© Greg Funnell / WWF
Vietnam

Great Mekong Delta

Collective action in the Great Mekong delta, Vietnam

This project covers two interconnected areas, the Mekong and Dong Nai deltas, which have a total area of 10,000km2. The region, where 62 percent of textile and apparel factories are located, makes up more than 60 percent of the country’s GDP.

The Mekong Delta’s main challenges are upstream hydropower dam development, sand mining, and overexploitation of groundwater. These activities are causing the delta to sink and shrink through land subsidence and erosion.

The project’s vision is to transform the textile sector in Vietnam by engaging sectoral and environmental governance in order to bring social, economic and conservation benefits to the country and the entire Mekong region. This vision will be achieved by making textile businesses more active participants in Mekong River resource planning and management, sustainable energy planning and creating an opportunity for these businesses to discuss collective action to achieve sustainable investment and development in the textile sector.

The creation of such dialogue platforms is expected to improve overall governance, indirectly helping to solve specific challenges of the basin.