Proactive Adaptation to Climate Change in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam: A Socio-ecological Approach

The MeKong Delta has experienced a lot of impacts of climate change; however, ongoing solutions have mainly focused on the approach of minimization with priority of irrigation works but their results have been limited, and work of response is still passive. Therefore, in order to proactively adapt to climate change is necessary to have a more reasonable approach; in particular, the approach of socio-ecology is concentrated on analyzing mutual relationship among systems in specific territory integrating the factors of modern time which will provide scientific and harmonic information to choose development model in accordance with the viewpoint “respecting and taking advantage of nature”, especially proposing policy framework with feasible approach to propose a long-term development vision. The main factors that greatly affect the natural differentiation of the Mekong Delta territory include water source, the simultaneous impacts of the sea-ocean process combined with the dependence on the water source upstream of the Mekong River, the yearly rainfall in the Mekong Delta, the exploitation and utilization of the territory from upstream to coastal areas leading to the peculiarity of the territorial divergence and differentiation. It is the differentiation of social-ecological characteristics that creates this diverse territory formed of four sub-regions (the mainland). Each sub-region has its own functions, hence different management and utilization solutions are needed towards the goal of sustainable development of the study area.