Applying technologies and environmentally friendly materials

The Mekong Delta, Vietnam's largest rice and seafood hub, is facing increasingly complex challenges of riverbank and coastal erosion.

Erosion hotspots

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The Mekong Delta currently records 531 erosion spots with a total length of more than 681 km. Of these, riverbank erosion accounts for the majority, with 500 spots spanning 518 km, while coastal erosion comprises 31 spots over 163 km.

The former Ca Mau is the most severely affected locality, with 97 erosion spots stretching nearly 199 km. Coastal erosion alone accounts for over 53% of the region's total length of coastal erosion. In addition, Vinh Long and An Giang also recorded numerous severe erosion segments, with total lengths of 190 km and 155 km, respectively.

For the upstream provinces, An Giang has 11 sites classified as especially dangerous, Dong Thap has 5 sites, and Vinh Long has 7 sites. Along the coast, Ca Mau remains a hotspot, having only 4 spots but extending up to 36.6 km, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the entire region’s length of especially dangerous coastal erosion.

Remarkably, in the 2022-2024 period, the number of especially dangerous erosion spots fell from 99 to 34, and the total length declined from 214 km to 91 km. Although this downward trend is a positive signal, some localities, such as Can Tho and Ca Mau, continue to face large-scale erosion segments that pose high risks.

According to MSc Le Thanh Chuong, Director of the Department of River and Coastal Dynamic Research and Bank Protection Works  under the SIWRR, in practice, erosion usually occurs at the beginning of the rainy season and the end of the flood season, when flow regimes and water levels shift suddenly. Erosion spots are concentrated along tributaries, canals, confluences, distributaries, or areas with strong currents.

Erosion in the Mekong Delta is the result of both natural factors and human impacts. Naturally, changes in flow morphology, hydrological regimes, weak geological background, coastal waves, and winds all contribute to bank erosion.

Meanwhile, human activities such as upstream reservoir construction and operation, excessive sand mining, groundwater extraction causing subsidence, infrastructure development along banks, and intensified waterway transport have further complicated and worsened the situation. The combined effects of these factors directly threaten people’s lives, agricultural production, and regional infrastructure systems.

Modern technological solutions

In response to these challenges, the SIWRR has piloted multiple shoreline protection models using modern technologies, focusing on environmentally friendly solutions tailored to the natural conditions of each area.

One of the outstanding solutions is the offshore porous breakwater technology, with structures TC1 and TC2. This technology can reduce wave energy by up to 70%, creating favorable conditions for sediment deposition and mangrove restoration. This solution has advantages in stability on weak soil backgrounds, prefabricated components, rapid construction, uniform quality, and reusability.

Besides structures, the Institute has promoted integrated shoreline management, combining structural and non-structural measures such as installing warning signs, developing risk forecast maps, proposing riverbank stabilization, and building sustainable sand mining plans.

"These models have been piloted in Ca Mau, Dong Thap, An Giang, Vinh Long, and Can Tho, initially demonstrating clear effectiveness in protecting shorelines and community infrastructure," said MSc Le Thanh Chuong, Director of the Department of River and Coastal Dynamic Research and Bank Protection Works under the SIWRR. 

According to the SIWRR, in recent years, new environmentally friendly materials have been researched and tested to replace traditional solutions. For instance, in coastal areas, GeoTube soft dikes made of geotextile tubes filled with sand and water form flexible wave barriers that are easy to construct. Additionally, bamboo fences for wave reduction and sediment accumulation are also a familiar solution, contributing to shoreline stabilization. In rivers, vegetation planting and ecological embankments combined with sandbags have been deployed to reinforce banks.

When real-time monitoring data are combined with hydrodynamic models, AI can shorten calculation time, improve accuracy, and support the development of real-time risk maps.

However, according to MSc Le Thanh Chuong, these structures have not yet achieved the expected effectiveness, with certain limitations such as short lifespan, low load-bearing capacity, and limited applicability. Therefore, further research, material improvement, and long-term field trials are necessary to enhance efficiency and expand application across the Mekong Delta.

Beyond building structures, the Institute also pays attention to applying digital technologies. Artificial intelligence (AI) is assessed as vital in forecasting erosion and natural disasters. AI can process massive datasets from meteorological stations, measuring devices, satellite imagery, radar, and IoT sensors to identify high-risk areas and provide early warnings. Deep learning technologies, particularly convolutional neural networks (CNNs), support the analysis of satellite images, detection of erosion signs, and damage assessment.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Ba Hoang, Director of the SIWRR, noted that the application of AI in the Mekong Delta is still at an early stage, requiring extensive input data and supporting equipment. In the future, investments in digital infrastructure will be essential to further develop this technology.

In addition to intrinsic efforts, the Institute has collaborated with many international organizations in technology application. For example, in collaboration with GIZ (Germany), the unit has researched coastal surveillance cameras and real-time erosion warning technologies. This not only improves management but also builds databases for long-term planning.

Amid increasingly severe natural disasters and climate change, protecting riverbanks and coastlines in the Mekong Delta cannot rely solely on short-term measures. A comprehensive, multi-technology strategy is required, integrating structural and non-structural solutions, artificial intelligence, and new materials, with an emphasis on environmentally friendly approaches.