SNV in Vietnam at 30: Built on partnerships, shaped by change

“By bringing Dutch and international friends to Vietnam and showcasing Vietnam’s story to the world, SNV and other Dutch NGOs have served as ambassadors for people-to-people relationship between our two nations,” said Nguyễn Ngọc Hùng, Vice President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO), as SNV commemorated 30 years in Vietnam earlier this year.

Our work in the country began in 1995, with a small team of Dutch and Vietnamese colleagues, supported by the Dutch Government, and focused on Agricultural Extension Programmes in the Thai Nguyên, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị, and Tuyên Quang provinces.

Initial efforts in rural enterprise promotion and microcredit were the steady steps that shaped our collaboration forward: working alongside communities to support locally led, inclusive growth, enhance livelihoods, and build resilience.

Today, our initiatives span more than 20 provinces, with nine active programmes across the agri-food, energy, and water sectors. These are shaped by cross-cutting themes of climate, governance, and gender equity and social inclusion (GESI)—reflecting the systems that underpin long-term, structural change.

Much has changed since 1995: shifts that did not happen all at once, but built gradually, shaped by what was needed, and what was possible.

In the early 2000s, for instance, energy access was a growing concern. Together with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, we worked alongside with our partners, to expand household biogas in rural areas in the Vietnam Biogas Programme. Over time, the programme reached close to a million people, reducing fuel costs and cutting emissions.

As sustainability and market access became bigger priorities, attention turned to production systems. In rice, coffee, aquaculture, and other sectors, SNV worked with local governments to adapt farming practices—starting with the introduction of the System of Rice Intensification farming methodology under the Sowing the Seeds of Change project in 2012. Around the same time, we partnered with small and growing businesses to test inclusive models that could respond to local demand. Some went on to reach tens of thousands of people; others helped lay the groundwork for new ways of doing business.

In some provinces, that meant improving sanitation infrastructure. In others, it meant backing women-led enterprises working at the intersection of climate and livelihoods. When we tested a new model for low-emission rice farming through the AVERP: AgResults Vietnam Emissions Reduction Pilot, it showed promise—not just technically, but financially. That learning carried forward into performance-based approaches now being used at a larger scale.

Throughout, the work has stayed close to where decisions are made—learning and adapting to ensure that SNV moves in step with shifting policy, markets, and priorities, but grounded in long-term relationships.

Vietnam’s economy was projected to grow by 6.1%—a reflection of its dynamism, but also of a country navigating increasingly complex terrain. Climate risks are intensifying. Trade systems are shifting. In major cities, air pollution remains among the highest globally. Water stress is growing, driven by climate, urbanisation, and upstream hydropower. In the Mekong Delta, salinisation and erratic rainfall are disrupting lives, production, and livelihoods.

In this context, the boundaries between climate, compliance, and capital are narrowing. Recent trends have shown that, to an extent, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) equity funds have been steadily outperforming traditional funding, signalling a need for growing alignment between sustainable practice and financial performance. Regulatory demands—from the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) to voluntary carbon markets—are no longer theoretical, but require stakeholders to respond across sectors.

On the ground, too, these wider global realities are playing out. In the Central Highlands of Vietnam, we are working with the German coffee company Tchibo, supporting 8,000 smallholder coffee farmers to improve practices, reduce chemical use, and build traceable, deforestation-free supply chains—strengthening resilience while enabling EUDR compliance and market access.

In Ca Mau, with early support from SNV through the Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD), the pioneering sustainable seafood exporter in Vietnam, Camimex, strengthened its operations earning organic certification, expanding its hatchery, and piloting new finance models. That groundwork led to a US$15 million loan from FMO, our Dutch development finance partner—the first of its kind under DFCD’s approach, moving from early de-risking to real capital. That momentum is now growing. The European Commission and Proparco have stepped in with further investment, validating a model that works—for climate, for livelihoods, and for long-term market access.

With 17,500 hectares of mangroves under restoration, thousands of smallholder farmers impacted, and a target of 10 million tonnes of CO₂ sequestered, these signal that resilient systems, inclusive finance, and local leadership can unlock impact that matters—and that lasts.

A similar shift is underway in the Mekong Delta, where SNV is working with rice companies to change how production happens. Through the Transforming the Rice Value Chain for Climate Resilient and Sustainable Development in the Mekong Delta (TRVC) project—funded by the Australian Government—we have introduced a pull-mechanism that incentivises companies to deliver measurable, independently verified impact.

These businesses are investing their own capital to meet performance thresholds tied to yield, profitability, and sustainable resilience.

As Vietnam charts its next chapter—towards net zero, green growth, and deeper integration into global markets—the demands on its systems will only grow. The past 30 years have shown what is possible through steady partnership, long-term presence, and a willingness to adapt. What lies ahead will require even greater alignment between public ambition, private capital, and local capability.

For SNV, it is an opportunity to build on what has come before—with sharper focus, deeper collaboration, and the same commitment to working quietly and persistently alongside those shaping Vietnam’s future from the ground up.