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imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also 

contains copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted 

items must be secured from the copyright owner.

This database, identified as SIM 3235, has been approved for release and publication by 

the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Although this database has been subjected to rigorous 

review and is substantially complete, the USGS reserves the right to revise the data 

pursuant to further analysis and review. Furthermore, it is released on condition that 

neither the USGS nor the U.S. Government may be held liable for any damages resulting 

from its authorized or unauthorized use.

Trieu Duong tide gage. Photograph by Yasuyuki Shimizu, 2010.

Luoc River near Trieu Duong tide gage. Photograph by Yasuyuki Shimizu, 2010.

Bank of the Hong River. Photograph by Yasuyuki Shimizu, 2010.

Luoc River. Photograph by Yasuyuki Shimizu, 2010.

Sand barge, Hong River. Photograph by Paul Kinzel, 2010.

Hong River. Photograph by Yasuyuki Shimizu, 2010.

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

12/1/2010 12/2/2010 12/3/2010 12/4/2010 12/5/2010 12/6/2010 12/7/2010

Water level above gage datum,

 in meters

Date

Figure 3. Water level measured above the datum of the Trieu Duong tide gage on the Luoc River during the bathymetric survey. The datum 

of the Trieu Duong tide gage is 6.352 meters above the sea level datum (national datum at Hon Dau, Haiphong). 

106°4'30"E 106°5'00"E 106°5'30"E 106°6'00"E 106°6'30"E 106°7'00"E 106°7'30"E 106°8'00"E 106°8'30"E

20°39'00"N

20°38'30"N

20°38'00"N

20°37'30"N

20°37'00"N

20°36'30"N

20°36'00"N

20°35'30"N

20°35'00"N

20°34'30"N

20°34'00"N

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 KILOMETERS

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 MILES

Hong

Luoc

Trieu Duong 

Tide Gage

Hong

EXPLANATION

Elevation, in meters

0 to -2

-2.01 to -4

-4.01 to -6

-6.01 to -8

-8.01 to -10

-10.01 to -12

-12.01 to -14

-14.01 to -16

-16.01 to -18

-18.01 to -20

-20.01 to -22

-22.01 to -24

106°4'30"E 106°5'00"E 106°5'30"E 106°6'00"E 106°6'30"E 106°7'00"E 106°7'30"E 106°8'00"E 106°8'30"E

20°39'00"N

20°38'30"N

20°38'00"N

20°37'30"N

20°37'00"N

20°36'30"N

20°36'00"N

20°35'30"N

20°35'00"N

20°34'30"N

20°34'00"N

Figure 2. Bathymetry of the Hong and Luoc River Junction relative to the datum of the Trieu Duong tide gage on the Luoc River, December 1–6, 2010. The bathymetry is overlain on a panchromatic image taken May 2, 2011 with 

the GeoEye–1 satellite.

River

River

River

Image from GeoEye–1 Satellite, May 2, 2011

World Geodetic System 84 datum (WGS 84)

Universal Transverse Mercator, zone 48 North

105°E 106°E 107°E

23°N

22°N

21°N

20°N

19°N

Figure 1. Location of the junction of the Hong and Luoc Rivers, Red River delta.

Hong River

Hong

River

Luoc River

Hanoi

Hung Yen

Haiphong

VIETNAM

LAOS

LAOS

CHINA

Gulf

of

Tonkin

0

0

50

50

100 KILOMETERS

100 MILES

EXPLANATION

Town or city

Red River Delta boundary

River

National boundary

Red River

Delta

Basemap from ESRI , 2009, World Imagery, and regional insert from ESRI accessed Sept. 2012 at http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcgis-online-map-and-geoservices/map-services.

Hanoi

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Scientific Investigations Map 3235

Prepared in collaboration with the

Water Resources University, Hanoi, Vietnam

Bathymetry of the Hong and Luoc River Junction, Red River Delta, Vietnam, 2010

By

Paul J. Kinzel,1 Jonathan M. Nelson,1 Duong Duc Toan,2 Mung Dinh Thanh,3 and Yasuyuki Shimizu4

2012

1U.S. Geological Survey, Golden, Colorado, United States of America

2Water Resources University, Hanoi, Vietnam

3Institute of Water Resources Planning, Hanoi, Vietnam

4Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

CONVERSION FACTORS

Multiply By To obtain

meters (m)

cubic meters (m3)

cubic meter per second (m3/s)

kilometers (km)

square kilometer (km2)

3.281

35.31

35.31

0.6214

0.3861

feet (ft)

cubic foot (ft3)

cubic foot per second (ft3/s)

miles (mi)

square mile (mi2)

Suggested citation:

Kinzel, P.J., Nelson, J.M, Toan, D.D., Thanh, M.D., and Shimizu, Yasuyuki, 2012, Bathymetry of 

the Hong and Luoc River Junction, Red River Delta, Vietnam, 2010: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Map 3235, 1 sheet.

