(English) CRMGG project concludes with lasting impact on sustainable groundwater management in Vietnam

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Hanoi, 24 June 2026 – The Climate-Resilient Management of Groundwater and Geohazards (CRMGG) project officially concluded with a closing workshop jointly organized by the National Center for Water Resources Planning and Investigation (NAWAPI) and the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR). The event also celebrated 17 years of successful German–Vietnamese cooperation in groundwater management, marking an important milestone in the long-standing partnership between the two institutions.

Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the CRMGG project (2022–2026) aimed to strengthen the regulatory, institutional, and technical foundations for climate-resilient groundwater management in Vietnam. As presented by the BGR Project Leader – Mr. Andreas Renck, the project was built around four complementary pillars: capacity development, practical solutions, digital transformation, and scientific advice and awareness raising. Together, these activities supported more sustainable groundwater management and climate adaptation in the Mekong Delta and selected coastal provinces.

Among the project’s most notable technical achievements was the successful demonstration of Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) as an innovative solution for addressing seasonal freshwater shortages. Pilot studies in Hau Giang Province demonstrated that freshwater can be stored underground during the rainy season and recovered during the dry season, offering a cost-effective option to enhance water security while reducing pressure on groundwater resources. The project also advanced research on land subsidence, groundwater monitoring, and hydrogeological modelling, providing valuable scientific evidence to support future groundwater policies.

A major legacy of CRMGG is its contribution to NAWAPI’s digital transformation. Led by BGR’s IT Expert and the joint Vietnamese-German IT team, the project established an open-source Hadoop-based Big Data infrastructure and developed digital platforms including IoT-based groundwater monitoring and interactive dashboards using Grafana and Power BI. These innovations have transformed fragmented datasets into integrated decision-support systems, strengthening evidence-based groundwater management and supporting Vietnam’s National Digital Transformation Strategy as well as several Sustainable Development Goals.

Reflecting on the broader partnership, Dr. Arne Hoffmann-Rothe, Head of Division at BGR, highlighted how cooperation between BGR and NAWAPI has evolved since 2009—from groundwater investigations and monitoring to policy development, provincial capacity building, climate adaptation, digital innovation, and scientific collaboration. Over 17 years, the partnership has continuously adapted to emerging challenges while strengthening Vietnam’s capacity to sustainably manage its groundwater resources.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Santiago Alonso Rodriguez, First Secretary and Head of Development Cooperation at the German Embassy in Hanoi, praised CRMGG as a successful example of German–Vietnamese cooperation. Dr. La Duc Dung, Director General of NAWAPI, emphasized that the project’s lasting legacy lies not only in its scientific outputs but also in stronger institutional capacity, modern digital infrastructure, and enhanced cooperation among national and provincial stakeholders.

Although the CRMGG project has officially concluded, its knowledge, technologies, and partnerships provide a strong foundation for future cooperation to strengthen groundwater resilience, accelerate digital transformation, and safeguard Vietnam’s water resources in the face of climate change.