history exhibits, art shows, and culinary events. A Vietnamese travel agency, Vietnam Awesome Travel, has compiled a schedule of events planned for the ten-day celebration. The anniversary has also strike Frommer’s, one of the best-selling guidebooks in the US, to name Hanoi as one of the top travel destinations in 2010. For anyone that plans on traveling in Vietnam in the next five months, this event is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that should seriously be considered.

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Some people might say that if 2007 and 2008 are the years of Facebook clones, 2009 is the year of Twitter clones and 2010 is going to be the fail of both in Vietnam. However, the doom of Facebook and Twitter clones does not neccessarily mean something bad. In fact, it has helped our Internet startups get real and forced them to work on practical ideas instead of chasing after some Facebook or Google miracles that happen on the other side of the planet. Let’s check out some of the most exciting ideas that tackle real problems in our country. If you know any that is not on the list, please do not hesitate to comment below!

Catch a bus online – http://www.donxebuyt.com/

As you might already know or might not want to accept it (in case you are the one who is responsible for it), the bus system in Vietnam is a mystery with random schedules and routes. There are often cases when commuters just hop on whatever bus passing by to ask if this bus goes to a location and then hop off if it doesn’t. Realizing this problem, Nguyen Van Thanh – a 29-year-old programmer – has built a website where users can look up for bus direction from a place to another. Users can also look up for direction for cars, motorbikes and walking. When asked about revenue model, Thanh honestly answered: “This service targets mostly students and workers with low income, I haven’t thought of any way to make money yet. However, a young businessman who wants to contribute to community has invested in the project without asking for profit.” Thanh hopes that when the website is more popular, it can save time of hundreds of thousands of daily bus commuters in Ho Chi Minh City. However, how to promote this website to the worker class who is assumed to be not very geeky is a challenge.

*My 2 cents: Somehow the wesbite reminds me of Singapore’s www.gothere.sg – my life saver service when I was in Singapore. I wonder if Thanh has ever thought of bringing this service to mobile phone, either as an application or an SMS-based service.

Catch your bus!

Delta Viet – Make your Make dreams come true http://deltaviet.com

A project by students and for students, DeltaViet was created by 2 university students named Le Viet Hong and Nguyen Thanh Minh. It might sound ironic that I categorize the project as practical while it taps into the most unrealistic thing ever: Dreams. The main philosophy behind DeltaViet is: “Life is nothing if you don’t have a dream” and “Dream is only dream until you work on it”. DeltaViet provides a platform where users can write down and manage their life goals and creates a community where people can support each other’s dream as well as find those with the same dreams. The wesbite also publishes touching and motivative true stories written by its users. The system works! Born exactly one year ago, the website has already got some recognization like the first prize at “Starting a technology business with 300,000,000VND” (Kh?i s? doanh nghi?p công ngh? v?i 300 tri?u) competition.

Comments from a founder of DeltaViet Le Viet Hong:

“The idea behind DeltaViet is similar to that of www.43things.com, however, DeltaViet is focusing more on social activities because writing goal down is not a common thing in Vietnam. The revenue will come from advertising, training and premium memberships. Generally, there is no competition because student segment is not that potential.”

Delta Viet

Digital “So lien lac” - www.liva.com.vn

In Vietnam, there is something called “So liên lac” – the little book invented to facilitate communication between teachers and parents and to betray all mischievous activities created by students. It was no doubt my enemy during secondary school; and it’s such a relief to know that its digital version wasn’t thought of until 2006 [when I already finished secondary school] by Viettel – a giant telco in Vietnam. The idea was soon copied by few other mobile value added service providers. Parents can send an SMS and receive their kids’ school results by SMS everyday. To make it worse, in 2009, Liva introduced Internet-based “so liên lac” where parents can log in and see their kids’ results, class’ schedule & extra curriculars, teachers’ comments, etc. and contact school immediately. This service is still under testing beta.

“Xe om” Online – http://xeom.com.vn

This is the concept that made me laugh so hard that I almost fell of the chair. Xeom, litterally translated as “Hugging motorbike” and academically translated as “Taxi motorbike”, is the most popular means of travel for those who don’t own a transportation in Vietnam because it’s much more convenient than bus and much cheaper than “Taxi car”. Xeom business is very random: normally you just need a motorbike and 2 helmets to become a Xeom driver. However, a group of foreigners and locals has decided to systemize it. They created a website at http://xeom.com.vn. The project aims at building the largest network of professional Xeom in Vietnam. Clients can choose their Xeom based on age, profile, language skills, city knowledge, etc. According to the website, the project has a lot of meaningful social goals like: “Elevating the pride of Xeom’s”, “Reducing pollution – Xeom’s consume lesser fuels than taxis”, “Reducing traffic congestions”, etc. I have no idea if it should be called a web service or how the execution of the project is going on, but A+ for the idea.

Catching a Xe Om made easier.

Source: Autumn Cruz, Sacramento Bee

Huyen “Kiki” Vo lost her mother in a fire when she was nine years old.  In the same fire, 85% of her body was burnt.  A nonprofit brought Kiki, her father, and sisters to the United States where Kiki would eventually go through 60 surgeries for her wounds.  Kiki’s father worked endlessly to support his five daughters.  Last November, Kiki’s father died of lung cancer.

