Budget: From 01/2005 to 12/2007 - CHF 1’600’000 (approx. US$ 1’230’770)

Cumulative Budget: From 11/2002 to 12/2007 - CHF 3’002’000 (approx. US$ 2’309’231)

Partners:

Nam Dinh Provincial People’s Committee (ND PPC), Ministry of Construction (MoC), Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), Department of Construction (DoC), Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DoNRE), Department of Planning and Investment (DPI), Centre for Environmental Monitoring and Analysis of Hanoi, private brickmakers, tile making enterprises, brick making equipment and service providers in Nam Dinh Province, Vietnam Association for Building Materials

Implementing Agency: Entec AG, St. Gallen –Switzerland

Project Location: Nam Dinh Province – Vietnam

Background:

Currently, about 80% of fired building material (brick and tile) in Vietnam is producing by small-scale enterprises with extremely negative effects on health and environment, and harmful effects on social relations. In order to reduce the detrimental impact of traditional kilns, uncontrolled clay exploitation and conflict between farmers and brick manufacturers, Government has decided that traditional kilns will be eliminated from peri-urban areas by 2005 and from all areas by 2010. They are to be replaced by industrial brick making.

The Action Research Phase 2002–2004 has resulted in a detailed analysis of the existing environmental, social and economic problems of brick making in Vietnam and a number of technical options, policy instruments and management tools have been recommended to be implemented.

Overall Goal:

Enable the transformation to environmentally sound and economically viable forms of production by small–scale brick makers of Nam Dinh through a replicable programme of technical solutions, policy instruments and management tools.

Current Objectives:

• Identify the technical and organisational options with focus on an active participation of authorities and private brick makers; 
• Support the assessment of the outcomes of pilot projects to create a basis for decision making on sub-sector development action plan; 
• Generate an enabling environment for the development and transformation into the sustainable brick making in Nam Dinh.

Approaches:

The project follows partnership approach. Participation to project is coming from local authorities at provincial, district and commune level, brick makers, brick–making enterprises, brick–making service enterprise, building material association and other environmental monitoring and management institutions.

Results Achieved and Expected:

Project activities’ results in various types of products which are accepted to use by local authorities and brick–makers in Nam Dinh, beneficiaries of the project. In regard to enterprise development promotion, among these activities are: i) Financial and economic analysis tools for use of brick-making enterprises in investment decision making and approaching to financial sources; ii) The standardised VSBK enterprise model for brick-makers which was introduced by the project, appraised by DoC, implemented in different districts by local brick-making investors, iii) Improved tunnel wagon design and supplementary energy efficiency measures for performance improvement in a tunnel kiln.

In regard to the environmental management over brick-making activities, environmental sampling and monitoring practice and its practical training delivered by project as well as the use of lime stone powder adding to the local low calcium content green bricks as a HF reduction measure in tunnel and VSBK enterprises have been recognised and approved to be incorporated into government mitigation measures and environmental policy.

The technical and environmental management information exchange has been facilitated among brick and tile makers within the province and with the others in Vietnam. The training materials designed professionally with rich and useful content, which are aiming at building the capacity as well as the basis for the sustainable brick-making industry in Vietnam.

Highlights:

Together with all support activities, the impacts of pilot projects and technical assistance are including more in regard to brick and tile making sub-sectoral management (by DOC) and clay resource management (by DONRE).

Information and Publications:

Further information on the project are available from the project offices upon request and the Project Webpage at www.entec.vn

Contact:

Project Office in Nam Dinh
5th floor, Department of Construction 
112 Nguyen Duc Thuan Street 
Nam Dinh  Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel.: +84 350 64 00 81 
Fax: +84 350 64 65 66 
E-mail: VSBP@entecenergy.com   

Project Office in Hanoi
Room 409, Press Club
59A Ly Thai To Street
Tel.: +84 4 934 08 88 ext.3060  
Direct Tel.: +84 4 936 11 78 
Fax:  +84 4 936 48 57
E-mail: vietnam@entecenergy.com