Vietnam forests and deltas activity phase II evaluation : final report : significant changes and lessons learned

The second phase of the USAID Vietnam Forests and Deltas (VFD) Program (2018 ? March 2021) focused on supporting the Government of Vietnam (GVN) with its payment for forest environmental services (PFES) system. This evaluation is intended to inform the closeout of the program and to inform future USAID activities in the sector. The evaluation focused on five research questions covering the significant changes from the program, the key challenges faced, the lessons learned, the factors affecting the successes and challenges, the program?s contributions to policy change and implementation to provide recommendations for future USAID activities.

A mixed methods approach (including desk review, interviews, focus group discussions, observations, and field validation etc.) was conducted with a variety of stakeholders purposely selected based on their involvement with and/or knowledge of the activity. Field validation was conducted in Son La and Thanh Hoa provinces (validation events in Thanh Hoa were conducted remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic). A national-level learning workshop was held after the end of fieldwork to share lessons learned and obtain stakeholder feedback.

The evaluation concludes that the achievements of the VFD program resulted from (i) strong cooperation among the national partners and between Vietnam partners and the international implementing agencies, (ii) strong political support and the commitment of GVN and local authorities are necessary, (iii) ownership of the project initiatives and results by the Vietnamese stakeholders was key, and (iv) flexibility, as well as adaptive and participatory planning and budgeting.

Based on the lesson learned from the successes and challenges of the activity?s implementation, the evaluation provides eight recommendations for future activities.