Coastal Vulnerabilities in a Fast-Growing Vietnamese City

The present chapter discusses lessons that have been learned during field surveys carried out in southern Vietnam and numerical analysis, which will show how the lack of knowledge to comprehend possible future environmental impacts and the absence of strong regulations are leading to increased risk in many coastal areas. Through these field surveys and an assessment using satellite images, the authors reveal how sediment blockage caused by land reclamation and hotel jetties have led to further erosion of adjacent coasts and may result in increasing vulnerability to coastal disasters, such as high waves and storm surges. Analysis shows that the shoreline of a threatened coastal community in Vietnam can be anticipated to retreat dozens of meters from the present line due to further coastal erosion and sea level rise. It is important to consider the effects that this erosion will have in areas where the local residents have limited financial means to protect themselves against a retreating coastline. The increases in vulnerability to such coastal disasters originate mostly from weak legislation and coastal management practices, as well as from natural causes such as tropical cyclones, where alterations to some areas create problems in other areas further downstream. Thus, the authors emphasize the importance of good coastal planning and regulations to maintain healthy, continuous beach environments among neighboring coastal communities. Such environments are crucial in coastal risk management, as they serve as an important natural barrier to dissipate the energy of waves and episodic high water events.