Nguyen Thi Kim Anh

Lecturer, Faculty of International Law,

Ho Chi Minh City University of Law

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The Mekong is the world’s tenth and the longest transboundary river in Southeast Asia. Its watershed originates in the Tibetan plateau and spans over China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The Mekong provides direct livelihoods and source of revenue for more than 80 million people. Mekong River is particularly important in biodiversity conservation, aquaculture, water transportation and especially development of renewable energy – hydropower. In the 1960s, hydropower development was expected to develop economy and reduce extreme poverty in the region.

There is no denying the great value of hydropower projects, especially mega-dam stations, but problems of balancing economic benefits and environmental protection under the negative impacts of climate change have become a significant challenge for coastal countries. Existing agreements, including the 1995 Mekong River Agreement and the 1997 Convention on the Law of Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses, do not specifically provide obligations to carry out transnational environmental impact assessments, country – investors’ responsibility to protect the environment as well as legitimate rights and interests of minority groups. Within the scope of this article, the author focuses on researching the international legal aspect, status implementation of international conventions, hence making some recommendations related to sustainable development in the Greater Mekong sub-region.