Results
? Six VSBK models were built in different places in Hung Yen.
? 5 double kilns were built and operated in different localities in Hung Yen.
? During the process of building and operating the kilns, Project gave attention to training kiln owners and workers in building and operating principles and techniques. Accordingly, kiln owners mastered the building and operating procedures and technologies, and cooperated with experts in building kilns in their communes. Basing upon the practical experiences in building bricks, kiln owners picked up new knowledge of VSBK and put in the innovations in their production (shaping unbaked bricks, arranging bricks...) contributing to the success of the construction and operation of VSBK models.
? The VSBK has following advantages:

a. Energy consumption level.
? Energy consuming rate was low. The energy-consuming rate of VSBK was the lowest, equaling to 56% in comparison with that of the traditional kilns, and 77%, with the tunnel kilns, and thus, saving 44% against the traditional kilns, and 23% against the tunnel kilns.
? Using the VSBK to produce 3,886,000 bricks/year (an equivalent to the 330 day operation of a double VSBK, 11,776 bricks/day) will save 256.2 tons of coal and 7.7 tons of wood per year as compared with the traditional kilns producing the same amount of bricks. Consequently, 462.25 tons of CO2 gas emissions, 1.65 tons of poisonous SO2 gas emissions could be reduced per year. VND 74.8 million for buying coal and VND 4.6 million for purchasing wood could be saved.

b. Evaluation of kiln environment.

For the kiln environment, the controlled indicators for general specific evaluation are CO, CO2, NOx, SO2, CxHy, the temperature of emission smoke and other micro climate elements concerned like wind speed, temperature, humidity. These parameters reveal the degrees of environmental pollution relating to the health of workers at work at kilns, as well as that of the local residents. The amount of smoke and CO2, SO2 gas emissions of the VSBK was much lower than that of the traditional kilns.

- The brick quality was fairly good reaching M75 brand mark following TCVN 1451-1998 with the anti-pressure capacity of 7.9N/mm2 whereas the bricks traditionally made in Xuan Quan have the anti-pressure capacity of 6.2N/mm2, brand mark of M50.
- Water absorption was 12%, lower than that of the traditional kilns (14.4%) showed that the VSBK could operate with higher temperature and the VSBK bricks was more refined.
- With the same conditions of materials and producing machines, the VSBK bricks are more even and have higher anti-pressure capacity.
- The shaping capacity was low due to the failure to comply with the standards set out for cooling process. This can be overcome with the better operating capacity of kiln owners.
- Basing upon the economic analysis and comparison with the traditional kilns, the investment in kilns was acceptable to kiln owners and the material cost was accordingly lower.
- For the VSBK, the labour cost took 45% of production cost; energy cost, 19%, in comparison with 35% and 31% respectively of the traditional kilns.
- The profits vary depending upon the changes of product prices, rate of broken bricks and productivity of bricks. Basing upon the calculations with fairly large gaps, the brick production using the VSBK and traditional kilns will be always profitable for coming 5 years, and the profit made by the VSBK remains always higher than that made by the traditional kilns. Thanks to the higher productivity, the VSBK is more sensitive to the changes and fluctuations. Thus, VSBK demands higher management of labour, productivity quality, and access to market to secure the maximum profits.

Conclusions:
- Basing upon the structure and operating principles, particularly upon the indicators for the energy-environment, the product bricks produced by the kilns in Xuan Quan, VSBK has revealed advantages of thermal using efficiency and pollution reduction (thanks to the reduction of energy consumed, temperature and amount of smoke emissions) affecting agricultural production and living environment of local residents. Following the views of scientific research and technological transfer, the VSBK has especially important significance demonstrated in the following aspects: The technology is quickly acceptable to market; the potential for the technological transfer across the country is very great within the current conditions in Vietnam.
- VSBK is suitable to rural areas away from cities, or in the areas with agricultural re-structure for the purpose of making use of the on-the-spot land, river banks or fertility to make bricks.

