On the afternoon of April 29, 2025, at the Hall of People’s Committee of Phong Chuong Commune, Phong Dien Town, Hue City. The Project Management Board of the project “Climate change adaptation and sustainable income creation based on the ecosystem in Phong Chuong commune” held the closing ceremony after 3 years of implementation (2022-2025).
The ceremony was attended by the representatives of Phong Dien District leadership, the local government of Phong Chuong commune, sponsoring organizations, technical units and a large number of local residents who benefited from the project.
At the beginning of the ceremony, the Director of the Project Management Board delivered the opening remarks, expressing sincere gratitude to the stakeholders who had accompanied throughout its implementation. In his speech, Mr. Huynh Tien Dat emphasized: “The project is not simply technical activities or short-term support. More importantly, it is about arousing the active spirit process, the community cohesion and internal strength. Through each phase of implementation, we have clearly witnessed the positive changes in awareness, behavior, and the way residents envision their own futures. This is the core value that the project aims to achieve – building a solid foundation for the community to adapt, develop, and continue to expand effective models even after the project ends.
At the ceremony, the Project Management Board presented a summary report highlighting key achievements throughout the implementation period, especially in the areas of community awareness-raising, sustainable livelihood models, ecosystem restoration, and enhancing community capacity in climate change response.
During the implementation, the project achieved many positive outcomes and had a widespread impact on local community level. The reforestation activity was successfully carried out on 45 hectares of sandy barren land, with tree survival rates estimated at 25–30%, contributing to the local ecosystem restoration and long-term environmental improvement.
The propaganda work at school brought remarkable results, with about 95-100% students demonstrating increased awareness of hygiene and waste sorting within the school campus. In parallel, community training sessions on environmental and sustainable agricultural practices helped 80% of households begin to develop proper waste-sorting habits in accordance with regulations.
In terms of adaptation planning, the project supported 9 hamlets in developing climate change action plans using an ecosystem-based approach (EbA), contributing to enhancing residents’ ability to proactively respond to natural disasters.
In infrastructure development, the project installed 2 km of solar-powered street lighting along the commune’s main road, improving the landscape, ensuring safety and enhancing residents’ night time living,
Livelihood models received positive results. The off-session bitter melon increased yields from 156 to 390 kg/lane/season, generating the incomes of 4-6 millions VND/lane/season and creating jobs for local people. The melaleuca planting model showed stable productivity of 8–10 tons/ha/year, with average income ranging from 20–24 million VND/household/year.
Besides that, after organizing 4 financial training sessions with 80 attendees, the result showed that more than 80% of attendees understood the training content, surpassing the initial target. This is the foundation for local residents to enhance their saving and effective financial management skills in production and daily life.
Notably, the credit-based entrepreneurship program facilitated nine ideas in manufacturing and business sectors, of which five were already market-accessible models. This showcased the household financial potential and the role of creative innovation in leveraging income, creating sustainable livelihoods for local residents.
The representative of the beneficiary community and local authorities shared emotional insights about the positive transformation in life, livelihoods, and the proactive spirit of residents. The sponsor’s representative highly commended the efforts of all parties and expressed a strong desire to continue collaborating with the local community on upcoming sustainable development programs.
The ceremony concluded in a meaningful and solemn atmosphere, marking a moment of gratitude for the support of residents, local authorities, and partner organizations throughout the implementation. It also serves as a springboard for new initiatives that benefit both the environment and community livelihoods in the future.
