Royal Haskoning Vietnam (RHV) is part of Royal Haskoning - a leading, independent engineering consultant group from the Netherlands. Royal Haskoning has been operating in South East Asia for more than 40 years and is recognized as one of the most prominent leading consultants in construction in Vietnam with a unique track record of successful large-scale projects. RHV has been building ports, plants, and buildings and providing solutions in the field of water management for more than 20 years in Vietnam. On the occasion of the official visit of the Royal Prince and the Princess of the Netherlands to Vietnam, Vietnam Business Forum talks with Mr. Bernard Schiphorst - Managing Director of RHV.
What are the fundamental values that underpin the success of RHV after more than 20 years in Vietnam?
Firstly, it is our strong commitment to meet the demand of high quality and innovation in Vietnam. We are proud to be in Vietnam, providing high quality products and services, working enthusiastically with our clients. This is proved through a record of remarkable projects that we have implemented. Secondly, we have strongly invested in improving staff competency, giving a high priority in training activities. RHV has a long history in the country and this allows us to make friends in Vietnam and to understand the national culture. We really love Vietnam.
Royal Haskoning and its partners Deltares and DHV have acquired a frontrunner project in a series of Dutch-Vietnamese initiatives to improve flood control in Ho Chi Minh City, could you please elaborate this project?
Royal Haskoning and its partners Deltares and DHV recently started a frontrunner project in a series of Dutch-Vietnamese initiatives to improve flood control in Ho Chi Minh City. Through this Ho Chi Minh City Flood Management and Inundation Project we embarked on a long term and promising relationship with Vietnam in the field of integrated water management to the benefit of a city with 7 million inhabitants. The project – with a contract value of 2 million Euros – is funded by a partnership of the Dutch and the Vietnamese Governments. Royal Haskoning will act as the lead partner of the project’s consortium.
The project aims at reducing flooding in and around Ho Chi Minh City by preparing an integrated strategy and implementation plan for flood management. The approach is truly multidisciplinary. Our technological knowledge will be applied and transferred and institutional aspects, management capabilities and environmental aspects are considered equally important.
The project team will furthermore develop partnerships and identify funding sources for the implementation of future projects and strengthen the technical and management capabilities of the Steering Centre for Urban Flood Control Program of Ho Chi Minh City and other relevant agencies in Vietnam. The project team will also promote partnerships between Dutch and Vietnamese educational, scientific, water and environmental institutions and between governmental and non-governmental organizations in the field of water management. Moreover it will investigate opportunities for collaboration under ongoing programs for the exchange of knowledge and experiences on delta technology, climate change and water management.
Could you please share successes in the sector of ports and maritime in Vietnam?
We have been involved in all major port development projects in Vietnam including Cai Lan seaport, Dung Quat refinery, Cai Mep container terminals, Vung Tau shipyards and currently the Coal Transshipment Hub on Nam Du Island. Other projects include the beautiful Mui Tan artificial island in front of Quy Nhon city and Diamond Island Marina in Ho Chi Minh City. Our latest project is the LNG terminal site selection study with Dutch Marine Institute MARIN for PV Gas. With over 25 port projects in the last 3 years we have come to understand the typical requirements of both international as well as Vietnamese investors and authorities. Most importantly we always cooperate with local partners with great pleasure and good success.
What else would you like to share with us?
Late 2010, Royal Haskoning Vietnam was honorably awarded the Vietnam Construction Quality Gold Cup for the Sai Gon Cu Chi brewery plant in Cu Chi District, HCMC.
Moreover, we designed Vietnam’s first “green industrial building”. One of the projects which we have provided consultancy services that has been received the LEED certificate - the first LEED certified building in Vietnam.
In addition, RHV also played an important role in drawing up the plan of action named “Ho Chi Minh City Moving Towards the Sea with Climate Adaptation”. This is a cooperation agreement signed between Ho Chi Minh City and the City of Rotterdam on the occasion of the visit of the Prince and the Princess of the Netherlands to Vietnam late March 2011. The action plan will provide Vietnam with state-of-the-art Dutch delta technology and experience in the fields of spatial planning, strategy, ports development and decision-making on water safety and the supply of fresh water and enabling economic developments.
Most companies devote their time and effort to the pursuit of sustainable, what are RHV’s targets to achieve this?
Royal Haskoning Vietnam works on a sustainable future. It is the mission of Royal Haskoning to create solutions for issues which concern the interaction between people and their environment.
Royal Haskoning takes Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) seriously and acts accordingly. Sustainability and community involvement are strong focuses within the concept. We address them in various ways. It goes without saying that we put a strong emphasis on our own internal operational management. In our consultancy services sustainability also plays an important role, therefore we will always offer our clients all possible options to come to the best possible result.
In addition, we are inspired by Cradle to Cradle®, a concept with a positive agenda that gives room for the development of creative and innovative solutions for both ourselves and our clients. We want to invest in this concept (40 internally trained experts in Cradle to Cradle®) and apply it whenever and wherever possible. We do so in our projects and together with our clients.
As mentioned above, we designed a first “green industrial building” in Vietnam.
Could you share your thoughts on Vietnam - the Netherlands cooperation relations and how RHV contributes to this cooperation?
Vietnam – the Netherlands cooperation relations develop better and better. We believe that the cooperation will be expanded in the future. From 28 to 31 March 2011, Prince Willem Alexander and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands visited Vietnam. They were being accompanied by the Dutch Minister for Agriculture & Foreign Trade Henk Bleker, plus a business delegation representing 80 Dutch companies. The corporate focus is on five economic sectors: water, agriculture, transport and logistics, the maritime sector and oil & gas. It proves that the Dutch government as well as Dutch companies take a keen interest in Vietnam. The Vietnamese government will provide the best available conditions for businesses from the Netherlands.
The Dutch government gives its assistance to Vietnam‘s climate change response and water management programmes.
Royal Haskoning is proud of accompanying the Dutch government on these programmes.
Vietnamese
