Restarting the JICA3 Project for the "Sugar-Thirsty" Land

After years of delays, the project to build a system of sluice gates to prevent saltwater intrusion and store freshwater, funded by Japanese ODA (JICA3), in the Minh, Bao, and An Hoa islets has been restarted. Given the increasingly severe saltwater intrusion, local residents are hoping for accelerated project progress and expect long-term effectiveness, contributing to stable livelihoods and sustainable development for the entire region.

After years of delays, the project to build a system of sluice gates to prevent saltwater intrusion and store freshwater, funded by Japanese ODA (JICA3), in the Minh, Bao, and An Hoa islets has been restarted. Given the increasingly severe saltwater intrusion, local residents are hoping for accelerated project progress and expect long-term effectiveness, contributing to stable livelihoods and sustainable development for the entire region.

Perspective view of the Vam Nuoc Trong sluice gate (photo provided by the Investment and Construction Management Board of Irrigation Project No. 10).

Urgent need

For many years, the issue of "freshwater versus saltwater intrusion" has been a constant worry for the people living on Minh, Bao, and An Hoa islets. This area has a strong agricultural potential, with coconut trees being the main crop and the livelihood of tens of thousands of households. However, climate change and the increasing saltwater intrusion into the mainland have severely impacted the lives of the local people.

Mr. Dang Van Bi, residing in Hoa Loi hamlet, Luong Phu commune, shared: “People on Bao, Minh, and An Hoa islets have been living with salinity for many years; the impact of saltwater has significantly reduced crop and livestock yields, especially for coconut trees – the main crop of most islet residents. We hope the Government will continue to pay attention to and invest effectively in salinity control and freshwater storage projects so that people can produce with peace of mind.”

It's not just Mr. Bi; many other households share the same concern about water resources. Each dry season, when saltwater intrusion occurs, storing freshwater becomes difficult, production costs increase, while productivity decreases. Many coconut plantations are depleted due to prolonged freshwater shortages. Mr. Pham Van Duc, residing in Hung Long hamlet, Phuoc Long commune, expressed: “The project to build a saltwater intrusion prevention sluice gate has dragged on for many years. The provincial leadership needs to pay attention and propose to the central government to continue its implementation to help prevent saltwater intrusion and store freshwater for irrigation and daily life for the people.”

Restarting the JICA3 Project

The JICA3 project – a large-scale program to build a system of sluice gates to prevent saltwater intrusion and store freshwater – was once expected to be a "shield" protecting the entire delta region. However, after being approved by the National Assembly in 2019, the project has fallen into a state of prolonged delay, causing considerable impatience among the local population.

The Tan Phu sluice gate has been completed, a project funded by Japanese ODA loans.

According to Ms. Tran Thi Thanh Lam, a member of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Society, there are three main reasons for the delay in the project's implementation. Firstly, this project uses foreign capital, so all procedures must comply with international standards, making them complex and time-consuming. Secondly, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the bidding and implementation process. Finally, after the pandemic, fluctuations in the Japanese yen exchange rate continued to affect the balance of funding, causing the project to exceed its initial budget.

These objective factors have caused a strategic project to stall for a long time. Significantly, while the project is delayed, saltwater intrusion continues, increasing pressure on the people and local authorities. Ms. Tran Thi Thanh Lam stated that during meetings with constituents, the progress of the saltwater intrusion prevention and freshwater storage project is always a matter of particular concern to the people: "Not only the people, but also National Assembly representatives and provincial leaders are anxious about the delay in the saltwater intrusion prevention and freshwater storage project, because this delay directly affects the sustainable development of the locality."

Surveying the location for constructing power lines to serve the operation of the Vam Nuoc Trong sluice gate in Tan Thanh Binh commune.

After numerous efforts to resolve the issues, the JICA3 Project has officially been restarted. According to Decision No. 988/QD-BNNMT of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, issued on March 24, 2026, regarding the adjustment of the 2026 central government budget public investment plan, the Ben Tre Water Management Project - JICA3 has a total investment of VND 7,578 trillion. Of this, VND 4,158 trillion is from Japanese ODA loans, and VND 3,42 trillion is from domestic counterpart funds, used for direct investment in the Vam Thom and Vam Nuoc Trong sluices and other costs not covered by ODA. The implementation period has been adjusted from 2017-2025 to 2017-2030.