Today, Kiki is 18 years old and the eldest of her sisters.  Kiki’s circumstances are unique, but her resilience makes her special.  You see, Kiki, despite the devastation and hardships throughout her life, has been admitted into the University of California, Berkeley, one of the best schools in the world.  But to attend, Kiki needs to raise enough to cover her tuition.  As of today, she is $4,000 short of the $25,000 needed for her first year at Berkeley.

Kiki’s story was brought to our attention by one of our readers, Robyn Dahlgren.  Robyn has no direct connection to Kiki, but was deeply moved by Kiki’s story.  Robyn connected us to Melody Gutierrez of the Sacramento Bee, who covered Kiki’s story.  Like Robyn, Melody was deeply moved by Kiki’s story.  Melody’s article has brought on an outpour of support from Sacramento Bee readers.  At the time of this writing, Bee readers have rallied to pledge $21,000 to support Kiki’s college dreams.

Kiki is $4,000 short of her goal. As a former Cal Bear, it would be an honor to have Kiki become a fellow Bear next year.  A woman with her perseverance is destined for great things with the right education.

Will you make a pledge to help Kiki’s with her education? Any amount of support makes a difference.  Please contact me, James Bao, at jhbao@onevietnam.org or (408) 702-2005.

Sources:

Gutierrez, Melody. “Burn victim, accepted into UC, ‘inspires us all.’” Sacramento Bee, 23 April 2010. Web. 2 May 2010.

Gutierrez, Melody. “Bee readers pledge $21,000 to help woman fulfill college dream.” Sacramento Bee, 30 April 2010. Web. 2 May 2010.

The Fulbright Program is one of the most prestigious fellowships granted to a student.  Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the fellowship provides students, scholars, and professionals the opportunity and funding to conduct advanced research, to undertake graduate studies, and/or to teach for one academic year in an international setting.

Fulbright SE Asia Conference:

About two weeks ago, Fulbright scholars from around Southeast Asia were invited to Manila to take part in the annual Fulbright Mid-Year Conference.  When the Vietnam group stepped into the Shangri-la hotel, our new home for the next week, our jaws were on the floor.  A 360 degree view of the lobby will show you a lounge with sky high glass walls, a live band off in the corner, the entryway  to  a beautiful swimming pool, and then Heat restaurant (hands down the best breakfast/lunch buffet I have ever experienced).   By the way that we were reacting, the other scholars most likely thought that this trip was the first time we had been welcomed back into civilization in months.

The next day, Fulbright students and scholars from Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines engaged in a multidisciplinary discourse that included both academic and cultural experiences.  The level of excitement in the room far surpassed that which was elicited from us when we saw our accommodations (keep in mind this is coming from someone who has been eating off street carts for the past 7 months, so you know the Conference was good!).  Everyone was genuinely interested in the research that was being conducted within these respective countries, and even more so, learning about these current developments helped us all to understand the progress in our own host nations as well as the region as a whole.  It was truly a remarkable experience, made even better when I crossed paths with a fellow Anteater!

Before coming to the conference, I had been so entrenched in my work that it had completely slipped my mind that I would have the opportunity to meet our Thailand scholar—Andy Hoang.  It was truly a pleasure to be able to meet with Andy and hear about his current research.  He discussed how social norms in Thailand affect the treatment of children with special needs, which paralleled research he had previously conducted in Vietnam.
I found Andy’s perspective and research particularly interesting because of an experience that I had a few days before coming to Manila……..

My Visit to the Agent Orange Village in Tu Du Hospital:

When I had first agreed to teach at HUFLIT University, one of the stipulations that the President and I had agreed upon was that a portion of the money that I earned would be donated to the victims of Agent Orange. As the Chairman of the Board for the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Victims of Agent Orange, he was pushing for me to visit the Tu Du village, which is part of the local hospital.  As the time neared to make the donation and visit the children, I was hesitant to go.

If you venture around the most populous parts of the city (particularly in tourist hot spots), you are bound to see a person afflicted with physical deformities associated with Agent Orange.  So, one would assume that after an extended period of living in this city, I had seen enough of this to desensitize myself from what I was going to see at the hospital.  Even so, I felt very uneasy about my impending visit.  I was afraid of what I was going to see and how I would react.  On the eve of my visit I continued to mull over the necessity of visiting the site.  Needless to say, I decided that the right thing to do was to go and to face my fears.

When I stepped into the village area, where about 60 children live, I was greeted with smiles—all of the children were so excited to have new visitors to interact with.  An area approximately the size of the UCI Scholarship office hosted doctor’s offices and beds for all 60 children (ranging from the age of 3-28).

