Researchers from both Vietnam and Japan on water disaster prevention and water resources then took the stage to present the current status, challenges, and directions for necessary research. And from VNDMA, Dr. Le Minh Nhat, the deputy director of the Disaster Response and Prevention Department, spoke about the occurrence of disasters and the status of flood control measures in Vietnam, while Mr. Takashi Suzuki, the JICA expert, introduced the geological and climatic similarities between the two countries and the lessons learned from recent flood control measures in Japan. Discussions with the audience included topics such as the importance of flood forecasting and policy making based on underlying hydrological data, the need for collaboration between government agencies and research institutions, and the significance for a combination of structural and non-structural flood control measures.

Mr. Suzuki’s Presentation

In the venue in Hanoi, the symposium attracted a large number of participants from research institutes and government agencies in both Vietnam and Japan. In addition, the symposium was also broadcast online to the Japanese organizations such as Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism, institutes and companies, attracting audience of about 200 people in total.

Dr. Le Minh Nhat presentation

Discussion and collaboration between Vietnam and Japan on disaster risk reduction would be further promoted through such seminars and other activities in the future. Taking advantage of those opportunities, and based on the analysis of issues in Vietnam and Japan's experiences so far, disaster risk reduction should be promoted in practice as well as in research.