Viet Nam Humanitarian Background

For more detailed database on disasters by country, please see the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters:

Website of Emdat - Disaster Database

Calamities and Seasonal Affects

Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response

Government

The Government of Viet Nam holds primary responsibility for providing humanitarian assistance to people in need.

The United Nations Natural Disasters and Emergencies Program Coordination Group ( PCG 10) serves as a forum for UN agencies, including FAO, UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNIFEM, UN HABITAT, WHO, IOM and WB.

The objective of this Preparedness Plan is to ensure coordination of UN assistance to the Government of Viet Nam (GoV) in respect to disaster risk reduction, disaster preparedness, mitigation, relief/ rescue, rehabilitation and reconstruction.

The National Disaster Mitigation Partnership is the Government of Viet Nam’s counterpart to the PCG 10. The PCG 10 is expected to maintain close coordination with their Government counterparts, the National Cluster Leads.

On the 5th ASEAN Regional Forum on Disaster Relief, (Dec 2005) the Vietnamese delegate stressed on the necessity inter-agency coordination, especially between the military and civilian agencies.

Illustrating the government response measures and capacities in providing humanitarian assistance, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) reports on the operations (IFRC DREF Final operations report, 8 July 2009) following the Typhoon Hagupit:

“Following the weakening of Typhoon Hagupit from a full-fledged typhoon into a tropical depression, heavy rains caused flash floods and landslides in 11 northern provinces of Viet Nam on 26-28 September 2008. Of these, the provinces of Bac Giang, Lang Son, Quang Ninh and Son La suffered the worst results. Flooding was severe in many areas, particularly in the Bac Giang province where up to 62 communes and towns in three districts were submerged. In Quang Ninh province, as many as 70 communes in six districts were under deep water... (…).

Response from the central government in the wake of the disaster was mainly through the mobilization of army troops to evacuate affected people to safer and higher places such as cement buildings. After the immediate emergency, the government also worked through the health sector to provide Chloramine B to purify water, or support in cash of VND 2 million (USD 115) per family who lost family members in the disaster.

Local governments in their respective provinces immediately reacted during the emergency by providing instant noodles and water to those affected. Later assistance was mainly from local donors such as entrepreneurs, religious groups or organizations in the form of cash, instant noodles, rice or cloth, but in limited quantities.”

4.1 Viet Nam Government Contact List

Humanitarian Community

4.2 Viet Nam Humanitarian Agency Contact List

Further Government and Humanitarian Community contact details can be found in the following document:

VNM Contacts list

Viet Nam Regulatory Narrative

4.1 Viet Nam Government Contact List

For further information on the National Regulatory Departments identified in the Government Contact List, please see the following document:

Vietnam National Regulatory Departments Additional Information

Note: The information provided in the attached documents, which has been taken from the old DLCA, does not match the structure of the new LCA and is therefore provided separately.

Viet Nam Customs Information

Duties and Tax Exemption

For contact information regarding government custom authorities, please follow the link below: 

4.1 Viet Nam Government Contact List

Emergency Response:

[Note: This section contains information which is related and applicable to ‘crisis’ times. These instruments can be applied when an emergency is officially declared by the Government.  When this occurs, there is usually a streamlined process to import goods duty and tax free.]

In the following table, state which of the following agreements and conventions apply to the country and if there are any other existing ones

Exemption Certificate Document Requirements

Customs Clearance

General Information

For information on Customs Clearance, please select the following document: Vietnam Customs Information Additional Information

Note: The information provided in the attached documents, which has been taken from the old DLCA, does not match the structure of the new LCA and is therefore provided separately

Viet Nam Port Assessment

Vietnam has a 3,200km long coastline with a total of 114 seaports, 14 of which are relatively large and named as the keys to economic development.

However, most ports are relatively small with obsolete facilities and poor supporting services.

The three largest ports of Vietnam are Saigon Port (south), Hai Phong Port (north), and Da Nang Port (central)

Compare them to some major seaports of Thailand and Malaysia (see graph 1 below). When juxtaposed with them, the three main ports of Vietnam seem diminutive in terms of maximum vessel size allowed and storage capacity in despite the roughly similar size of berth lengths (the figures are for container terminals only; for Thailand, it is 1.2m DWT for maximum vessel size and 4m TEUs storage capacity).