Some children were bedridden because of the growing tumors and mental disabilities, and others were free to roam around on the floor outside. The first few moments you are in one of their bedrooms, and their reality sets in, your heart begins to sink.   In a country with a healthcare system that is already poor, children with special needs are particularly marginalized (on many different levels).   Not only have many of these children been abandoned by their parents, but to say that their medical treatment and living facilities are subpar would be a major understatement.  Seeing a life in suffering is never easy, the natural reaction is to feel sorry for them.  However, when I interacted with them—I could not keep the smile off my face.  These children were so full of life and just genuinely happy to be playing with my friend and I.  Whatever physical disabilities they had did not obstruct their jovial nature—it was a challenge to keep up with their pace!

In exploring one of the rooms reserved for older girls, I met a girl named Hong.  I had been tired out by the younger kids and wanted to take a break, so I sat down on the floor and she happened to come up and talk to me.  I found out that she is a student at HUFLIT (the school I am teaching at) and that she will be completing her degree in Information Technology this year, and already has a job lined up as a manager after she graduates.  She lives in the hospital in a small room with about 12 other girls, and when she is not studying for her own schooling, she helps tutor the younger students who are able to attend general school. Every day she drives her motorbike to the university without any special assistance.  Hong has no legs and one functioning arm.

Finally, I understood what my roommate had told me (she is a fellow Fulbright student working on healthcare reform): to feel sorry for these children would be to undermine everything they have accomplished.  It is truly amazing.

I am in the process of obtaining permission to volunteer at the village on a weekly basis.

Now, when I really think about where I want my work to take me…it is not to places like the Shangri-la.  It is to the people that inspire you, like the children of Tu Du village.

Photo by SAVICE

On Monday, I was introduced to SAVICE, another great example of a group of successful Vietnamese Americans quietly giving back to the economically disadvantaged in Vietnam.

The SAVICE’s (SAve a VIetnamese Child with Education) mission is noble: change a child’s life in Vietnam by creating educational opportunities.  Their vision is striking: raise funds to provide scholarships and to build schools through annual golf tournaments.

This year marks SAVICE’s 4th annual golf tournament, and its organizers are raising funds to build two new schools and to provide 500 scholarships to Vietnamese children.  Every year, SAVICE’s founders personally donate $50,000 to the organization.  Combined with proceeds from the golf tournament and other donors, SAVICE raises over $100,000 annually to create fresh opportunities for the most vulnerable children in Vietnam.  Most unique about SAVICE is that 100% of funds raised go to children’s educational programs.  SAVICE relies completely on volunteers, and the majority of them are successful businessmen in the Southern California region.

Vietnamese overseas are known to be extremely generous when it comes to giving back to their families in Vietnam, local communities, and those most in need in Vietnam.  Even if it’s just once a year, our “chu” and “bac” are making a big difference in the lives of many Vietnamese children.  It’s always empowering for me to hear stories like this.  I hope that we, as 1.5 and second generation Vietnamese Americans, can follow their footsteps.

Find more information about SAVICE’s 4th Annual Charity Golf Classic, to take place May 3 in Southern California, by visiting their website.

SAVICE Scholarship Ceremony - 2007

SAVICE Annual Charity Golf Classic - 2009

The report, Winds of Change – East Asia’s Sustainable Energy Future, examines energy challenges of six East Asian and the Pacific (EAP) countries: China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. These countries are experiencing high economic growth and rapid urbanization, and hence are more likely to face the challenges of environmental sustainability and energy security as their energy needs continue to grow. If governments continue to apply their current economic policies, most EAP countries will become net importers of energy in the next 20 years, leaving them susceptible to energy price fluctuations. Alternatively, the high upfront capital required to invest in renewable energy technologies is a major hurdle for developing countries. Without major financial and technical assistance from developed nations, developing countries would likely settle for less capital intensive investments, even if those investments release significantly more pollutants.

The World Bank report believes that it is possible to achieve huge energy efficiency and reduce reliance on high-carbon energy. The ambitious plan would require a combination of political will, institutional capacity, and transfer of financing and low-carbon technologies from developed countries. Under such a scenario, the total cost to bring sustainable energy to EAP countries is $3.6 trillion over a 20-year period, or $180 billion per year, which is an additional $80 billion per year in investment compared to costs under current economic policies. China alone would account for 85% of the investment. Assuming that Vietnam needs a proportionate share of the remaining 15% of the investment, Vietnam would need approximately $5.5 billion in investments per year.

Although current investments are quite distant from the World Bank’s targeted investment level for sustainable energy development, Vietnam has received significant financial and technical assistance. The Renewable Energy Development Project, which was approved in May 2009, is intended to invest in renewable energy projects, assist in developing the regulatory infrastructure, and develop a pipeline of projects. More recently, the First Power Sector Reform Development Policy Operation Program was created as part of a long term goal to reform the electric power sector and attract new investors. Finally, the Trung Son Hydropower Project, which would become the first hydropower project assisted by the World Bank in Vietnam, will be presented to its Board of Executive Directors in September 2010. The map below shows where projects have been implemented in Vietnam.

Source: World Bank.

As shown by projects above, Vietnam is receptive to adopting sustainable energy policies.  Nevertheless, much coordination and investments is still needed to guide Vietnam in the direction toward energy sustainability, and Vietnam should strive to reform its policies so it can reap the long-term benefits of these technologies.