Coastal erosion in Vietnam: Case studies and implication for integrated coastal zone management in the Vietnamese south-central coastline

Vietnam is a country that is heavily affected by global climate change, with the coastal zone and low-lying river deltas being especially vulnerable. The coastal zone has rapidly evolved over the past few decades, as coastal tourism and other social-economic developments and industries all seek fortune and exploit resources in this area. Along with this rapid economic growth, the coastal zone has suffered severe impacts of both human activities and global climate change, resulting in an increasing number of coastal hazards, such as typhoons, floods, saline intrusion, and coastal erosion. The purpose of this paper is to identify natural and human factors that affect coastal erosion through case studies in the south-central coastline. Measures for minimizing threats to both socio-economic activities and the surrounding natural environments are brought forward, in which integrated coastal zone management approach plays a key role. In addition to addressing the issues and potential management strategies, selected coastal areas in Vietnam characterized by severe coastal erosion are studied in terms of coastline dynamics, changing beach morphologies and coastal engineering structures through on-site measurements and aerial images. Seasonal variations and changing beach morphologies after the construction of coastal engineering works are clearly visible.