Although more than 75% of Vietnam is mountainous, more than 80% of the population live in the coastal lowlands. These areas are threatened by rising sea levels associated with climate change, and are already frequently visited by tropical storms, which may become more prevalent as climate change intensifies.

Mangroves play an important role in coastal protection and in the past were found along much of Vietnam’s coasts. However, over the years they have been destroyed or degraded and the country is only now starting to address the need to repair and monitor its mangroves.

The MMIS project is one of the first Danida supported climate change projects in Vietnam. The project is a partnership between GRAS (Geographic Resource Analysis and Science, University of Copenhagen), Hanoi Agricultural University and the Department of Dyke Management and Flood Control under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The overall aim of the project is to provide training in the use of a geographic information system, the MMIS, to help manage the coastal dykes, and specifically the mangroves found along the dyke/coastal area of northern Vietnam.

The project furthermore focuses on developing an information system with initial data for the eight coastal provinces from Ha Tinh to Quang Ninh (Ha Tinh, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, Hai Phong and Quang Ninh).

In cooperation with the Vietnamese MERC (Mangrove Ecology Research Centre) NORDECO is providing training in mangrove ecology, management and climate adaptation.

Mangrove training course, Hanoi 2008. Photo: Hanne Hübertz