The first national assessment report on coastal erosion in Vietnam was released at a meeting in Hanoi July 17 with the support from the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), state media reported. The report is expected to provide input information for the COBSEA to build a regional project on tackling the challenges posed by climate change and coastal erosion amid rising sea level. The report indicated provinces prone to coastal erosion, including Haiphong, Nam Dinh, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue, Tra Vinh, Tien Giang and Ca Mau. Among those, Thanh Hoa, the hardest hit area, will be firstly piloted with intervention measures such as sea dike building and mangrove forest planting. According to the project’s consultant Rey Monila, the report is to improve COBSEA members’ resilience and management capacity of coastal erosion and sea level rise threats. At the event, participants suggested a number of measures, for example protecting forests, raising the public awareness and building a database of coastal erosion. Deputy Director of the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands Vu Si Tuan said Vietnam has carried out many programs to assess the situation of erosion and deposition, particularly in key regions, and built scientific bases for preventive measures. However, the country has not been able to solve many related problems, he said, adding that the COBSEA is greatly helpful to COBSEA members, including Vietnam. With a long coastline, coastal erosion is a real threat to Vietnam and is getting more serious as a result of more storms and rising sea levels caused by climate change, according to experts. Vietnam is one of the six countries, besides Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos and the Philippines, who benefit from the COBSEA-funded project on coastal erosion management. (Dau Tu – Investment July 19 p15, http://dangcongsan.vn [1] July 17)
