Mekong Resilient Regional Connectivity Project

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The project is designed to address some of the challenges facing the transport sector in Vietnam, in particular the Mekong Delta region. The design considers the need to significantly enhance climate resilience, regional integration, and road safety in the road development, especially in the region. The project includes investments to improve selected highways, located in the low-lying areas in MDR, where exposure to natural hazards is high and would further be exacerbated by climate change. Furthermore, the selected highways have high-risk sections for road traffic crashes in towns and villages where high-speed trucks and passenger cars get mixed with motorbikes, bicycles and pedestrians, many of them being students. The proposed project is well aligned with Focus Area 3 (Ensure Environmental Sustainability and Resilience) of the current Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Vietnam as well as the latest draft of the proposed CPF for FY 2023-27. With proposed interventions towards climate resilient highways, resource efficiency, and freight efficiency for a resilient Mekong region and economy, it would contribute directly to the two Objectives under Higher Level Objective 1: Climate resilience strengthened and sustainable growth attained, of the proposed CPF for FY 2023-27, namely, Objective 1: Strengthen climate resilience and promote sustainable growth of infrastructure, cities and regions, Objective 2: Accelerate economywide emission reduction for green growth. The project also supports Objective 3: Reinforce sustainable management of natural resources, by the demonstrative adoption of nature-based solutions in road development. It would be part of the priority packages (priority package #1: A coordinated regional program for the Mekong Delta) recommended by the Vietnam Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) of 202227, which would strengthen Vietnam‘s adaptation efforts in the Mekong and coastal areas following the resilient pathway. The project is aligned with the World Bank Group’s other strategic engagements in the Mekong River Delta, such as the proposed Mekong Delta Climate Adaptation Project.