Increasing coastal resilience through mangrove afforestation in the Mekong Delta Increasing coastal resilience through mangrove rehabilitation in the Mekong Delta (2022)International lessons learnt for ADB-MARD project "mangrove restoration in the Mekong Delta"The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of the Netherlands have committed to support the Government of Vietnam in strengthening the coastal zones of the Mekong Delta and the resilience of its inhabitants. The Central Program Office of the MARD Department of Forestry will be responsible for the implementation. This large-scale ADB-financed project is scheduled to be approved in 2023 and cover five coastal provinces (B?c Liêu, Sóc Trang, Tra Vính, B?n Tre and Ti?n Giang). The primary goal of the ADB-project is to restore the natural environment and strengthen coastal protection to increase resilience to the impacts of climate change.The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), Partners for Water programme, commissioned a consortium of Royal HaskoningDHV and Wetlands International to assist the ADB by contributing to the early stages of project development for the mangrove afforestation project.Signboard of this assignment is a technical report International lessons learnt with a comprehensive overview of success and fail factors for mangrove-restoration projects. Along with lessons learnt in the Vietnamese situation of the Mekong Delta, this has led to conclusions and recommendations for the MARD-ADB project in the five provinces.The main authorities and stakeholders at national, provincial level have been consulted in a second phase as well as international experts. In a third phase the consortium has elaborated findings on general objectives, an overview of existing tools and initiatives, issues of costs and benefit of mangrove infrastructure and socio-environmental impact.From mangrove degradation to rehabilitation needs coherence and perseverance The mangrove belt and the coastal zone of the Mekong-Delta are in a serious state of degradation. This is of serious concern, since in this soft-sediment environment, the mangrove – sea-dike combination (green-grey) is the preferred option for a sustainable coastal defence system at acceptable construction and maintenance costs. The Mekong Delta cannot rely on the relatively rigid dike structure alone, subject to foreshore and dike erosion, subject to direct wave attack.Degradation is the result of a long-term development, not only of the mangroves trees themselves. It concerns lack of sediment even far upstream the Mekong River (sand mining, dams), the land use in the coastal zone pressing the dike seaward, leaving too little intertidal zone for the mangroves, the inadequate water management and overexploitation of groundwater resulting in land subsidence, four to five times more serious than sea-level rise. A mangrove belt partly or fully developed mitigates many of these problems, but flanking measures remain important to address the beforementioned issues. Specific for the Mekong Delta is also the pressure from inland shrimp farming. Modernisation of its water management and a cascade system may well contribute to co existence with a well-developed mangrove coast.From this perspective it is clear that a holistic approach that goes beyond mangrove restoration alone is required to create the right conditions in the long term for the preferred green-grey coastal-defence infrastructure. Sand mining and sediment issues, land subsidence and restructuring of the aquaculture as well as mangrove management itself are all challenges that need a long-term approach, coherence and perseverance.This long-term approach finds its base in Resolution 120 (2017) and the draft Mekong Delta Integrated Regional Plan (scheduled 2022). Further implementation in Provincial Master Plans. Outlook for the mangrove coasts for the eastern five provincesShort-term projects can be very successful, also looking at the longer term, at places where the general conditions are still relatively good.  At first glance Tra Vính, B?n Tre and Ti?n Giang may have good locations for a focus on mangrove restoration, where the livelihoods aspects will not dominate the projects.Where habitat conditions for mangroves are unfavourable, these need time to be (re)developed. Where e.g. sea dike relocation would be needed to recreate a sufficiently large intertidal area, at some locations the project could start with projects aiming at a more sustainable aquaculture, with mangrove restoration as a longer-term vision, beyond the immediate horizon of the project itself. This could be applicable to B?c Liêu and Sóc Trang.