4 to develop alternative pathways for future socio economic growth of Vietnam In this context, the key challenges for Vietnam’s economic development in the backdrop of complex linkages between energy,[.]
4 to develop alternative pathways for future socio-economic growth of Vietnam In this context, the key challenges for Vietnam’s economic development in the backdrop of complex linkages between energy, food and water can be addressed as follows Water scarcity and implications for agricultural irrigation and energy generation Vietnam is an agricultural nation, with more than 12 million hectares (ha) of land dedicated for agricultural purposes; of which, million is for rice cultivation alone (Tran, 2014) Water is the most important factor for rice cultivation in Vietnam Until recently, Vietnam was considered to be water-abundant nation, with water availability of 9,560 cubic meters per capita per year, obtained from over 2,360 rivers and lakes (DWRM, 2012; Nguyen T P Loan, 2012) However, rapid economic and population growth, fast urbanisation, and water-intensive industrial policies have raised concerns about water security in the long term Vietnam’s population is estimated to increase to 104 million by 2030 (GSO and UNFPA Vietnam, 2016), thus reducing water per person per year by approximately 900 m3 (2030 WRG, 2017) Further, the downstream location of Vietnam in Mekong delta river basin, with upstream water shared between China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, makes Vietnam extremely vulnerable It should be noted that agriculture currently accounts for nearly 80% of total water usage in Vietnam (ADB, 2009) Sustainable usage and management of water is therefore critical for food production and socio-economic security Besides, water is central for energy generation; hence, water directly impacts energy security of the country Water is needed for energy generation from production, to distribution, and to usage (2030 WRG, 2017) This is particularly critical for Vietnam, as the nation promotes hydropower, which is expected to account for 15.5% of total electricity production, equivalent to 27,800 MW by 2030 (T Minh, 2016) In 2015, the total installed hydropower capacity increased to 15,211 MW, accounting for nearly 41% of the total national electricity generation (IHA, 2016; GIZ, 2015) However, these hydropower plants fail to operate at adequate capacity due to a high dependency on the weather changes and water flows, that typically occur during drought seasons For example, shortfalls of hundreds of MWs, and millions of kWh occurs every year during peak hours in the dry season due to the lack of water inflows to hydropower plants (Dao, 2010) Moreover, hydroelectric plants as well as other onsite power generators, such as oil, coal and gas, consume substantial amounts of water in their activities, which include