The Investment and Construction Management Board 10 (Board 10) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is assigned as the investor for the construction component, including: Component 1 - construction of 8 sluice gates: An Hoa, Thu Cuu, Ben Tre, Tan Phu, Ben Ro, Cai Quao, Vam Nuoc Trong, Vam Thom and 1 Tan Phu electric pumping station. Component 2 - construction of an automatic monitoring and observation system. The Provincial Agricultural Project Management Board is assigned to implement the land compensation and clearance component.

Of the eight planned saltwater intrusion prevention sluices, two have been completed: Tan Phu and Ben Ro. The remaining six will be implemented using various funding sources and transferred to Project Management Board 10 for execution. Specifically, the Thu Cuu, Cai Quao, An Hoa, and Ben Tre sluices will use Japanese ODA funding; the Vam Thom and Vam Nuoc Trong sluices will use domestic funding.

The restart of the project helps alleviate some of the people's concerns, raising hopes for a synchronized, modern irrigation system capable of controlling water resources in the face of increasingly severe climate change.

Mr. Nguyen Hong Hung, Deputy Director of JICA3 Project Management under Board 10, shared: “We are focusing on completing investment procedures and accelerating preparations to soon organize bidding and commence construction of the Vam Thom and Vam Nuoc Trong sluice gates in the third quarter of 2026; the remaining sluice gates will be implemented in the first quarter of 2027. The project's goal is to build structures to prevent saltwater intrusion and store freshwater; contributing to ensuring water security, stabilizing livelihoods, and creating a foundation for sustainable development for the entire region of the three islands: Minh, Bao, and An Hoa, in the context of increasingly complex climate change.”

Leveraging sustainable development

The JICA3 project is not simply an irrigation project, but also holds strategic significance for the socio-economic development of the entire region. Upon completion, the system of sluice gates to prevent saltwater intrusion and store freshwater will help prevent tidal surges and respond to sea level rise, control salinity, and drain water for 204,270 hectares of natural land in the province.

In addition, the JICA3 Project helps proactively manage water intake, drainage, silt removal, acidification, and alkalinity treatment for agricultural production combined with aquaculture on approximately 110,442 hectares of agricultural land, in the direction of diversifying crops and livestock. It provides freshwater for production and daily life for nearly 207,300 households. It improves the water environment; creates areas for population distribution and integrates water and land transportation, forming a continuous water and land transportation network in the region. It also builds and strengthens an integrated surface water resource management system for the project area.

According to the Provincial Agricultural Project Management Board, the land clearance progress for the Thu Cuu, Cai Quao, and Ben Tre sluice gates has been completed, and the land has been handed over to Management Board 10. For the An Hoa sluice gate, land has been handed over to 62 out of 65 households. For the Vam Thom and Vam Nuoc Trong sluice gates, the first phase of compensation plans has been approved, and payments are being made to residents; land handover is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2026.

Regarding construction implementation, Project Management Unit 10 is finalizing the design drawings and cost estimates. It is expected that the contractor selection process and commencement of construction for the planned items will take place in 2026.

For the three islands of Minh, Bao, and An Hoa, the project is considered a "key" to stabilizing agricultural production, especially the coconut industry – the local economic sector. At the same time, this system also contributes to protecting the ecological environment, limiting erosion, and enhancing adaptability to climate change.

According to Decision No. 988/QD-BNNMT dated March 24, 2026, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment on adjusting the public investment plan of central government budget for 2026 (after the first adjustment), the Ben Tre Water Management Project - JICA3 is allocated 1,433 trillion VND; of which, Project Management Unit 10 is allocated 1,431 trillion VND, and the Provincial Agricultural Project Management Board is allocated 2 billion VND.

The allocation of significant capital, along with the decisive involvement of ministries, departments, and localities, demonstrates the determination to remove the "bottlenecks" of the JICA3 Project. However, to meet the expectations of the people, the most important thing remains ensuring the implementation progress, avoiding prolonged delays like those in the past.

Text and photos: THACH THAO

Source: https://baovinhlong.com.vn/thoi-su/202604/tai-khoi-dong-du-an-jica3-cho-vung-dat-khat-ngot-28640e1/