Viet Nam Aviation 

Key airport information may also be found at:

 Website of Worldaerodata on Vietnam

The Civil Aviation Administration of Viet Nam (CAAV) handles civil aviation and is under direct authority of the government. There are 135 airports and airstrips for civil, military and police use in the country. The CAAV is responsible for 18 airports and air navigation services. The airports in the north, central and south handled 2.5 million, 1.2 million and 5.1 million in 2002, respectively. Air traffic grew sharply during the 1990s until the region was hit by subsequent economic crisis. In 2002, the Ho Chi Minh City (Tan Son Nhat) and Ha Noi (Noi Bai) airports and reached a total of 8 million commercial passengers, of which 4.2 million were international and 3.8 domestic.

International airfares are proposed by the airlines and ratified by CAAV. There are two different domestic airfares: one is applicable to foreign citizens and overseas Vietnamese and other is for local Vietnamese. The maximum airfare to Vietnamese passengers on domestic flights between Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City is decided by CAAV and the Government Pricing Committee and approved by the Prime Minister. Two airlines, both members of Viet Nam Airlines Corporation, operate in the country. The dominant one is Viet Nam Airlines, which accounts for 37% of international traffic to and from Viet Nam and 94% of the domestic demand. The other operator is Pacific Airlines which operates mainly between Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City. It was established in 1995 and is jointly owned by the Viet Nam Airlines Corporation and several other companies.

4.1 Viet Nam Government Contact List

4.5 Viet Nam Airport Company Contact List

Viet Nam Road Network

Highways

84% of Viet Nam’s national roads are currently paved up from 61% in 1997. The current percentage of paved national roads is reasonable by regional standards. In 2002 the condition of the network in good condition was 45% percent and good and average 66%
The improvement in the quality of the network appears to be largely driven by new construction rather than by the maintenance of the existing capital stock because expenditure on periodic and routine maintenance of national roads between 1998 and 2002 were less than half the of the maintenance needs as estimated by the Viet Nam Road's Administration in its 10 Strategic Maintenance Plan.

Local Roads

 About one quarter of the 83,000 km rural road network is believed to be in good or fair condition and 58% of the provincial roads providing connectivity to the main network are in poor condition. The administration of the road sector is complex with different agencies responsible for the financing and implementation and others for investment and maintenance.

For national roads, investment finance is approved by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, implementation is the responsibility of the Project Management Units of the Ministry of Transport, and maintenance is undertaken by the Viet Nam Roads Administration with funds channeled through the Ministry of Finance.

 Road traffic is mainly concentrated on national roads and around the major urban centers. Even though vehicle ownership is rising very quickly, car ownership is still low and road traffic is dominated by motorcycles. Rising levels of motorization is a major challenge to transport planners and policy-makers, especially in large urban areas and primary intercity roads. Traffic accidents increased dramatically from 1999 to 2002, but have shown a decrease from 2002 to 2003 (See figure 1 below)

4.1 Viet Nam Government Contact List

Further generic information on the road network and the road contacts can be found in the following document:

Vietnam Road Assessment Additional Information

Distance Matrix

Road Class and Surface Conditions

Viet Nam Railway Assessment

The network consists of 7 lines with a total length of 2,600 km.

All lines are single track, mostly meter gauge, with a few standard gauge and double gauge towards the Chinese border.

There are over 1,800 bridges (57,044 m) and 39 tunnels (11,513 m) and 281 stations.

The network connects residential area to cultural, agricultural and industrial center, except the Mekong river delta area.

The railways is linked to China railways according to 2 directions:
o From Lao Cai province to Van Nam province
o From Lang Son province to Quang Tay province

When the network is more developed, the railway could possibly be linked to the Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia railways network via the Singapore and Laos railways

The Viet Nam railway uses 3 kinds of gauge, namely 1,000 mm gauge, 1,435 mm-gauge (standard gauge) as well as 1,435 mm and 1,000 mm-gauge (mixed gauge). The length of the railway network and gauge are represented in the table next page:

The railways uses twin-block concrete sleeper, wooden sleeper and iron sleeper. 43 kg/m rail type and hard rail fasteners are used in most of the rail network. Some kinds of elastic fasteners are currently used in some divisions.

