Mekong Delta at its beautiful best during flood season

By Huynh Phuong   September 28, 2019 | 09:40 pm PT
Photographer Pham Huy Trung went to the Mekong Delta during the annual flooding season, and these are what caught his eye.

Unlike in central Vietnam where severe floods often result in death and destruction, the flooding season in the Mekong Delta is seen as a gift from heaven that brings tons of fish into the paddy fields along with alluvial deposits to fertilize the next crop. It usually lasts from July until the end of November.

Farmers wade into a flooded field in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap to harvest water chestnut, an aquatic vegetable that grows in marshes under water. Water chestnut is grown in many countries for its edible corm, and it is a common ingredient in Chinese dishes such as water chestnut cake.

Farmers wade into a flooded field in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap to harvest water chestnut, an aquatic vegetable that grows in marshes under water. Water chestnut is grown in many countries for its edible corm, and it is a common ingredient in Chinese dishes such as water chestnut cakes.

Rows of palm trees reflect on the alluvial water in Tinh Bien District,                          An Giang Province located along the upper branches of the Mekong River.An Giang and Dong Thap are the first provinces in the region to welcome the annual flood and then to other areas of the Mekong Delta. Depending on the year, the flood will come sooner or later.The Mekong River Commission (MRC) reports that the much anticipated annual flooding season in the Mekong Delta returned in the middle of this month, much later than usual due to mostly due to the building of a series of upstream dams by other riparian nations. 

Rows of palm trees stand in flooded fields in Tinh Bien District, An Giang Province. An Giang and Dong Thap are the first provinces in the region to receive the annual flooding.

The Mekong River Commission (MRC) said the much anticipated annual flooding season began in the middle of this month, much later than usual due mostly to a series of upstream dams built in the Mekong River which runs through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. 

The flooding season also helps people in the Mekong Delta earn more incomes thanks to bountiful seasonal delicacies and abundant aquatic resources.When annual flooding does not happen or when it’s late, cropping and fishing activities in the Mekong Delta are disrupted.

The flood season also helps people in the Mekong Delta earn a livelihood thanks to abundant aquatic resources. When the flooding is late, cropping and fishing activities are severely disrupted.

Fishermen pull out fishing nets to catch seafood on a lake in Chau Doc, the capital of An Giang famous for the Ba Chua Xu Lady Temple, one of the most famous spiritual sites in southern Vietnam.

A fisherman casts a net in a lake in Chau Doc, the capital of An Giang.

A man leads a herd of buffalo through a flooded field in Tan An District, Long An Province.

A man leads a herd of buffalos through a flooded field in Tan An Town, Long An Province.

Rice paddy fields in Tri Ton District, An Giang Province prepare to enter the harvest season.About 22 million people or 24 percent of Vietnams total population live in the Mekong Delta. Farmers in the delta produce more than half of Vietnam’s rice output and contribute an overwhelming 80 percent of the country’s rice exports.

Rice fields in Tri Ton District, An Giang Province, awaiting harvest.

Around 22 million people, or 24 percent of Vietnam's population, live in the Mekong Delta. Farmers in the delta produce more than half of Vietnam’s rice output and contribute an overwhelming 80 percent of the country’s rice exports.

A farmer ploughs on his flooded rice field to prepare for a new crop in Moc Hoa District, Long An Province.

A farmer ploughs his flooded rice field to prepare for a new crop in Moc Hoa District, Long An Province.

Duck breeding in submerged fields has been a familiar image to people in the Mekong Delta.

Ducks in inundated fields are a familiar sight for people in the Mekong Delta.

A woman rows her boat amid green duckweed floating in Tan An District to pick water lilies.

A woman rows her boat amid green duckweed floating in Tan An Town, Long An Province to pick water lilies.

Water lilies, which blossom during the rainy season, are used for decoration and to make tea. Their stalks are edible and can be eaten raw with either fermented paste or braised sauce, or dunked into sour soup or hotpot.

Water lilies, which blossom during the rainy season, are used for decoration and to make tea. Their stalks are edible and can be eaten raw with either fermented paste or braised sauce, or dunked into sour soup or hotpot.

 
 
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