For more information concerning this publication, contact:

Chief, Branch of Regional Research, Central Region

Box 25046, Mail Stop 418

Denver, CO 80225

(303)236-5344

Or visit the USGS National Research Program Web site at:

http://water.usgs.gov/nrp/

Publishing support provided by: 

Denver Publishing Service Center

Edit and digital layout by L.J. Binder

Manuscript approved for publication Oct. 10, 2012

This and other USGS information products are available at

http://store.usgs.gov/ 

U.S. Geological Survey

Box 25286, Denver Federal Center

Denver, CO 80225

To learn about the USGS and its information products visit

http://www.usgs.gov/ 

1-888-ASK-USGS

This report is available at:

http://pubs.usgs.gov/sim/3235

Data Processing

A bathymetric map of the surveyed areas was produced in World Geodetic System 84 datum 

(WGS 84), Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM ) zone 48 North projection, and referenced to the 

zero datum of the Trieu Duong tide gage located on the Luoc River. The depths measured during 

the survey were corrected for the tidal influence measured at the Trieu Duong tide gage on the Luoc 

River using a tide file in the HYPACK software. Prior to processing, the offsets for the multibeam 

system were entered as well as the angular corrections determined by the patch test. The multibeam 

data was manually edited to remove obvious outliers caused by erroneous sonar returns. The 

bathymetric points collected in the study area were then resampled to a 5 × 5 m grid. Each point in 

the grid is the average depth of all soundings collected in a 5 × 5 m area or cell. The location of 

each point is the center of the grid cell. Figure 2 shows the distribution of soundings that were 

mapped to the 5 × 5 m grid and are expressed as elevations relative to the zero gage datum of the 

Trieu Duong tide gage. 

Summary

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Water Resources University in Hanoi, 

conducted a bathymetric survey of the Hong and Luoc River junction in Hung Yen Provence, 

Vietnam, from December 1– 6, 2010. The survey was completed with a multibeam echosounder 

equipped with a real-time differential GPS for boat positioning and navigation. A bathymetric map 

was produced from the surveyed data in a geographic projection and was referenced to the zero 

datum of the Trieu Duong tide gage located on the Luoc River.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the following individuals at the Water Resources University 

for their assistance and support: Dr. Nguyen Quang Kim, Dr. Pham Thanh Hai, and Pham Hong Nga. 

The survey boat was expertly piloted by Mr. Tu and his crew.

Abstract 

The U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the Water Resources University in Hanoi, Vietnam, conducted a bathymetric survey of the 

junction of the Hong and Luoc Rivers. The survey was done to characterize the channel morphology of this delta distributary network and provide 

input for hydrodynamic and sediment transport models. The survey was carried out in December 2010 using a boat-mounted multibeam echo sounder 

integrated with a global positioning system. A bathymetric map of the Hong and Luoc River junction was produced which was referenced to the 

datum of the Trieu Duong tide gage on the Luoc River. 

Introduction

Deltas are formed where a river empties into a larger body of water such as an ocean, lake, reservoir, or estuary. The dynamics of 

streamflow and sediment transport at this interface promotes the deposition and accumulation of sediments. These sediment deposits 

can provide fertile soils that support cultivation; many large river deltas are densely populated (Binachi and Allison, 2009; Syvitski and 

others, 2009). 

The vulnerability of coastal deltas to climate change and specifically the effects of sea level rise has recently become a global 

concern. In 2007, the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) identified Vietnam as a country that will be influenced by rising 

sea levels; for a 1 meter rise in sea level 5,000 square kilometers (km2) of the Red River delta, and 15,000 –20,000 km2 of the Mekong 

River delta are projected to be flooded (Cruz and others, 2007). Upstream dams are also a concern as they can reduce the sediment 

supplied to river deltas and their network of distributary channels. 

As a first step in understanding the hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics of delta distributary channels, the U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS) in collaboration with the Water Resources University in Hanoi, carried out a bathymetric survey of the Hong and Luoc 

River junction, Red River delta, Vietnam, in 2010. These data were collected to provide input for modeling software to simulate the 

mechanics of streamflow and sediment transport in river deltas (Nelson and others, 2011). The bathymetric survey also provides 

baseline conditions (2010) for river managers concerned with flooding, sedimentation, bank erosion, and navigational issues at this 

complex channel bifurcation. 