For additional information on Bridges, Tunnels and Signaling and Telecommunication Systems, please select the following document:

Vietnam Railway Assessment Additional Information

4.1 Viet Nam Government Contact List

Travel Time Matrix

Railway Network Data

Railway Companies and Consortia

The Viet Nam Railway Cooperation (VRC) is the sole supplier of rail services in Viet Nam.

Following corporatization, VRC’s internal business has been restructured into four main business groups:

• 2 passenger train operating entities (North and South)
• A freight train operating company
• A grouping of regional infrastructure administrations

The train operating entities are quasi-independent management and accounting entities.

The Viet Nam Railway Administration remains responsible for planning development of the sector, for new construction and for securing resources for maintenance.

The VRC pays 10% of its gross revenues as a track access charge.

These funds are generally used toward infrastructure maintenance.

The network is small, old and has received little investment for upgrading, the VRC has performed well.

Viet Nam does not have concentrated flows of bulk raw materials or long-distances which give rise to heavy rail freight flows, its 8 lines serve high density passenger corridors.

Traffic density is about 2.3 million traffic units per route km per annum, which is relatively low compared to other countries in the region.

The average passenger train load in Viet Nam is around 370 passengers which is relatively high, but average freight load of 225 tons is low, as a result of low axle-weight infrastructure, short crossing loops and possible sub-optimal freight operating plans.

4.9 Viet Nam Railway Company Contact List

Viet Nam Waterways Assessment

Mekong Waterways
Viet Nam has 41,000 km of natural waterways, of which 8,000 km are used commercially.
Of these, the Viet Nam Inland Waterways Administration manages about 6,000 km as well as the main river ports; local governments manage the balance of the commercial waterways. River boats and barges have rapidly developed. In 1999, there were 63,600 units with a capacity of 1.7 million dead weight tons (DWT) and 197,000 passenger seats.
In 2003 this had increased to 83,000 boats with a capacity of 3.7 million DWT and 280,000 passenger seats. In addition there are tens of thousands of small “country” boats and ferry boats. Despite limited investment, the waterways remain attractive for the transport of coal, rice, sand, stone, gravel, and other usually high weight low value goods; and livelihoods and personal transport depend heavily and successfully on waterway transport in the delta regions of the Mekong and Red River.
The inland waterway system is managed by nine state waterway management companies; and river ports are managed by three port authorities. Inland waterway transport services are provided by state-owned enterprises operating under two state corporations attached to the Ministry of Transport Northern Waterway Transport Corporation and Southern Waterway Transport Corporation; specialized state-owned transport companies under other ministries carrying materials to cement plants, paper mills and construction material enterprises, and private for-hire operators.
Private operators have expanded their market share significantly in recent years. Foreign companies can provide transport services on the waterways through joint ventures in which the foreigner’s share does not exceed 49%.
Freight and passenger transport rates are freely determined by negotiation.

4.1 Viet Nam Government Contact List

For more information on the Waterways Administration contact identified in the contact list above, please select the following document:

Vietnam Waterways Assessment Additional Information

Note: The information provided in the attached documents, which has been taken from the old DLCA, does not match the structure of the new LCA and is therefore provided separately.

Company Information

Transporters

• All the transport companies are regulated or owned by the government.
• Some privately owned fleets have been merged into corporations but the market remains under the control of the government.

4.4 Viet Nam Port and Waterways Company Contact List

Port Information

Ports Activities

The main ports are:

1. Saigon
2. Bin Thre
3. Vinh Long
4. Canh Tho

Exported Goods: Mainly rice and coconuts andproducts of the local industry (textile)

Imported Goods: 80% technical equipment for the local industries (agricultural machinery), 20% electronics

Main partner for import and exports: China

Mekong Network Data

Limitations

• Most of the ships’ capacity on the delta ranges from 200 to 400 mt
• Form the sea to Ho Chi Min City, cargo ships of up to 50,000 tons may access the port.
• Then any transport to the inland network is limited to 2,000 mt.
• From the Sea to a distance of about 150 km after Bin Thre / Vinh Long and Canh Tho, the maximum depth is 17 m, and the maximum tonnage for cargo ships is 5,000 mt.
• The rest of the 220 km to Cambodia may be accessed by cargo ships with a maximum of 3,000 mt capacity and the plimsoll line is set to 4 m on the river and its branches.

