Getting on the ground at RUCaS case study sites – Viet Nam, Lao PDR and Cambodia

Following on from our successful mission to Bangkok, Thailand in May, RUCaS team members visited Viet Nam, Lao PDR and Cambodia in June. Like Bangkok, the focus was getting a deeper understanding of context and stakeholders by visiting case study sites, to better understand the opportunities, the challenges and most importantly, the vision of the people on the ground.

Our teams visited 5 cities in 10 days:

• Hanoi (Viet Nam) – We visited the Hanoi University of Civil Engineering (HUCE). Working with our program partner ICEM, we’re helping deliver a student design competition, and exploring ways to address heat and flooding issues at the university campus.
• Vientiane (Lao PDR) – We met with representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) about becoming our Focal Point Ministry for Lao PDR. We also met with GGGI and visited  Nong Org marsh, a site that exemplifies how wetlands, marshlands and natural drainage functions provide valuable services for local communities and the wider city.
• Luang Prabang (Lao PDR) – We visited the city’s heritage wetland ponds and investigated how nature-based solutions can enhance and extend the value of these traditional wetland ponds, which have been degraded by siltation and encroachment, as well as grey and blackwater discharges from houses and businesses.
• Phnom Penh (Cambodia) – We met with representatives from the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction (MLMUPC) about becoming our Focal Point Ministry for Cambodia. We also met the Areiy Ksatr Municipality and toured the Areiy Ksatr development site, a new municipality and potential case study site. We discussed the masterplan process currently underway and how to incorporate water sensitive urban design principles.
• Battambang (Cambodia) – We met with the Battambang Governor’s Office to discuss ways nature-based solutions could be utilised in the city centre, including to protect and rehabilitate a functioning wetland system around Battambang’s heritage railway station, to manage flooding and help preserve environmental and social values in and around Battambang and its historical precinct.