00:04Hello and welcome to Global Japan in northern Vietnam.
00:08Behind me is a Sabo Dam, a Japanese invention designed to protect communities from landslides.
00:15Let's find out more.
00:25The rhythm of life in the village of Piang, nestled here in the mountains of Son La Province,
00:31is intrinsically tied to the nearby river.
00:41But in 2017, a landslide struck. Within moments, part of the village vanished beneath the mud.
00:48This landscape still bears the scars of the storm.
01:12Last year, Vietnam, with the support of Japan's International Cooperation Agency, inaugurated
01:18the country's first Sabo Dam. In Japanese, Sa means sediment, and Bo relates to protection.
01:25This concept was developed over a century ago to let water flow through while holding back
01:31the rocks and debris carried down during heavy rainfalls.
01:35Sabo Dam makes the stream gradient, gentler, and reduces the force and energy of debris flow.
01:43Placing several Sabo Dams within a basin prevents the riverbed
01:48from being eroded and helps stabilize the whole river basin.
01:53So the whole valley downstream can be protected?
01:57Yes, yes, sure.
01:58That's one small Sabo Dam.
02:01But that's one giant for sediment disaster risk reduction in Vietnam.
02:08Twelve Sabo Dams are planned to secure the entire Nam Pam River Basin.
02:12This kindergarten, located just below the structure, is among the buildings already protected.
02:40Japan's disaster prevention strategy rests on three pillars.
02:44Protective infrastructure, land use planning, and early warning and evacuation systems.
02:51Last February, Japan signed an agreement with the UNESCO to strengthen disaster preparedness here in Nehan,
02:58a province frequently battered by floods.
03:01This village was devastated in July 2025.
03:05The river level rose by 15 metres during the night.
03:35The agreement between Japan and UNESCO in
03:38Vietnam provides for Japanese technical support to improve hazard mopping and early warning
03:44systems through cutting-edge technologies.
03:47It also places strong emphasis on education continuity in the face of disasters.
03:53Just across the river, nearly 2 meters of water flooded into these classrooms last year.
04:10The program includes workshops to strengthen evacuation practices. Japan is hoping to share
04:16its strong expertise in this field.
04:31How do you prepare? There will be a drill today?
04:48Around 15,000 people, including students and teachers, are expected to benefit directly
04:53from the project. Drills like these save lives. UNESCO and Japan share this conviction. They
05:05The relationship between UNESCO, Japan, and Vietnam is one that's existed for many, many
05:10years. Japan is a recognized leader in the area of disaster risk reduction, in particular
05:14at the technological level. And so we've been working with Japan at the global level on these
05:20types of issues in different countries. And the extreme events are going to happen. That's
05:24how we plan together as a community, bringing in the expertise from Japan, bringing in the
05:29years of work that UNESCO has done in the school environment, for example, to better prepare
05:34different parts of the population to confront these events when they happen.
05:38Japanese support also extends to major cities. In Hanoi, the capital, rapid economic development
05:44has led to the pollution of rivers and lakes by domestic wastewater. This project aims to change
05:50that. This is the largest wastewater treatment plant in Hanoi. It was inaugurated last year
05:57with technical and financial support from Japan. Let's have a look.
06:03This vast infrastructure has connected a million people to the wastewater treatment network.
06:08It incorporates Japanese rapid frustration systems adapted to heavy rainfall and is linked underground
06:14by large pipes dug using state-of-the-art boring technologies.
06:26And what happens in case of heavy rainfall?
06:30Per the water treatment network also adjusts the water、 spraying fuel andetera-ground material.
06:36For the water treatment, the water treatment is increased by some massive massive.
06:41We are all here to go close to 7000 meters through every night. The water treatment is increased by
06:43576.000 meters through every night. This project gives us the importance to reduce the
06:47operation of the water treatment management system and help to carry in the water treatment system.
06:54Through bilateral partnerships and the regional organization ASEAN, Japan has long supported
07:00Southeast Asia with a proactive approach to risk reduction. Investments that are essential to
07:05strengthen infrastructure and promote more resilient reconstruction after disasters happen.
07:11A concept Japan calls Build Back Better. Japan experienced economic growth by investing in
07:19preventive disaster risk reduction. We realized that, you know, that's the duty of Japan, you know,
07:25to disseminate that kind of lessons. Our project concentrated on the Asian regions. Now, you know,
07:31our activity is expanding to the rest of the world. The investment before disaster happens is really
07:37important to us. Build Back Better concept is providing us with the new idea to make a society
07:44much stronger.
07:48And that's it for this special edition of Global Japan.
07:52For more information, thanks for watching.
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