Grontmij is a leading design, engineering and management consultancy company, active in the growth markets of water, energy, transportation, sustainable planning, and design, and is Europe’s fifth largest consulting company. Active in Vietnam since 1992, the company has successfully implemented a great number of public and private projects. On the occasion of National Day of the Netherlands, Vietnam Business Forum talked with Mrs Nguyen Thi Cam Tu, General Director of Grontmij Vietnam.
What have been the landmarks of Grontmij Vietnam in nearly 20 years of doing business here?
Since 1992 we have expanded our business services resulting in an increased number of projects. To support this expansion of business, in 1995 we opened a representative office in Hanoi. In February 2002, a branch office in Ho Chi Minh City was opened to strengthen our operations and activities throughout Vietnam, particularly supporting services to the private sector. To formalize operations in Vietnam, in December 2003 we were granted a license by the Vietnamese Government to conduct business as a 100 percent foreign owned company.
We are now a leading consulting firm in the fields of water and wastewater, environment, transportation and the energy sector in Vietnam. Within these fields of expertise, we have successfully completed more than 100 public and private projects in Vietnam.
As an example of our success in Vietnam, we were the main consultants for designing and building the Buon Ma Thuot Sanitation Subcomponent Project. This project showcased the first use in Vietnam of a separate sewerage system for collecting and treating only domestic wastewater, while less contaminated storm water is channelled to surface drains for release to the environment. The treated domestic wastewater is then of high enough quality for irrigation of local coffee plantations. This wastewater collection and treatment model has become a good demonstration for replication in other parts of Vietnam.
Sustainable development is one of the central challenges facing the world and Vietnam today, could you please share how Grontmij Vietnam approaches this problem?
At Grontmij Vietnam, our policy is to ensure that all our projects and business practices are sustainable from a social, economic and environmental perspective. This business practice not only benefits our clients but also helps to enhance our business profile in Vietnam.
Within the industrial sector, Grontmij Vietnam has worked with international and Vietnamese partners in supporting the use of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) principles in industrial development and management. Diligent application of CSR principles help to make industries more sustainable in Vietnam by increasing profits, improving the external environment, ensuring the health and safety of all employees, and by protecting workers’ rights.
As one of the largest players in European consultancy market, plus with in-depth experience in Vietnam, what challenges and opportunities do you see in Vietnam market?
Vietnam has a potential market for increased opportunities and growth for consulting firms. Based on a keen understanding of Vietnam’s development challenges, our company has concluded that there are many business opportunities in the areas of responding to climate change through mitigation and adaptation measures, promoting energy conservation and efficiency for all sectors, improving the quality and quantity of rural and urban water supplies, and particularly in expanding decentralized and central wastewater treatment systems. With our long experience in Vietnam, we are able to predict and successfully overcome problems in dealing with cumbersome administrative procedures and unexpected delays.
Vietnam is facing water problems and environmental pollution, how has Grontmij Vietnam been getting involved in this process?
For nearly 20 years in Vietnam, Grontmij has worked on a large number of diverse water and environmental projects. This experience has enabled us to build up a solid and comprehensive knowledge base.
Grontmij Vietnam has improved water quality in Vietnam with the following examples: the Southern Binh Duong Province Water Environment Improvement Project, the Dalat City Wastewater Subcomponent, the Vinh Wastewater and Waste Disposal in Provincial Towns, the Haiphong Three Cities Sanitation Project, and the Buon Ma Thuot Sanitation Subcomponent and Buon Ma Thuot Water Supply and Sanitation Project.
Furthermore, Grontmij Vietnam has been actively involved in preventing and treating pollution in both the industrial and urban sectors. Since the year 2000, we have conducted studies on cleaner industrial production, environmental assessment, and occupational health and safety for several categories of polluting industries. We have also conducted studies on solid waste management, hospital waste management, and capacity development / training of provincial environmental staff. In the urban sector, we have worked with the Ministry of Construction (MoC) to improve the urban planning process in Vietnamese cities. As part of our cooperation with MoC, we have worked to ensure that strategic environmental assessments are applied to all urban construction plans and that environmental impact assessments are appropriately applied to all major urban infrastructure projects. Further, we have designed mechanisms including the public and other sectors into the urban planning process; therefore creating opportunities for citizens to have input into the way their cities are being developed.
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