Youth, Education, and the Environment in Vietnam

Vietnam is facing ever more visible and urgentenvironmental challenges. The extraordinary devel-opment achievements of the past 20 years, driving the poverty rate from 58 percent in 1993to less than 10 percent in 2010, have been accom-panied by deleterious impacts on the environment.Rapid industrialization, urbanization, and modern-ization mean that Phong’s daily experience is acommon one for many Vietnamese. In rural areas,the effects of biodiversity loss, deforestation, soilerosion, and marine pollution are also being felt.

SOCIETY AND GREEN DEVELOPMENT

After two decades of growth, the development discourse in Vietnam is increasingly tempered byconcern about the environment and the risks toVietnam from climate change. Clearly there ismuch work to be done for Vietnam to establishbetter environmental laws and regulations, andmore effective enforcement of such legal instru-ments. To succeed at raising and enforcing envi-ronmental standards, a broader societal awarenessand consensus must be reached about the criticalneed to balance economic growth with environ-mental health. Individuals must take responsibilityfor the state of the environment in which they live,work, and play.

Although serious environmental cases are drawingmore media and public interest, on the whole citizens do not play an active role in the environ-mental discourse, whether in pushing for moreeffective government responses or participating inthe preservation and protection of natural resources.In addition, there is little attention given to envi-ronment education in the school and universitysystems given the lack of awareness, capacity, mate-rials, and funding. Given that roughly 50 percentof Vietnam’s population of 90 million is under theage of 25, the environmental knowledge andbehavior of today’s youth is key to greeningVietnam’s development.

THE ASIA FOUNDATION IN VIETNAM

The Asia Foundation has worked on environmentand climate change issues in Vietnam for over adecade through support for capacity of governmentagencies and civil society, effective public advocacy,public-private partnerships, and community-basedresponses to environmental degradation. In recentyears, the Foundation has increased support toinnovative youth actions for the environment andmore effective environment education programsfor Vietnamese schools.

“The moment I step out of my house, there is environmental mayhem,” says Phong, a high school studentliving near Thang Cong Lake in Ha Noi. The lake is filled with dead fish from the contaminated water, andhousehold trash lies outside neighboring apartment buildings. As Phong reaches the main road, he isjoined by Hanoi’s four million motorbikes and cars which choke the air with exhaust fumes. Nearby, solidand industrial wastes from markets and factories have rendered the To Lich river an open sewer and aserious public health concern.

The Foundation supports

Vietnamese efforts to

generate constructive

debates about gover-

nance practices, increase

public participation in

policy dialogues, support

sustainable development,

increase gender equality,

and continue the

country’s international

integration.

The Asia Foundation

has been supporting

Vietnam’s transforma-

tion since 1993 through

a network of committed

partners in government,

the private sector, and

civil society, and an

office in Hanoi

since 2000.

VIETNAM

By focusing on developingthe knowledge, organiza-tional and advocacy capacityof young Vietnamese andengaging the education system in interactive envi-ronmental educationmethodologies, theFoundation is at the fore-front of efforts to transformthe environmental discourseand activism in Vietnam inthe long term.

ENHANCING ENVIRONMENTAL THEMES INVIETNAMESE EDUCATIONWe work with schools, education authorities, andeducation experts to integrate environment and climate change themes into school curriculum. We assist teachers and schools to inspire studentsthrough environment lessons, utilizing moreinteractive teaching tools such as field trips, scien-tific experiments, and lessons on leadership andteam work. Environment education is not limitedonly to schools. It also involves other educational institutions such as museums and parks. We focuson expanding the common conception of theenvironment while empowering young people,their parents, educators and ultimately the community at large to take action on everydayenvironmental problems.

SUPPORTING VIETNAMESE YOUTH’S ENVIRONMENTAL INIT IATIVES Young people are becoming active in environmentand climate change issues, with environmentalclubs emerging in universities. Continuing the

theme of practicalproblem solving ineveryday life, theFoundation is sup-porting committedyoung peoplethroughout thecountry to developand implementtheir ideas toaddress environ-ment and climatechange issues.

These projects range from turning fish marketwaste products into fertilizer, to making eco-friendly paper bags, to addressing household wastein rural areas.

BUILDING CAPACITY OF YOUTH FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM More than funding for their projects, young envi-ronmentalists need support to develop their ideasand their capacity to implement them effectively.The Foundation and its partners help to strengthenthe organization, programs, and networks of envi-ronmental youth clubs. Through new skills inproject development and management and theuse of social media and other communicationtools, young environmentalists are broadening theimpact of their campaigns and environmentalactivism. Finally, we help prepare young people toengage effectively with environment and climatechange policy and issues affecting their communi-ties through understanding how to engage companies, environmental agencies, and policy-makers in their activities.

HEADQUARTERS465 California Street, 9th FloorSan Francisco, CA 94104 USATel: (415) 982-4640Fax: (415) 392-8863info@asiafound.org

WASHINGTON, DC1779 Massachusetts Ave., NWSuite 815Washington, D.C. 20036 USATel: (202) 588-9420Fax: (202) 588-9409info@asiafound-dc.org

VIETNAM#10-03 Prime Centre53 Quang Trung StreetHanoi, VietnamTel: 84 (4) 3943-3263tafvn@asiafound.org

www.asiafoundation.org

08/2011

The Asia Foundation is

a private, non-profit,

non-governmental

organization. Through

its programs, the

Foundation builds

leadership, improves

policies, and strengthens

institutions to foster

greater openness and

shared prosperity in the

Asia-Pacific region. It is

funded by contributions

from corporations,

foundations, individuals,

and governmental

organizations in the

U.S., Europe, Canada,

Australia, and Asia, and

an annual appropriation

from the U.S. Congress.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:

• Foundation assistance supports the Ministry of Education and Training to pilot an initiativeintegrating environmental themes into activities of 10 primary schools in Hanoi reachingmore than 6,000 students.

• The Foundation supported four young Vietnamese environmentalists to make an environ-mental documentary film that was broadcast on Vietnam’s most prominent national televi-sion channel.

• The Foundation’s National Youth Initiatives on Environmental Protection contest attracted 35entries from groups of young people. The Foundation supported implementation of 8winning projects and 250 participants attended the contest launching ceremony.