The Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD) is one of the most important deltas in the world for food security, supplying half of Vietnam’s rice production and most of its fruit and aquaculture production. It provides 18% of Vietnam’s GDP and livelihoods for around 17 million people. But the VMD has undergone drastic changes in recent years from both natural and human factors, and considering only one hydrological indicator is insufficient to paint a clear picture of the impacts of dams. Dr. Doan Van Binh will explore how collective consideration of floods, droughts, sediment disruptions, and morphology provides insight into the impacts of dams on the VMD.
This is the third in a monthly Mekong data seminar series featuring presentations of recent studies and papers by authors with an interactive discussion about the data and why it matters.
Featured Speaker
Doan Van Binh, Lecturer, Vietnamese-German University
Dr. Doan Van Binh is a full-time lecturer at Vietnamese-German University, Vietnam and has previously worked at Thuyloi University and Kyoto University, Japan. He specializes in Water Resources Engineering/Management, Hydraulics, sediment, salinity intrusion, and geomorphology. Binh has a great interest in quantifying the effects of dams and climate change on the flow regime, sediment, morphology, and salinity intrusion in mega-rivers, especially in the Mekong River basin.
Discussant
Sothearoth Chea, Research Coordinator, Young Eco Ambassador
Sothearoth Chea is currently studying fish migration and water quality in the Mekong River with Young Eco Ambassador. Beside that, she also works as the environmental learning kit consultant, developing materials for students in primary and secondary schools in the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, and running an awareness campaign about flagship species in the Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary. Sothearoth earned her Water and Environmental Engineering degree from the Institute of Technology of Cambodia.
Moderator
Courtney Weatherby, Southeast Asia Deputy Director, The Stimson Center
Courtney Weatherby is a Deputy Director of the Stimson Center’s Southeast Asia and Energy, Water, and Sustainability Programs. Her research focuses on sustainable infrastructure and energy development challenges in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific, particularly the nexus of issues in food, water, and energy. She supports the Mekong Dam Monitor, a platform for near-real time monitoring of dams and environmental impacts in the Mekong Basin. See her full bio here.