Viet Nam Milling Assessment

For decades Viet Nam struggled to feed itself but is now the second-largest exporter of rice after Thailand. In 2007, Viet Nam sold 4.5 million tons to foreign buyers, but the government's decision to reduce rice exports by 22% caused countries, such as the Philippines, to urgently secure supplies.
Viet Nam may has a rice surplus, but inflation, an unusually long winter, pests and diminishing land for rice cultivation, as well as increasingly frequent and damaging typhoons, are raising concerns within the government. Improvements in production such as new rice varieties, better fertilizers, new farm machinery and a reduction of post-harvest losses have resulted in increased production

 Natural Disasters and Adverse Weather

Viet Nam is located in an area where there are frequent typhoons, and sometimes drought, either of which can result in severe crop damage. Fortunately, those areas which suffer most from typhoons are of minor importance in terms of rice production (i.e. the central region, and part of the northern plain). Some areas in the northern plain also suffer from fog, but the damage from this is negligible if properly managed.

 Further information on the milling sector in Vietnam can be found by searching the following webpages:

Website of IRIN - provides humanitarian news and analysis

Website of the FFTC - regional information center in the Asian and Pacific Region

Milling Company Chanh Khang Rice Milling 

Milling Company Viet Nam Flour Industry Co

Viet Nam Fuel

Viet Nam’s oil sector is dominated by state-owned Viet Nam Oil & Gas Corporation (PetroVeitnam). PetroVeitnam is under the control of the Ministry of Industry, although in practice the national oil company (NOC) is also directed by the Politburo and other central government planning agencies. All oil production in the country is carried out by PetroVeitnam itself, or through production sharing contracts (PSCs) or joint-ventures in which the national oil company has an equity stake.
The largest oil producing company in Viet Nam is Vietsovpetro (VSP), which is a joint-venture between PetroViet Nam and Zarubezhneft of Russia. PetroViet Nam also has formed partnerships with other international oil companies (IOCs) and NOCs, including BP, ConocoPhillips, Korea National Oil Corporation (KNOC), Malaysia’s Petronas, Nippon Oil of Japan, and Talisman. PetroViet Nam also controls Viet Nam’s downstream oil sector through various subsidiaries, such as Petechim and PetroViet Nam Oil Processing and Distribution Company.

The Vietnamese government began to privatize the national oil company’s non-oil-related business units in 2006, although it is expected that hydrocarbon activities will remain under state control.

Information may also be found at: Website of Mytravelcost on Vietnam  which is updated monthly. 

4.1 Viet Nam Government Contact List

4.7 Viet Nam Fuel Provider Contact List

Further information on the services provided by the identified fuel contacts can be found in the following document:

Vietnam Fuel Additional Information

Fuel Pricing

For information on Fuel Supply and Storage, Fuel Marketing and Distribution, Fuel Supply and Fuel Demand please see the following document

Vietnam Fuel Additional Information

Seasonal Variations

Fuel Transportation

How is internal transportation of fuel products carried out? Much of the country’s fuel supply is transported by road. Petrolimex also operates 300 miles of petroleum product pipelines

Is the transportation infrastructure and fleet sufficient to handle current domestic needs as well as increased demand from the humanitarian community? Yes

Standards, Quality and Testing

Viet Nam Transporters

4.8 Viet Nam Transporter Contact List

For further information on the company: DMG Logistics Ha Noi, identified in the contact list, please select the following document:

Vietnam Transporters Additional Information

Viet Nam Additional Service Providers: Vehicle Rental, Taxi Companies, Freight Forwarding Agents, Handling Equipment, Power Generation and ISPs

4.11 Viet Nam Additional Service Provision Contact List

Taxi Companies

Taxi Companies in Ha Noi

A taxi trip in Ha Noi will normally cost 10,000 to 20,000 Vietnamese dongs. However, the main problem is that taxi drivers may take advantage of tourists by using a tampered taxi meter or taking a longer route etc. One way is to negotiate a suitable price before taking the taxi. The recommendation is to only use the reputable and reliable taxi companies

Taxi Companies in Ho Chi Minh City

Major taxi companies are fairly honest, but to avoid any troubles a ‘taxi coupon’ can be purchased at the at the international airport terminal, at one of the counters after the custom declaration & x-ray, next to the exchange counter. Beware of rigged meters that increase the fare too fast. The flag down rate is 12,000 VND ($0.73) for first 2 km and an additional 8,000 VND every km thereafter. Taxis drivers do not expect tips or issue receipts

