HEINEKEN Vietnam continues water conserving effort in Xuan Son National Park

Phu Tho, 14th April 2023 – HEINEKEN Vietnam, in partnership with WWF-Vietnam and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development continued to roll out their joint effort for water conservation in the watershed of the Red, Dong Nai and Tien River, and together planted 1,000 trees in Xuan Son National Park today. 

The activity is part of a 4-year partnership, with a total funding of 30 billion VND by HEINEKEN Vietnam, which works towards restoring the ecosystem in the watershed of the three rivers with a high biodiversity and economic value. The reforestation is expected to improve the ability to regulate and supply water to the local communities in the river basins and support agriculture activities downstream.

Xuan Son National Park, connecting the Northwest region and the Northern delta, lies in the watershed of the Red River. It is the only park in Vietnam with primeval forests on limestone mountains, but its biodiversity and water resources have been impacted by human exploitation of natural resources, demand for arable land and housing, as well as climate change. On an area of 10 hectares in Xuan Son, HEINEKEN Vietnam and partners have planted 1,000 Manglietia Conifera (Mỡ) and Michelia mediocris Dandy (Dổi) trees. Mỡ is a resilient plant that can withstand harsh sunlight, becomes fully grown in 15 years, and can be made into large lumber after that. Meanwhile, Dổi is also a tree favoured by local people for its economic value. Further to the 10-hectare reforestation, the partners will also nurture over 400 hectares of forest, to help improve the ecological functioning of the natural forests. 

The initiative is one among the many efforts of HEINEKEN Vietnam to protect watersheds, and an important step towards the company’s ambition of becoming 100% water balanced by 2025 – whereby the company will return to the environment the amount of water that goes into its products. For each year of the partnership, HEINEKEN Vietnam and partners aims to replenish a total of 3 billion litres of water. 

Speaking from Xuan Son National Park, Ms. Holly Bostock, Corporate Affairs Director, HEINEKEN Vietnam shares “Water is a topic close to our heart. At HEINEKEN Vietnam, we have a triangular strategy for water - including water efficiency, water circularity and water balancing. On water balancing, which is probably the most challenging part, we are glad to be working in partnership with WWF-Vietnam and Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on a 3-way public private partnership. Through reforestation and different water management activities in critical river basins, we are working together to restore the ecosystem and replenish water for people, communities, and the environment.” She also underscores the importance of collaboration in the future, when “increasingly, sustainability challenges would require us to work together,” and invite more partners and stakeholders to become part of HEINEKEN Vietnam’s sustainability journey to “Brew a Better Vietnam”.