Friday May 1, 2026
Mongabay —
Khanh Chi tends a small apricot blossom orchard in Nhuan Phu Tan, a commune in southern Vietnam’s Vinh Long province by the Co Chien River, one of the Mekong River’s final distributaries before reaching the ocean. Her orchard is 55 kilometers (34 miles) inland.
According to the provincial hydrometeorological observatory, Chi’s commune is the furthest point along the Co Chien River where, this year, salinity levels hit 4 parts per thousand (ppt) — the threshold at which rice farming is damaged.
As saltwater pushes deeper and less predictably into the delta in recent decades, Vietnam has responded with canals, dikes and sluice gates to keep it out. For farmers, such projects offer the most explicit and immediate relief.
Scientists say that might be a problem. Instead of engineering its way out of the salinity crisis, scientists argue, the region must adapt to it.
“I buy freshwater, bring it back by truck, and just spray it like a mist,” Chi says, describing how she waters the apricot during dry season, when the river is saline. She used to grow fruit seedlings, durian and jackfruit but made the switch to ornamental plants as they are more resilient to saltwater.