A stronger vision on Viet Nam-Cambodia transboundary cooperation has come into focus as the two countries met in July 2026 to address growing sustainability challenges to the Cambodia-Mekong Delta Aquifer (CMDA). A vital water and food source for communities near the borders of the two countries, the Aquifer is currently threatened by groundwater depletion, declining groundwater levels, salinity intrusion and land subsidence.

Over 50 participants gathered in Hanoi in July to take the first steps for pilot projects that seek to turn scientific evidence into practical solutions for the Cambodia Mekong Delta Aquifer. The meeting was part of the “Enhancing sustainability of the Transboundary Cambodia–Mekong River Delta Aquifer” (CMDA) project, a transboundary aquifer initiative implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and executed by IUCN, UNESCO, the Mekong Region Futures Institute (MERFI) and the governments of Cambodia and Viet Nam.

A shared resource beneath borders Beneath the Mekong Delta landscapes of Cambodia and Viet Nam lies a vast transboundary groundwater system that supports millions of people, ecosystems, and economic activities across the Lower Mekong Basin.

Siem Riep, Cambodia, 25 March 2026 – International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in cooperation with General Department of Environmental Protection (GDEP), Cambodia Ministry of Environment (MOE), and Department of Water Resources Management (DWRM), Viet Nam Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE), organised an Annual Stocktaking Meeting (ASM) of the project “Enhancing sustainability of the Transboundary Cambodia - Mekong River Delta Aquifer” (CMDA) in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

In celebration of World Water Day on 19 March 2026, the Department of Water Resources Management/Viet Nam Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) co-organised in Hanoi the closing and award ceremony of a nationwide painting contest on initiatives for safe and efficient water, in partnership with International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Viet Nam and Phuc Dien Secondary School.

IUCN has completed an internal draft of the Interim Strategic Action Programme (SAP), Version 1.0, for the Cambodia–Mekong River Delta Aquifer. This first version will be shared with government partners and project stakeholders during Q4 2025 as part of the ongoing process to build a joint framework for sustainable groundwater governance.

On 10 June 2025, the CMDA Project released its official standee and flyer, approved by FAO and produced by IUCN, in three languages—English, Vietnamese, and Khmer—to ensure accessibility and inclusion for stakeholders across the transboundary aquifer.

On 27 February 2025, IUCN joined a Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) workshop in Hau Giang Province, Viet Nam with key stakeholders in groundwater sustainability in the Mekong Delta. Hosted by the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), the workshop brought together 60 representatives from MONRE’s CMDA Project Management Unit (Vietnam), Hau Giang Water Supply and Sewerage Joint Stock Company (HAWASUCO), Deltares, WWF Viet Nam, National Center for Water Resources Planning and Investigation (NAWAPI), and Department of Water Resources Management (DWRM) to discuss the role of MAR in securing the region’s groundwater resources.

On 17-18 February 2025, IUCN organised a visit to the Boeung Prek Lapov (BPL) Protected Landscape in Takeo Province as a part of GEF Cambodia Mekong Delta Aquifer (CMDA) project. We were joined by staff of the CMDA National Project Management Unit (Ministry of Environment), Provincial Department of Environment, Institution of Technology of Cambodia (ITC), UNESCO, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), and NatureLife.

CMDA Update: Exploring Natural Wetlands' Role in Groundwater Sustainability