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Nearly 1.7 million residents leave Mekong Delta over past decade

12/19/2025 8:22:00 AM

Nearly 1.7 million people have left Vietnam’s Mekong Delta over the past decade, driven partly by climate pressures on farming and fisheries, a World Bank report says.

The findings were released on December 17 in Can Tho City at a conference co-hosted by the World Bank in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos and the Can Tho Institute for Socio-Economic Development, presenting the study Living or Leaving: Life in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam.
 The report shows that almost 1.7 million residents moved away from the region in the past 10 years. One key factor is the growing difficulty of agriculture and aquaculture, sectors hit hardest by climate change.

A 2024 survey found about 14 per cent of households in the delta have at least one migrant member, with most leaving to seek work. Migration is particularly common among low-income households, which tend to have more members working away from home and rely heavily on remittances. For farming households, migration has become a way to offset income losses caused by droughts, floods or saltwater intrusion.

The report concludes that the Mekong Delta’s future should be built around people, not solely around existing spatial development. It urges prioritising investment in education, skills and mobility so all residents, whether they stay or migrate, can access opportunities.

Encouraging voluntary migration, modernising agriculture, improving human capital and building adaptive social protection systems are seen as essential to cope with rising uncertainty.

A people-centred development strategy would not only reduce poverty and vulnerability but also help the Mekong Delta contribute more to Vietnam’s inclusive and sustainable growth, the report says.

Speaking at the event, Nguyen Anh Tuan, deputy head of the Central Commission for Policy and Strategy, said the report offers strong scientific and practical evidence for regional policymaking.

He said the core issue is not whether people stay or migrate, but how to ensure they can live better lives wherever they choose. He outlined three priorities for the coming period: strengthening regional coordination institutions, accelerating a green and high-value growth transition, and placing people at the centre of adaptation and development strategies.

Agriculture should remain foundational, he said, but be viewed as part of a broader socio-economic ecosystem linked to processing, logistics, markets, science, technology and environmental protection. Investing in people, especially high-quality human resources and labour productivity, should be a key driver of fast and sustainable growth.

Source: Dtinews

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