Freight Forwarding Agents

For a list of freight forwarding agents operating in Vietnam, please see the contact list given above. Further information on freight forwarding agents identified in the contact list, please see the following document

Vietnam Additional Service Provision Additional Information

Electricity and Power 

In 2004, Viet Nam had 9.0 gigawatts (GW) of installed electric generating capacity. Viet Nam generated 40.1 billion kilowatthours (Bkwh) of total electricity, of which 52% was supplied by conventional thermal sources and 48% came from hydroelectric sources.
Electricity demand has increased steadily in Viet Nam during the last decade, but the country’s per capita energy consumption remains one of the lowest in Asia. Viet Nam imports small amounts of electricity from China in the north to avoid shortages, and the country has plans to import electricity from Laos beginning in 2008
For further information on Electricity Production, Distribution, Supply Electricity and Power Stability, please see the following document:

Vietnam Additional Service Provision Additional Information

Note: The information provided in the attached documents, which has been taken from the old DLCA, does not match the structure of the new LCA and is therefore provided separately.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

Internet is growing rapidly and broadband internet services are becoming more available.

Contact information on Internet Service Providers can be found in the contact list given above and further information on the services these are providing in the following document:

Vietnam Additional Service Provision Additional Information

Note: The information provided in the attached documents, which has been taken from the old DLCA, does not match the structure of the new LCA and is therefore provided separately.

Viet Nam Telecommunications 

Viet Nam initially fell well short of the ambitious targets it set for the wider expansion of its telecommunications infrastructure. However, after reviewing its approach and introducing some competition into the market, it has started to build fresh growth momentum. The mobile telephone market has been especially dynamic.
Annual revenues for the telecoms sector were expected to rise to up to US$3.5 billion by 2010.
Viet Nam has launched Vinasat-1, the country’s first satellite, placing it in orbit in April 2008.
In addition to reviewing telecom infrastructure, this report also looks at the major telecom operators.

Procedures to obtain subscription: Apply through MIC or subscribe to Mobile operator

Telecommunication Regulation

Viet Nam Food Suppliers, Accommodation and Other Markets

Main Food Suppliers

In the last 10 years, achievements in agricultural production have met the country’s domestic needs for food and additional food products for export. Viet Nam became the second largest exporter of rice and coffee and ranked fourth worldwide in cashew exports. The long-term objective of the agricultural sector is to build a diversified commercial base by maximizing comparative advantages, applying new technologies, and improving competitiveness in domestic and international markets.
Therefore, in the coming years, instead of increasing the exploitation of natural resources and expansion of the production scale, the objective will be better quality and increased competitiveness. Although food processing technology and biotechnology are considered necessary for this purpose, the research, development, and application of these technologies are just at the starting point.
The development of new agricultural technologies for value-added food production is critical in Viet Nam. Over the past decade, government policies in Viet Nam have encouraged farmers to invest in agricultural production, especially food production, to meet domestic demand and for export. These policies have been so successful that Viet Nam no longer has a food shortage, and instead has a rice surplus for export. In 1989, Viet Nam was able to export 1.4 million mt of rice. By 1992, this had risen to 1.9 mt, plus 100,000 mt of corn and cassava. Important food crops in Viet Nam include rice, corn, sweet potato, cassava and several kinds of bean.

Rice Suppliers

There are hundreds of rice suppliers that can be found in the yellow pages and commercial directories. In 2009, the rice export quantity reached 6 million tons. Viet Nam is the second largest rice exporter worldwide. The production standards are set by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Suppliers of other commodities

The non food items market in Viet Nam is fully provided. There are no shortages nor scarcity of good as the market is developing on the open market model. The availability and the reliability of the goods is comparable to those that can be found on the western market.

Accommodation

Plentiful in Viet Nam: the country has a very developed tourist industry that offers all range and types of accommodation across the whole country.

Viet Nam Humanitarian Agency Contact List

Viet Nam Port and Waterways Company Contact List

Viet Nam Airport Company Contact List

Viet Nam Fuel Provider Contact List

Viet Nam Transporter Contact List

Viet Nam Railway Company Contact List

Viet Nam Additional Service Provision Contact List