Securing water resources amid El Niño: [2] Vinh Long responses

In mid-July 2026, during a conversation with me, Mr. Nguyen Van Xe (Phu Loi Hamlet, Tan Xuan Commune) still vividly recalled the joy of a bumper winter-spring rice crop harvested at the end of last March, when he collected nearly 4 tonnes of fresh paddy from a 5,000-square-metre field. However, amid a wave of reports about the return of El Niño, the elderly farmer’s eyes showed a hint of concern, as the devastating memories of the severe drought and saltwater intrusion in 2016 remain deeply etched in his mind.

At that time, many rice fields in the area were left barren, while freshwater shortages disrupted both agricultural production and daily life. Nearly a decade later, what gives Mr. Xe greater confidence is the local community’s accumulated experience in adapting to drought and salinity, the gradual completion of a closed irrigation system, and the ongoing construction of the Lac Dia freshwater reservoir in the locality.

Freshwater reservoirs built on lessons from history

According to data compiled from Vinh Long Province reports, the 2015-2016 dry season caused losses of more than VND 2.321 trillion across the province. The 2019-2020 dry season caused further damage exceeding VND 2.807 trillion, mainly due to water shortages, saltwater intrusion, and prolonged hot, dry conditions. Therefore, investing in water storage reservoirs has become one of the first measures Vinh Long can take to strengthen its resilience against natural disasters.

The Lac Dia freshwater reservoir in Tan Xuan Commune is one of the projects demonstrating the shift from reactive responses to proactive water storage. The project has a total investment of more than VND 352 billion, covering nearly 93 hectares of water surface area, with a designed storage capacity of approximately 2.3 million cubic meters.

According to Mr. Le Minh Truyen, Deputy Director of the Vinh Long Province Agricultural Project Management Board, the main components of the Lac Dia freshwater reservoir have now reached around 98% completion. The contractor is urgently completing the final stages to put the project into operation within 2026.

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Once operational, the reservoir is expected to supply water to thousands of households. Under the plan, the Lac Dia Reservoir will be connected with the Kenh Lap Reservoir (with a capacity of more than 811,000 cubic meters, invested in 2017 and completed in 2019), forming an interconnected system to enhance water storage and regulation capacity across the area.

In addition to reservoir investment, Vinh Long Province, in preparation for the upcoming El Niño event, dredged more than 800 on-farm irrigation canals totaling over 2,000 km in the first six months of 2026 and flexibly operated 646 regulating sluice gates. The province has also invested in the construction of the Lang The freshwater reservoir (in the former Trà Vinh area) with a capacity of approximately 10 million cubic meters. A network of 173 surface water quality monitoring sites provides important support for water intake and storage management.

This marks a major difference compared with the previous period. Instead of relying entirely on river water sources, the province has gradually developed an integrated system comprising reservoirs, regulating sluice gates, canals, pumping stations, and automatic monitoring networks that transmit real-time data. Water is collected when salinity levels are within safe limits, stored for periods of shortage, and redistributed to areas with higher demand.

Region-specific water supply scenarios

In response to warnings that a very strong El Niño event could occur during October-December 2026, the Vinh Long Provincial People’s Committee has assigned the Department of Agriculture and Environment to take the lead in developing drought response and El Niño adaptation scenarios for each region, closely linked with agricultural production plans and domestic water supply arrangements.

This marks a major difference compared with the previous period. Instead of relying entirely on river water sources, the province has gradually developed an integrated system comprising reservoirs, regulating sluice gates, canals, pumping stations, and automatic monitoring networks that transmit real-time data. Water is collected when salinity levels are within safe limits, stored for periods of shortage, and redistributed to areas with higher demand.

Region-specific water supply scenarios

In response to warnings that a very strong El Niño event could occur during October-December 2026, the Vinh Long Provincial People’s Committee has assigned the Department of Agriculture and Environment to take the lead in developing drought response and El Niño adaptation scenarios for each region, closely linked with agricultural production plans and domestic water supply arrangements.

Under the 2026 response plan, when salinity levels in water sources fluctuate from 1‰ to below 2‰, relevant agencies will operate the interconnected water supply network to transfer water from areas with freshwater sources or lower salinity levels. At the same time, 31 RO filtration systems at water treatment plants will be put into operation to provide potable water for local residents.

When salinity exceeds the threshold of 2‰ and local water reserves decline, the emergency solution will be to transport raw water by barges to provide additional supplies for five key water plants. This scenario will be applied during the peak dry season and serve as a practical basis for the province to update proactive response plans for the 2026-2027 dry season.

In addition, Vinh Long’s 2026 plan includes installing 7,500 new water meters, maintaining and repairing 56 stations, upgrading 25 infrastructure project categories, and expanding more than 47.7 km of main pipelines, with a total estimated funding requirement of around VND 221.2 billion. Completing the interconnection of the water supply network will enable plants to provide mutual support and supplement each other's water sources during natural disasters.

From infrastructure projects to every household

Infrastructure projects can only deliver their full effectiveness when accompanied by changes in people’s awareness and practices in water use.

Local agricultural authorities are actively guiding residents to reinforce embankments, build ponds and garden canals, and use lined tanks, reservoirs, or specialized PE bags to store freshwater in advance. In farming practices, farmers are encouraged to apply moisture-retaining measures such as mulching with straw, water hyacinth, and coconut leaves, while adopting water-saving irrigation systems such as drip irrigation and localized sprinkler systems.

According to guidance from the Vinh Long Department of Agriculture and Environment, in rice cultivation, farmers must absolutely avoid bringing water into fields when salinity exceeds 1‰; water used for mixing plant protection chemicals must have salinity below 0.8‰. For sensitive fruit orchards such as durian, rambutan, and mangosteen, irrigation water salinity must not exceed 0.5‰ (with stricter control required for durian). Areas without guaranteed freshwater sources will not be allocated for production.

For rice production, advanced farming techniques and alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation have been applied across approximately 70% of the cultivated area, helping save 20-30% of irrigation water. This represents a major shift in production thinking: farming practices must be adapted to the actual availability and capacity of water resources.

The 2026-2027 winter-spring rice crop is planned for early sowing to avoid end-of-season salinity intrusion, with the main sowing period scheduled from October 20 to December 31, 2026. In specific vulnerable areas, sowing must be completed before January 10, 2027. Areas frequently facing water shortages or where three-rice-crop farming is inefficient are recommended to reduce to two rice crops per year, or shift to upland crops and integrated rice-aquaculture farming models.

$ 1 = VND 26,460 - Source: Vietcombank.