Vietnam Tries Domestic Environmental Solutions

Vietnam Tries Domestic Environmental Solutions
By MARGOT COHEN IN HANOI and HALONG BAY

NIGHT MASKED the black poison gushing into the sea. In early September, a Taiwanese vessel collided with a Vietnamese tanker, spilling more than 800 tonnes of diesel into waters 13 kilometres beyond Vietnam's southern coast. With an estimated clean-up bill of $8 million, the accident will have long-term environmental consequences: destruction of mangrove forests, fish habitats, tourist beaches and shrimp farms.

Oil pollution has long been a threat. In 1994, the Saigon River was inundated with 1,700 tonnes of diesel, and subsequent spills elsewhere created havoc on a smaller scale. The economic dilemma is obvious: Vietnam is a major crude-oil producer, but it is also looking to expand seafood exports and tourism for much-needed foreign exchange.

The latest disaster also underscores Vietnam's dependence on foreign technology for clean-up. To soak up the fuel that's staining the sea, a Vietnamese-Russian joint venture will use products purchased from an Australian company. Some Vietnamese scientists would like to wean the nation from such costly international dependence.

"We don't need to import from outside. We can do it ourselves," says microbiologist Dang Thi Cam Ha, who is doing just that at the B-12 Petroleum Company. B-12 is perched on the edge of Halong Bay, one of Vietnam's most stunning natural attractions. The company supplies 80% of Vietnam's northern market with oil, diesel, and petrol. According to local environmental officials, B-12 was responsible for some small oil slicks in the early 1990s. Alarmed locals -- many of whom depend on the tourism in the region -- petitioned the government in 1996 to relocate B-12.

Rather than move, company managers teamed up with Ha, head of the Environmental Biotechnology Lab at Hanoi's Institute for Biotechnology. The 49-year-old scientist had studied petroleum microbiology in the former Soviet Union, and nursed a passion back home to develop low-cost treatment for oily discharges. Supported by a 760-million dong ($50,700) government grant, Ha began the trial phase at the B-12 company in 1997, finalizing the method two years later. Today, Hanoi is so pleased with the results that Ha's freshwater treatment could be applied next year at other key storage facilities.

"It's a great help. It's cheap, simple, and highly efficient," says Truong Dinh Khang, a biology expert at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment. The treatment has not only clarified the water, he says, but has improved the quality of agricultural soil previously at risk from sludge. While Ha thinks the technology has the potential to treat major oil spills, other scientists are more cautious. "The process is rather slow. It's only applicable in a tank," says Phung Hung, an environmental-protection expert at joint-venture oil company Vietsovpetro.

Ha's technique relies on a well-tested international principle. She provides nutrients to oil-eating bacteria already present in the water. With added oxygen, the nutrients make the bacteria grow faster, so that the oil degrades more quickly and completely. What's unique, Ha claims, is the formula of slow-release nutrients that she developed to feed the 50 varieties of bacteria found in local Vietnamese water.

At B-12, the wastewater to be cleansed looks sickly green with an oily film. That water flows through four tanks during a 36-hour process. One tank hosts African carp (if they die, the treatment isn't working.) The final product shoots through a pipe into Halong Bay. Regular inspections by environmental officials insure that effluent standards are met.

So what's the special mix of nutrients? Ha remains cagey on this subject. Apart from the typical combination of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, she will only admit to adding a little coconut oil to her "secret" formula. The cost of Ha's method also remains unclear. B-12 pays 6,000 dong per cubic metre of water treated, but the company gets some nutrients free from Ha's laboratory.

Disclosure remains a common problem within Vietnam's scientific circles. Those working on government-funded research are often slow in registering patents. They also have problems collaborating with local companies for commercial production. At the same time, they fear that foreign companies will gain unfair access to their innovations. Even compatriots barely communicate. "Information between us is very poor. Perhaps we are selfish," admits Nguyen Duc Huynh, a research director at PetroVietnam, a state-owned oil company. For the good of science and environmental preservation, it's time to cut through that thick film of suspicion.

Thanks for being there for me.​