The purpose of this report is to describe the data collection, processing, and editing methods used in the bathymetric survey of the 

junction of the Hong and Luoc Rivers. A bathymetric map referenced to the zero gage datum of the Trieu Duong tide gage on the Luoc 

River is also presented.

Description of Study Area

The Hong River, or Red River, originates in China where it is referred to as the Yuan River. It flows into northern Vietnam and 

then southeast through the capital city of Hanoi to the Gulf of Tonkin (fig. 1). The river is named for the color imparted to the water 

from suspended silt that is rich in iron oxide. The survey site is in Hung Yen Province near the city of Hung Yen located approximately 

50 kilometers (km) southeast of Hanoi. The bathymetric survey included the junction of the Hong and Luoc Rivers and the reaches of 

each river extending from the junction (fig. 2). The Luoc River is a distributary channel that receives water from an upstream bifurcation of the Hong River and flows to the Gulf of Tonkin. The flow in the Luoc River can be influenced by the pattern of streamflow 

routing at the junction with the Hong River (Nelson and others, 2011).

The survey area is located within the Red River delta, a region dominated by rice cultivation and integral to the agricultural 

economy of Vietnam. Rice production in the delta was 6.6 million tons in 2000, 20 percent of the production of the entire country (Bo 

and others, 2003). In addition to water supply for agriculture, the river is a source of sediment that is exploited as raw material for the 

local construction industry. 

The annual discharge of the Red River has been estimated to be 137 × 109 cubic meters (m3) of water per year and 116 × 106 tons 

of suspended sediment per year (Pruszak and others, 2005). The hydrologic regime of the region can be separated into a wet season 

from June to October and a dry season from November to May (Phong and others, 2005). The variability in these seasons is further 

illustrated by Phong and others, 2005:

 “In low discharge season, the water level at Ha Noi hydrological station averages for [sic] 3.50 meters (m). The discharge 

varies between 900 and 2,770 cubic meters per second (m3/s). In high discharge season, the monthly discharges vary 

between 4,120 and 8,990 m3/s and water levels at Ha Noi average for 7.12 m. The peak recorded flow of 34,200 m3/s 

occurred in 1971, when water level reached 14.02 m.” 

Historically the seasonal nature of river flows in the Red River delta influenced the settlement of people in this region (Masanari, 

2007). Levee systems were built after the 10th century to provide communities and agricultural land protection from floodwaters. 

Bathymetric Survey

The bathymetric survey was conducted December 1–6, 2010 using an Odom ES3PT-M multibeam echosounder with a Trimble 

SPS461 Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. The Omnistar HP service was enabled on the GPS receiver to gain access to the 

APSAT (Asia Pacific SATellite) network and provided real-time differential GPS positioning. Omnistar reports that the HP service 

usually has a 2-sigma (95 percent) horizontal error of about 6 centimeters and a 99 percent horizontal error of less than 10 centimeters 

(http://www.omnistar.com/about.html, accessed Dec. 1, 2011). The HP service operates using the ITRF (International Terrestrial 

Reference Frame) 2005 datum. The GPS receiver also provided the heading or direction of travel of the boat. 

The Teledyne Odom ES3PT-M multibeam echosounder operates at a frequency of 240 kHz and emits 240 sonar beams over a 

swath width of 120 degrees (Teledyne Odom Hydrographic, 2011). A motion reference unit (MRU) measures the precise pitch, roll, 

and heave of the sonar and is mounted directly behind the sonar head, a design that eliminates offsets with the sonar. The pitch is 

defined as the angle of the mounted system with respect to a horizontal plane passing through the boat and parallel to the water line, 

the roll is the angle with respect to a vertical plane oriented perpendicular to the water line, and the heave is defined as the vertical 

translation of the system with respect to the water line. A sound velocity sensor is mounted near the sonar head to measure the speed of 

sound which is critical for the received beam to be formed correctly. Data streams from the GPS (position and heading), MRU, sound 

velocity sensor, and sonar were integrated and processed with a computer running the HYPACK hydrographic survey software 

(HYPACK, Inc., 2011). A secondary computer controlled the sonar and the range, and gain settings were continuously adjusted to 

maintain consistent reflections from the bottom. 

The multibeam system was mounted on the survey boat, tested, and calibrated on December 1, 2010. The calibration involved 

determining the precise pitch, roll, and yaw angle (yaw is defined as the deviation with respect to the axis of the boat along the keel) 

offsets of the mounted system; this process is commonly referred to as a patch test. The angular offsets measured for pitch, roll, and 

yaw were -1.0, 0.2, and -4.0 degrees, respectively.

