JAXA proposed an environmental monitoring system, “Sentinel Asia For Environment” (formerly called as eSA, currently called SAFE), at APRSAF-13. As recommended at APRSAF-14, SAFE is regarded as a part of SA’s Step 2 activities.
In the summer of 2008, JAXA and the University of Tokyo began trials to build the SAFE prototypes in collaboration with partner agencies in Vietnam. Based on these trials, at APRSAF-15 JAXA proposed that SAFE be separate from SA. Recognizing the early success of the prototyping in Vietnam, APRSAF approved SAFE as a new initiative.
After two years of the SAFE prototyping activities in Vietnam, their achievement were reported in the second SAFE workshop held in Sri Lanka, June 2010.

The Vietnamese National Hydro-Meteorological Service/Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment [NHMS/MONRE] is responsible for flood management and meteorological services in Vietnam. NHMS is trying to strengthen precipitation monitoring and reservoir management under the Asian Water-Cycle Initiative, in cooperation with the University of Tokyo and JAXA. Since June 2008, the University of Tokyo and NHMS have applied the Water and Energy Budget-based Distributed Hydrologic Model (WEB-DHM) to the Red River Basin, one of the most important basins in Vietnam. The University of Tokyo optimizes the model for the water reservoirs and provides training to the NHMS staff, and the NHMS collects the in-situ river run-off data for validation. The two NHMS staff members visited Tokyo and were trained to run the model. JAXA provides passive microwave sensor (AMSR-E) data to improve the initial conditions for the simulation.

The dam flow optimization scheme was successfully developed and now applied to the operation of three multi purpose dam including Hoa Binh Dam in Hong River Basin. This scheme contributes to the optimization of these dams, namely preventing flood in the Hanoi region while keeping efficiency of water use. At the second SAFE workshop held in Sri Lanka in June 2010, its successful completion as SAFE prototyping was reported.

In addition, the GSMaP in the around area is going to be improved by ADB project, and synergy will be expected.

The Vietnamese Forest Protection Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FPD/MARD) is responsible for forest management in Vietnam. The FPD has a Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) receiving station and provides wildfire hotspot information to its rural branches. The goal of the FPD is to strengthen forest management by using MODIS. In July 2008, the University of Tokyo and the Asian Institute of Technology began providing hands-on training to young FPD staff members in order to establish the capacity for MODIS data analysis. At the same time, the FPD staff members collected forest inventory data to validate the MODIS data. Keeping abreast of these activities, the Remote Sensing Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (RSC/MONRE) and JAXA support the FPD and the University of Tokyo by providing high-resolution satellite imagery (ALOS and SPOT).

In December 2009, Vietnamese forest mapping with MODIS successfully achieved. At the second SAFE workshop held in Sri Lanka in June 2010, its successful completion as SAFE prototyping was reported. Its heritage will be taken over via Vietnamese self-funding members which are responsible for government action plan on forest mapping from 2010-2015. Then new operational scheme will start to employ ALOS AVNIR-2 plus SPOT5 supplemented by shifting from conventional visual interpretation and field survey.