Combating Erosion in Hoi An: Finding Balance Between Nature and Ecological Embankment (Vietnamese)

Two months after eight floods repeatedly hit Hoi An in October and November 2020, the riverside of Triem Tay village, Dien Ban district, Quang Nam province still bears the scars of the destruction. The two-year-old sonneratia mangrove forest, once green and lush, is now barely alive. Trash from the upstream river locks the dried branches, as dead fish stink the mangrove area.

With a work philosophy to embrace nature rather than trying to resist it, Dr. Dao Ngo, a landscape architect who has studied and observed the downstream areas of Thu Bon river in Quang Nam province for years, developed a model for an ecological embankment that she has built and implemented around the west side of Triem Tay village, located a few kilometers from Hoi An Old Town.

The model consists of three layers: sonneratia mangrove, local grass, and casuarina, with each layer stabilized by bamboo. After trials and errors, Dr. Dao Ngo believes the green embankment is the right approach to erosion in Triem Tay, considering the characteristics of the area being heavily prone to floods and impact from the upstream river. Her new approach might offer an alternative solution to Quang Nam’s responses to erosion problems, which are the result of both manmade and natural factors, including abundant sand exploitation, dam constructions, and climate change.

To read the full story in Vietnamese, visit Người Đô Thị.