Technical assistance grants will be used to carry out a full assessment of climate change threats to the region and response measures and plans to cope with rising sea levels and more frequent and severe floods.

Vietnam is one of the nations most prone to climate change, and the Mekong Delta in the south, which is home to a fifth of the population and the main producer of rice, is most vulnerable in the country.

Preliminary studies show that up to 31 percent of the total land used for agriculture and aquaculture in the delta would face a potential one metre rise in the sea level by 2100. This would have severe effects on the lives of about 4.8 million local people.

A number of development agencies are providing climate-change response assistance to Vietnam, but there has been no comprehensive study of the potential impact of extreme climate threats to the Mekong region.

The technical assistance will have two parts – modeling and assessment work to determine the likely future climate conditions in the region and their impact, and identifying appropriate climate change response measures for targeted areas and sectors.

The total cost of the project is US$1.63 million equivalent, with the Australian government providing US$800,000 and ADB supplying US$500,000 from its Climate Change Fund. The Vietnamese Government will provide the remaining US$330,000.

The project will be carried out from January 2010 to April 2011.