The U.S. Mission to Vietnam, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and Vietnam have jointly launched the Mekong Delta Coastal Habitat Conservation project in the region.

The US$2.9million project will work to reduce threats to coastal biodiversity and fisheries and strengthen coastal resilience in the Mekong Delta, in partnership with the Vietnamese government, management authorities of marine protected areas, development partners, and fishing communities.

Through this project, USAID will support Vietnam’s restoration of coastal biodiversity and the sustainable management of marine resources to reduce illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities and enhance coastal resilience.

Tran Dinh Luan, director of the Directorate of Fisheries under the Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, speaks at the launching ceremony of the USAID-funded Mekong Delta Coastal Habitat Conservation project, Kien Giang Province, southern Vietnam, March 15, 2024. Photo: USAID Vietnam

The Mekong Delta and its islands are home to 70 percent of Vietnam’s mangroves and 90 percent of its seagrass beds. 

Fed by the sediment and nutrients from the Mekong River, these habitats support Vietnam’s richest fishing grounds and provide crucial protection for coastal communities from storm surges. 

However, these habitats and the commercially important species they support, such as sea bass and snapper, are facing a range of threats that impact long-standing livelihoods and lifestyles.

“This project launch advances our shared priority with Vietnam to build coastal resilience in the vital yet increasingly vulnerable Mekong Delta region, and supports the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” said Aler Grubbs, USAID Vietnam Mission director, at the launching ceremony held in Kien Giang Province, southern Vietnam on Friday.

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