Since the speed of sound varies with water temperature, pressure, and salinity, and this speed is used in the sonar ray-bending 

calculations, it was necessary to make measurements of the speed of sound through the water column. A Teledyne Odom Digibar-Pro 

profiling sound velocimeter (Teledyne Odom Hydrographic, 2001) was lowered and raised through the water column and measured the 

sound velocity at 0.5-meter increments. The sound velocity casts were transferred and used in the HYPACK software. Sound velocity 

casts were made periodically throughout the survey to check and confirm the reproducibility of the profiles.

It was also necessary to account for the influence of tides during the bathymetric survey. The Trieu Duong tide gage on the Luoc 

River (fig. 2) was operated continuously during the survey and recorded hourly measurements that were used to adjust the sounder 

depths to the zero datum of the gage. The tide values were obtained by the Water Resources University from the Trieu Duong hydrologic gage and are shown in figure 3.

Hydrographic surveys within the HYPACK software can be planned to ensure the efficient collection of bathymetric points at a 

given grid resolution. Once the grid or matrix was selected, the hydrographic survey software provided a real-time map showing the 

matrix cells that had been traversed by the sonar and also those that were yet to be traversed. Fine resolution matrices (1 × 1 m) were 

used to ensure high spatial resolution in regions of high topographic relief such as dune fields or scour holes, while coarser resolution 

matrices up to 10 m were used in regions where such detail was not needed. 

References Cited

Bianchi, T.A., and Allison, M.A., 2009, Large-river delta-front estuaries as natural “recorders” of 

global environmental change, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, May 19, 

2009 v. 106 no. 20, 8085–8092: National Academy of Sciences of the United States of 

America.

Bo, N.V., Mutert, Ernst, and Sat, C.D., 2003, Balanced fertilization for better crops in Vietnam: 

Singapore, Potash and Phosphate Institute/Potash and Phosphate Institute of Canada, 144 p.

Cruz, R.V., Harasawa, Hideo, Lal, Murari, Wu, Shaohong, Anokhin, Yurij, Punsalmaa, Batima, 

Honda, Yasushi, Jafari, Mustafa, Li, Congxian, and Ninh, N.H., 2007, Asia Climate Change 

2007—Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, in Parry, M.L., Canziani, O.F., Palutikof, J.P., 

van der Linden, P.J., and Hanson, C.E., eds., Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth 

Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: Cambridge, UK, 

Cambridge University Press, p. 469‒506. Available at

http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg2/ar4-wg2-chapter10.pdf. 

HYPACK, Inc., 2011, HYPACK 11.01.49—Hydrographic survey software user manual: Middletown, Conn., HYPACK, Inc. [various paged]. Available at 

http://www.hypack.com/new/Support/DocumentsManualsTechnicalArticlesetc/tabid/81/Default.aspx.

Masanari, Nishimura., 2007, Settlement patterns on the Red River plain from the late prehistoric 

period to the 10th century AD: Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association 

ejournal.anu.edu.au, p. 99‒107. Available at 

http://ejournal.anu.edu.au/index.php/bippa/article/viewFile/89/80. 

Nelson, J.M., Kinzel, P.J.,Thanh, M.D., Toan, D.D., Shimizu, Yasuyuki, and McDonald, R.R., 2011, 

Mechanics of flow and sediment transport in delta distributary channels, in Proceedings of the 

1st EIT International Conference on Water Resources Engineering: Bangkok, Engineering 

Institute of Thailand, p. 8–14. Available at http://eitwre2011.fiet.kmutt.ac.th/theme_en/2SP_E.pdf. 

Phong, D.T., Tuan, B.Q., and Dung, T.A., 2005, Draft report on field surveys in Tu Ky district Hai 

Duong province: Vietnam Institute for Water Resources Research, Hanoi, Vietnam, 48 p.

Pruszak, Zbigniew, Nihn, P.V., Szmytkiewicz, Marek, Hung, N.M., and Ostrowski, Rafal, 2005, 

Hydrology and morphology of two river mouth regions (temperate Vistula and subtropical Red 

River Delta): Oceanologica, v. 47 (3), p. 365‒385.

Syvitski, J.P.M., Kettner, A.J., Overeem, I., Hutton, E.W.H., Hannon, M.T., Brakenridge, G.R., 

Day, J., Vörösmarty, C., Saito, Y., Giosan, L., and Nicholls, R.J., 2009, Sinking deltas due to 

human activities: Nature Geoscience, v. 2, p. 681–686.

Teledyne Odom Hydrographic, 2001, Digibar-Pro profiling sound velocimeter 1.0, Operation 

manual: Baton Rouge, La., Teledyne Odom Hydrographic, Inc. [variously paged]. Available at 

http://www.odomhydrographic.com/media/pdf/product_resources/84.pdf. 

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Hydrographic, Inc. [variously paged]. Available at 

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