Future human resources in the field of water resources in the Red River Delta is a topic that is receiving extensive attention in Vietnam today. The S-shaped country is witnessing a sharp decline in the number of candidates enrolled in engineering disciplines such as Water Resources, Hydrology or Environment. This can become a cause of reduced ability to supply human resources in the future.
Understanding this risk, the Climate Proof - Vietnam project funded by the NUFFICs Orange Knowledge Program has included components that are expected to be implemented to strengthen the interest of people, particularly, the young people on water resources issues and increases the likelihood of students enrolling in the Faculty of Water Resources at the Hanoi University of Natural Resources and Environment (HUNRE). A lot of efforts are being made, including building a sensible, youth-oriented communication strategy such as building a youthful Facebook page and developing media content tailored to the interests of students. Other beautiful and modern media publications are also put into interest.


Master students of TU Delft doing their research in HUNRE (From left to right: Evelien van den Brekel, Bram Holland, Joost van der Voort Maarschalk, Oscar Keunen, Pauline Janssen and Noor Abrahamse)

In addition, in order to stimulate interest and build a prominent image that is capable of making more decisions on enrollment in Water Resources Management Specialization, many students at the Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands have been regularly sent to HUNRE to conduct research projects in the Red River Delta region. A group of 6 Master's students at TU Delft came to Hanoi in September to study the possibility of transferring water from the Red River to the To Lich River through the West Lake to improve water quality and develop the natural ecosystem in the To Lich, a famous river in the Red River Delta since it flows through many areas of Hanoi's inner city and is seriously polluted due to receiving up to 150,000 m3 of wastewater daily.
Two other students were also sent in September to develop rain and humidity measuring devices on the HUNRE campus using self-made measuring devices. They worked with Vietnamese students and placed metering devices at various locations in the HUNRE area to understand the distribution of rainfall under the influence of urban characteristics such as industrial facilities or skyscrapers. This is an interesting and applicable study that could be applied broader in the whole Red River Delta, where rain gauges are gradually being demolished since they can no longer accurately measure rainfall due to intensive constructions.



Luc Van Koelen and Joost Alma were checking their self-made rainfall meter in the roof of HUNRE

Currently, a website is being implemented by HUNRE with the financial support of the Delta Alliance. This website is built to disseminate information about research and projects that have been done in the Red River Delta. This website will provide basic information to international agencies in the Red River Delta. We will continue to inform in the following posts.

For more information, please contact: tvlkhoa@hunre.edu.vn