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Lesson
Close executing agency (EA) involvement is essential throughout the implementation phase. But this was lacking in this project, which saw the provincial people's committees, the project EAs, having limited involvement in project implementation. This strengthen the case for stronger central coordination by a line ministry to facilitate timely decision-making and approvals, provide closer supervision, ensure more consistent monitoring and reporting, and promote lessons sharing to improve performance.

Project Number: 41456-043
Project Name: Water Sector Investment Program - Tranche 3
Report Date:
Lesson
Continued timely adjustments in tariffs could make projects financially viable. The project financial reevaluation at completion concluded that the project was financially viable subject to continued timely adjustments in tariff. This has legal basis as Decree 124/2011/ND-CP allows WSCs to propose water tariffs in a tariff roadmap, which provincial governments approve. The tariff roadmaps of the participating WSCs included adjustments every two years. However, only one adjustment was made in 2019–2022 due to the impacts of COVID-19.

Project Number: 41456-043
Project Name: Water Sector Investment Program - Tranche 3
Report Date:
Lesson
Strong project design, including carefully thought-out subproject selection criteria and adequate financial assessments can help reduce the need for scope changes and mitigate the risk of implementation delays. At approval, this project included seven subprojects in five provinces. Four of the seven subprojects were dropped in 2016 and 2017 because of changes in the companies’ investment priorities, changes in management due to the equitization process, and/or insufficient financial capacity.

Project Number: 41456-043
Project Name: Water Sector Investment Program - Tranche 3
Report Date:
Lesson
A strong design and monitoring framework, with better defined outcomes and outputs and measurable indicators, and the setting up of a project performance and monitoring system during project preparation or at project startup could help track implementation challenges. These may have helped mitigate the risk of scope changes, loan cancellations, and early implementation delays due mainly to delays in startup activities, such as signing of subsidiary loan agreements, detailed engineering design, bidding document preparation, and delays in land acquisition and resettlement.

Project Number: 41456-043
Project Name: Water Sector Investment Program - Tranche 3
Report Date:
Lesson
Strong central coordination is necessary to ensure consistent monitoring and reporting and more effective lessons-sharing among multiple implementing agencies. The Ministry of Planning and Investment was designated as the coordinating agency for the entire MFF-financed investment program, while project 3 activities—procurement and recruitment, construction supervision, financial management, safeguards compliance, monitoring, and reporting—were implemented by the participating water supply coompanies (WSCs).

Project Number: 41456-043
Project Name: Water Sector Investment Program - Tranche 3
Report Date:
Lesson
The government’s internal approval processes need to be carefully considered when designing and implementing a policy reform program. In Viet Nam, the consensus-building approach to policymaking requires significant time and coordination, particularly for policies that would entail changes to the legal framework. The process for amending laws is a significant constraint, as the lawmaking cycle usually takes 5 years. Inadequate consideration of these features of policymaking and lawmaking in Viet Nam could lead to unrealistic program schedules.

Project Number: 49331-001
Project Name: Financial Sector Development and Inclusion Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Combining finance sector development and financial inclusion under an umbrella framework enables a finance sector reform program to address both supply and demand to further develop the sector. The program as originally designed was to include two subprograms. Technical assistance, provided to help the government continue the reform measures adopted in subprogram 1, was key in supporting many of the reforms programmed under subprogram 2, even as the government elected not to proceed with a second loan. Nevertheless, government elected not to proceed with a second loan.

Project Number: 49331-001
Project Name: Financial Sector Development and Inclusion Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Government budget regulations, particularly on official development assistance (ODA), the main source of ADB funding, need to be fully considered during appraisal as these could cause disbursement delays. In 2015, the allocation of ODA funds to project Implementation units was late and in 2016 no funds were allocated. This meant delays in project Implementation.

Project Number: 46293-005
Project Name: Greater Mekong Subregion Tourism Infrastructure for Inclusive Growth Project
Report Date:
Lesson
It is critical that the risk assessment and management plan of the project preparatory technical assistance in the tourism sector incorporate measures to be taken in case of future pandemics. The COVID-19 pandemic led to delays in realizing project tourism benefits. Nevertheless, the ensuing pent-up demand from domestic and foreign tourists seems likely to lead to increases in future incremental visitor numbers, visitor days, and visitor expenditure from each of the subprojects. These increases could contribute to the financial sustainability of the subprojects.

Project Number: 46293-005
Project Name: Greater Mekong Subregion Tourism Infrastructure for Inclusive Growth Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Land acquisition procedures, processes, consultations, and reporting are complex in Viet Nam, not least because of the number of agencies involved. Therefore, more time, energy, and expertise need to be allocated to project land clearance and subsequent resettlement compensation.

Project Number: 46293-005
Project Name: Greater Mekong Subregion Tourism Infrastructure for Inclusive Growth Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Similar projects in similar contexts can learn from the following Implementation lessons learned from the[project: (i) potential startup delays need to be anticipated when developing the project Implementation plan and the contract awards and disbursement projections, withmitigating measures identified; (ii) engaging a single detailed engineering design consultant for projects covering multiple provinces can cause delays;and (iii) use of local consultants could expedite the awarding of civil works contracts.

Project Number: 46293-005
Project Name: Greater Mekong Subregion Tourism Infrastructure for Inclusive Growth Project
Report Date:
Lesson
A strong Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) mechanism is a requisite to identify and quickly act upon emerging challenges. The delays noted in this project present an opportunity for M&E improvement—that is, a strong evaluation function would have helped timely identification and quick resolution of the delays in the activity, procurement, and disbursement fronts. The government also noted challenges in the project’s M&E systems, particularly concerning the accuracy and completeness of these activities.

Project Number: 44265-013
Project Name: Second Health Care in the Central Highlands Project
Report Date:
Lesson
A holistic project design is essential for increasing public health-care utilization. Ultimately, the project aimed at increasing public health-care utilization, which is influenced by both supply- and demand-side interventions. The interventions appropriately addressed the supply side through improvements in health facilities, equipment, and human resources.

Project Number: 44265-013
Project Name: Second Health Care in the Central Highlands Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Timely planning of project extensions and a more realistic extension period will improve loan utilization. Undisbursed amounts under this project resulted largely from new government policies as well as contextual and operational factors. Various activities were canceled because of government restrictions on the use of loan proceeds for soft components (e.g., training, workshops, etc). Non-disbursements were also associated with other policy modifications, such as restrictions on the recruitment of international consultants. But contextual and operational factors also played a role.

Project Number: 44265-013
Project Name: Second Health Care in the Central Highlands Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Foreseeable delays in procurement and disbursements may be overcome by (i) including project readiness measures such as advance actions; and (ii) ensuring dedicated, full-time) and qualified staff with relevant experience for key project management positions. Amounting to 1.5 years in this project, these delays were attributable to the complexity of procedures in Viet Nam, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the large number of project facilities involved.

Project Number: 44265-013
Project Name: Second Health Care in the Central Highlands Project
Report Date: