Hanoi – From 11 to 15 May, a mission took place at the AICS Hanoi office involving Cons. Stefano Glinianski, Head of the Independent Evaluation Body (OIV) of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), and Dr. Pierpaolo Cinque from the Administration, Finance and Accounting Office of the Agency’s Rome headquarters. The mission aimed to assess the performance of AICS activities in Vietnam, with particular attention to the involvement of national stakeholders and beneficiary communities.
The delegation, accompanied by Dr. Margherita Lulli, Head of Office, and project focal points, carried out an intensive field mission visiting three projects in the Environment, Health and WASH sectors.
Among these was the solid waste treatment project in Quang Tri Province, financed under the Italy-Vietnam Debt Swap Programme. During meetings with local authorities, including the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, implementing agency of the project, progress achieved, challenges encountered and future timelines were presented.
In the municipality of Vinh Linh, the mission attended a training session with local communities and visited the site designated for the future integrated solid waste treatment plant, which will include facilities for waste sorting, composting, thermal treatment and a controlled sanitary landfill.
The visit then continued to Hue, in central Vietnam, where the delegation held operational meetings with the authorities of the Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy (HUMP), including Rector Prof. Huy, and visited facilities financed through a soft-loan project aimed at strengthening the regional healthcare system. These included the biomedical laboratory and the gynecology and obstetrics department of the university hospital complex inaugurated in 2025 in the presence of the Italian Ambassador to Vietnam and AICS Hanoi.
The final stage of the mission was Tay Ninh, in southern Vietnam, where the delegation met with the management unit of a WASH sector soft-loan project scheduled for completion in 2027. Representatives of local authorities and beneficiary communities also took part in the meeting. The mission explored project objectives in depth and visited several intervention sites, including a wastewater treatment plant serving approximately 60,000 residents.
Throughout the visits, discussions focused on the main challenges related to procedural delays and coordination issues among the different local authorities involved. The exchanges also highlighted solutions already put in place. In particular, the continuous dialogue between the AICS Hanoi Office and local authorities has contributed to improving the efficiency of implementation processes.
