The Mekong Delta
(Vietnamese: đồng bằng sông Cửu Long
“Nine Dragon river delta”) is the region
in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong
River approaches and empties into the
sea through a network of distributaries.
The Mekong delta region encompasses a
large portion of southeastern Vietnam of
39,000 square kilometres (15,000 sq mi).
The size of the area covered by water
depends on the season.As all
deltas, it receives the bounty of the
siltation from the upper Mekong, and as
such is a very rich and lush area,
covered with rice fields. It produces
about half of the total of Vietnam's
agricultural output (in fact the delta
produces more rice than Korea and Japan
altogether), and is the place for
timeless sceneries of farmers planting
or harvesting rice.
The Mekong splits in Cambodia into two
main rivers, the Bassac (Hậu Giang) and
the First river (Tiền Giang), then in
Vietnam into a more complex system,
creating a maze of small canals, rivers
and arroyos interspersed with villages
and floating markets.
Life in the Mekong Delta revolves much
around the river, and all the villages
are often accessible by river rather
than by road.
The most renowned places in the Mekong
Delta are Mỹ Tho and Caí Bè near Ho Chi
Minh City, then, more to the heart of
the region, Vĩnh Long, Sa Đéc, and Cần
Thơ, from where it is possible to reach
the remotest confines of the delta,
South towards the mangroves and the
East-sea, North towards Châu Đốc, or
West towards the island of Phú Quốc.
Climate change concerns
Being a low-lying coastal region, the
Mekong Delta is particularly susceptible
to floods resulting from rises in sea
level due to climate change. The Climate
Change Research Institute at Can Tho
University, in studying the possible
consequences of climate change, has
predicted that, besides suffering from
drought brought on by seasonal decrease
in rainfall, many provinces in the
Mekong Delta will be flooded by the year
2030. The most serious cases are
predicted to be the provinces of Ben Tre
and Long An, of which 51% and 49%,
respectively, are expected to be flooded
if sea levels rise by 1 meter.
Economy
The region is famous
as a large rice growing area. It
produces about half of the total of
Vietnam's rice output. Vietnam is the
second largest exporter of rice globally
after Thailand. In fact, the delta
produces more rice than Korea and Japan
altogether.
Additionally, the region is home to
large aquacultural industry of basa
fish, Tra catfish and shrimp, much of
which is exported.
The Mekong Delta has recently been
dubbed as a 'biological treasure trove'.
Over 1,000 new species have been
discovered in previously unexplored
areas of Mekong Delta, including a
species of rat thought to be extinct
Culture
Life in the Mekong
Delta revolves much around the river,
and many of the villages are often
accessible by rivers and canals rather
than by road.
The region is home to "cai luong", a
form of Vietnamese folk opera.
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Also see
Mekong Travel Guide,
Hotels in Mekong Delta
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