Vietnam’s southernmost province secures $25M funding for sea dike project

The Ministry of Finance and the French Development Agency signed an agreement for the Western Sea Dike Construction Project and the embankment to prevent and mitigate coastal erosion in critical areas of the southernmost province on Thursday, under which 19 million euros ($21.13 million) in loans were promised.

The project received another 3.76 million euros ($4.18 million) in non-refundable aid from the European Union, while Ca Mau will contribute 9 million euros in counterpart funding from its budget.

The project, which will be implemented from now until 2028, has three main objectives.

The first is to prevent coastal erosion by constructing 11 km of embankments, which will help protect existing forest areas, restore 2,000 hectares of mangrove forests along the coast and river mouths, enhance the safety of the sea dike system, and safeguard 15,000 hectares of inland farmland in Phu Tan and Tran Van Thoi districts.

The second objective is to build 19 km of the Western Sea Dike and establish a coastal transportation route in the province to stimulate socio-economic development.

The third goal is to develop an integrated coastal zone management strategy and support livelihood transitions in five coastal communes in Phu Tan and Tran Van Thoi districts. This will include diversifying livelihood activities to increase community income, reducing reliance on near-shore fishing, and contributing to the protection and restoration of coastal mangrove ecosystems, aquatic resources, and the environment.

Ca Mau, with its low-lying terrain, is bordered by the sea on three sides, has a long coastline, and is subject to two tidal regimes: the diurnal tide of the Western Sea and the irregular semi-diurnal tide of the Eastern Sea. Experts believe Ca Mau is the most vulnerable province in the region to the impacts of climate change.

Since the 2000s, much of the Western Sea area in Ca Mau has stopped receiving sediment and has been increasingly affected by erosion and degradation. To address these challenges, the province has invested in reinforcing and protecting the coastline and dredging canals.