Replication
Project?s media activities attract the attention and conditions for the multiplication of project model.
- Attention was given by the Project to the information work to introduce the VSBK. With results achieved, the Project attracts the attention of the mass media from the central level and Hung Yen. The central TV programmes and the newspaper in provinces have on many occasions published the information about the project results getting the attention from the households producing traditionally bricks, authorities concerned across the country.
- Project also showed VSBK at many exhibitions on scientific and technological achievements organized by Ho Chi Minh Youth Union at Giang Vo Expos/ Hanoi and were awarded the first prizes.
- At exhibition on scientific and technological achievements of universities and colleges across the country organized by the Ministry of Education and Training, VSBK got the attention and was given high evaluation.
- The authorities of the communes participating in the project had all the expectation to be further technically supported in order to replicate the VSBK model through their communes, alleviating the environmental problems caused by the traditional kilns, developing sustainably brick production, meeting the local needs, creating employment for people. Many delegations from different provinces across the country paid study visits to the project and wished to be given the technology. The burning environmental issue around local traditional kilns should be urgently replaced. Many authorities concerned, state and private enterprises and brick manufacturing households sent Notes to the Heating-Freezing Science and Technology Institute (the technical consultancy organization of the project) asked for technology transfer The Department for Science, Technology and Environment of Hai Duong has invested with its own fund in building 15 VSBKs in Hai Duong.
- VSBK proved the great advantages of energy economy and environmental pollution reduction. VSBK models proved that VSBK was suitable to small manufacturing facilities with low investment of the traditional production households in rural areas to meet local demands of bricks. Through scientific analysis of energy consumption, level of environmental pollution, energy balance for kilns, analysis of brick quality and other issues, it can be concluded that this is a good model for replacing the current traditional kilns, contributing to the environmental protection and development of local sustainable brick production to meet the demand of local construction brick market and create employment for people.

Sustainability
? 100% kiln owners and workers involved in building the VSBK mastered the building and the operating techniques. Combined between practical production experiences and application of VSBK technologies, they had made many initiatives and innovations contributing to the success of the model. From the practical production experiences of the kiln owners plus the technology, the kiln owners have made many initiatives raising the efficiencies of their kilns. The project results highly evaluated the participation by kiln owners in building successfully the VSBK models. Kiln owners contributed 70% to the fund required for building the demonstrative VSBK model.
? Project made positive contribution to the partnership between GEF/SGP and local authorities and the authorities concerned in Hung Yen (Departments of Investment and Planning, Construction, Science, technology and Environment) and the Association of Thermal Science of Vietnam, the Heating-Freezing Science and Technology Institute (Poli-techniques University of Hanoi) for the solutions to local environmental problems. The representatives from the Departments of Construction, Science, Technology and Environment took active part in running and implementing project activities. Departments of Investment and Planning cooperated with the Office of GEF/SGP in evaluating the project in the final stage of the Project. Departments of Investment and Planning contributed more than it was committed to the project in the designing period (It was committed to VND 130 million, but contributed VND 147.610 million, in which VND 117.5 million was cash).
? VSBK contributes to diversifying the forms of the brick kilns in Vietnam. In addition to tunnel kilns, VSBK helps meet the demand of construction materials with high quality in rural and urban areas in our country.
? The Thermal Science and Technology Association of Vietnam, the Thermal-Freezing Science and Technology Institute, and the localities implementing the project had the opportunities to approach the international projects and picked up the experience in initiating, implementing and managing the project. Project implementation raised the knowledge of the people involved as well as the beneficiaries of environmental issues, Global Environmental Fund, and the Small Projects Programme funded by the Global Environmental Fund in Vietnam.

Policy link
The research, application and deployment of the VSBK are the proper measures to replace the traditional brick kilns being rampant in provinces contributing to the implementation of the Prime Minister?s Decision No 115/2000/QD-TTg of 1-8-2001 on terminating the traditional brick kilns in the suburbs before 2005, and in rural areas before 2010.


The project received the second grant of GEF/SGP (see project VN/04/001)

There is great potential for scaling up the project models by the investment of the brick kiln owners and the local authorities because there is a Prime Minister?s decree on stopping all traditional brick kilns due to its environmental pollution in 2010.

VSBK technology becomes a component of a full-sized project on promoting energy conservation of small and medium enterprises (PECSME), implemented by Ministry of Science and technology and UNDP Viet Nam.

There is great potential for a policy link with the nation/local environmental policy and policy for development of traditional craft villages.