Water governance: a vital imperative for sustainable development

On September 16, at the 2025 Sustainable Development Sharing Program with media agencies, under the theme “Strengthening water governance and conservation for sustainable development and climate resilience”, Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh, Vice President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and Chairman of the Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development (VBCSD), emphasized the vital role of water resource governance for the economy and communities.

VCCI Vice President and VBCSD Chairman Nguyen Quang Vinh delivered the opening remarks, affirming the importance of water resource governance.

According to the VCCI Vice President, Vietnam is facing major challenges in water security. The country’s total surface water resources are estimated at 830–840 billion m³ per year, with groundwater reserves of about 47.5–63 billion m³ per year. However, only around 37% of the available water is generated domestically, while up to 75% depends on transboundary flows. “Water resource governance is a vital requirement for economic development, energy security, and even social stability”, emphasized Vice President Nguyen Quang Vinh.

Water not only serves agriculture, industry, and services but also acts as the ‘lifeline’ that connects all development activities. He also affirmed that clean water is the key for Vietnam to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 (clean water), Goal 12 (sustainable consumption and production), and Goal 13 (climate action).

In this context, the role of businesses in conserving and efficiently using water resources is increasingly emphasized. Many major corporations and companies in Vietnam have taken the lead in implementing sustainable water management initiatives, adopting technologies for water saving, reuse, and regeneration in their production activities.

Nestlé Vietnam has announced its goal to, by 2025, return to communities and the environment an amount of clean water equivalent to 100% of the water used in its production activities. HEINEKEN Vietnam has developed a model for reforestation and biodiversity protection, replenishing more than 690 million liters of water annually for the Tien River basin. BAT Vietnam and Samsung Vietnam have fulfilled their commitment to ensuring that 100% of their factories are certified under the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) standard. Suntory Pepsico Vietnam has implemented the “Water of Life” program, now in its 10th year, focusing on water conservation and raising community awareness.

Several other companies in the food and beverage sector have also achieved up to 30% water savings per unit of product within five years, while investing in technologies to reuse 100% of treated wastewater for non-production activities.

The VCCI Vice President noted that these models demonstrate water conservation is not merely a cost, but a strategic investment. “Businesses can reduce risks, enhance reputation, access green finance, and meet global ESG requirements”, said Vice President Nguyen Quang Vinh. However, he also pointed out that not all enterprises have the capacity to participate. Small and medium-sized enterprises still face many challenges in terms of finance, technology, and a lack of supportive mechanisms. This has limited the wider replication of sustainable models.

According to the VCCI Vice President, collective efforts are needed: government policies, resources from financial institutions, and especially the engagement of the media. Communication not only spreads successful models but also helps inspire and connect communities to take action. He emphasized: “In the role of a bridge between knowledge, information, and action, I believe that with their voices, the reporters and editors present here today can contribute to scaling up these successful models”.

Vice President Nguyen Quang Vinh expressed his hope that with the support of the media, one pioneering enterprise could inspire hundreds or even thousands of others to follow, turning every liter of water saved into a national flow that contributes to preserving the country’s water resources.

Therefore, this media dialogue program was organized not merely as a conventional conference, but as a forum for cooperation, where the media and businesses come together to write a new chapter in water resource governance. Following the technical workshop in the morning, delegates also joined a field visit to the Coca-Cola Hanoi plant in the afternoon. There, guests had the opportunity to witness models of water-saving and water-replenishing production, and to hear directly from staff operating clean and responsible production lines.

An overview of the 2025 Sustainable Development Sharing Program with media agencies, under the theme “Strengthening water governance and conservation for sustainable development and climate resilience”.

The VCCI Vice President expressed his hope that after the program, the business community would view water saving and replenishment as a strategic priority. At the same time, he expected the media to continue accompanying this effort by spreading accurate awareness in society, contributing to the formation of water-friendly production practices, and promoting sustainable consumption.

In the long term, water resource governance is not only the responsibility of the government but also a practical benefit for businesses and communities. When water resources are degraded, all economic sectors are affected; conversely, when water is conserved, sectors ranging from agriculture and industry to services have a stable foundation for development.

The message from the program shows that businesses are not standing on the sidelines. They are, and will continue to be, key actors in the flow of water conservation. However, for these efforts to spread more widely, joint contributions are needed across the entire ecosystem from policy and finance to science, technology, media, and consumers.