chapter i. river basins in vietnam -...

1.1. OVERVIEW OF RIVER BASINS IN VIETNAM

Vietnam has a dense river network.Rivers with a length of over 10 km totalabout 2,372, comprising 13 large riversystems with a total area of 10,000 km2.The 13 river basins, 10 of which aretrans-boundary systems, cover 80% ofthe country's territory. Basins of the 9largest river systems, which include Red,Thai Binh, Bang Giang - Ky Cung, Ma,Ca La, Thu Bon, Ba, Dong Nai and CuuLong, account for 90% of the total riverbasins nationwide.

Each river basin has typical naturalresource characteristics as well as waterresources wich have a close linkage. Inpractice, management approaches varyfrom one basin to another, depending onsocio-economic conditions, land use situ-

ation, environmental factors, value ofeach basin etc...

Table 1.1 provides information on the9 major river systems and annual irrigat-ing capacity according to their respectivearea and population.

Some large rivers in Vietnam such asCuu Long (Tien and Hau rivers), RedRiver and Ca La River originate fromother countries. Some branches ofMekong River start in Vietnam's territo-ry. These include Se San and Srepok.They flow through Lao and Cambodiathen come back to Mekong and outflowthrough 9 estuaries (Cuu Long). KyCung - Bang Giang is a large river whichoriginates from Chau Giang river inChina. Almost all of other small riversoriginate within the country.

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ENVIRONMENT REPORT OF VIETNAM, 2006THE CURRENT STATE OF WATER ENVIRONMENT IN 3 RIVER BASINS OF CAU, NHUE - DAY AND DONG NAIRIVER SYSTEM

Chapter 1: RIVER BASINS IN VIETNAM

Chapter I.

RIVER BASINS IN VIETNAM

Table 1.1. Some basic characteristics of 9 major river systems in Vietnam

Area of basin (km2) Total volume of water flow annual (bill m3)

Capacity water flow No River systems

External part

Internal part

Total Overseas In home Total Thousand m3/km2

m3/ person

1 Bang Giang –

Ky Cung

1,980 11,280 13,260 1.7 7.3 9.0 798 9,070

2 Thai Binh 15,180 15,180 9.7 9.7 1,550 5,160

3 Hong 82,300 72,700 155,000 45.2 81.3 126.5

4 Ma 10,800 17,600 28,400 5.6 14.0 19.6 1,110 5,500

5 Ca - La 9,470 17,730 27,200 4.4 17.8 22.2 1,250 8,290

6 Thu Bon 10,350 10,350 20.1 20.1 1,940 16,500

7 Ba 13,900 13,900 9.5 9.5 683 9,140

8 Dong Nai 6,700 37,400 44,100 3.5 32.8 36.3 877 2,980

9 Mekong 726,180 68,820 795,000 447.0 53.0 500.0 7,265 28,380

10 Other rivers 66,030 66,030 94.5 94.5 1,430 8,900

Total 837,430 330,990 1,167,000 507.4 340 847.4 2,560 11,100

Source: National profile on water resources, the Department of Water Resources Management

Vietnam is located in the tropicalmonsoon area; the total annual rainfall isabout 1,940 mm. Three fourths of thetotal land area is covered by mountainstherefore the rainfall is distributedunevenly from one area to another andvaries with time. The long-term averageannual rainfall varies greatly, in someareas the annual rainfall can reach 4,000- 5,000 mm, especially up to 8,000 mm insuch as Bach Ma mountain, but in someareas like Nha Ho and Binh Thuan theannual rainfall reaches only 600 - 800mm. The majority of the territory has along-term average annual rainfall from1,400 to 2,400 mm. The variation of rain-fall during the year affects the rainfallregime and is the main cause of droughtsin the dry season and floods in the rainyseason.

The rain season occurs from April toOctober, particularly from July toDecember in central coastal area. Therainfall in the rainy season accounts for75 - 85% of the total annual rainfall. Thedry season starts from July to Augustwith low rainfall which accounts for 15 -25% of the total annual rainfall. In someareas there is either no rain for 3-4months or very little rainfall.Accordingly, there are two seasons inriver water flow that corresponds to thedry and rainy seasons. There is onemonth difference in the starting and end-ing times of rainy and flood seasons onlarge river systems. The start and endtime of the flood season is also differentfrom area to area and tends to be laterfrom north to south.

The majority of river water is fromrainfall. The long-term average annualrainfall in Vietnam is about 640 billionm3. In many years, the average annual

water flow of all rivers in Vietnam reach-es 830 - 840 billion m3; of which thewater flow generated from outside thecountry is 520 - 525 billion m3, account-ing for 63% of the total water flow. Thetotal annual water flow of Mekong riversystem accounts for 59% of the country'stotal annual water flow, followed byHong river system accounting for 14.9%

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Box 1.1. Values of river basin

Multi-functional characteristics of river

basins:

- Providing valuable resources for production

and domestic use: water, land, forest, miner-

als and aquatic products,

- Protecting human lives and eco-systems,

- Serving as a medium for receiving, transfer-

ring and cleaning waste,

- A source of many natural materials with high

economic value,

Values of water resources in river basins:

Direct values:

- Providing water for domestic and industrial

uses,

- Irrigation

- Hydro power

- Aquaculture and fishery

- Preventing salt intrusion

- Agricultural development

Indirect values:

- Water transport

- Sand exploitation

- Receiving and self-cleaning of waste

- Aesthetic landscape

- Water entertainment and sport

Conservation values:

- Involved in the natural water cycle

- Maintaining fresh water eco-systems

- Conserving aquatic biodiversity

- Conserving wetlands of high value.

and Dong Nai - 4.3%. The river systemsof Ma, Ca La, Thu Bon have a total waterflow of about 20 billion m3, other systemssuch as Bang Giang - Ky Cung, ThaiBinh and Ba total about 9 billion m3. Thetotal river flow of Vietnam accounts forabout 2% of total water flow of all riversin the world.

At national level, Vietnam is endowedwith abundant water resources, howeverif the Mekong river water is not takeninto account, Vietnam would be facedwith a water shortage by 2050. If all

external water sources are excepted thenVietnam would be faced with a watershortage by 2025. Those calculationsshow the importance of internationalagreements on water resources toVietnam as it is located in the lower sec-tions of large river systems.

Water supply capacity also variesfrom area to area in the country. WithinDong Nai river basin (the area whichcontributes 40% to the total GDP), thecurrent water supply capacity reaches2,350 m3 per person per year and mightdecrease to 1,600 m3 per person peryear by 2025 if the population contin-ues to grow as at present. This is analarming figure. The problem is evenworse in Cau and Nhue-Day riverbasins where water supply capacity isonly 656 and 2,830 m3 per person peryear, respectively.

Some areas in Vietnam are alreadyexperiencing water shortage due to pop-ulation growth. In following parts of theReport, water shortage and water quali-ty depletion will be discussed in moredetail.

Table 1.2. Vietnam's water resource isunsustainable

Global climate change has led to the depletionof water resources. Recent researches haveforecasted that the total surface water will be96%, 91% and 86% of the current volume by2025, 2070 and 2100, respectively.

The present average per capita water volumeis about 3,840m3 per year, taking into accountonly the water generated inside Vietnam .With the current population growth rate, thefigure would be 2,830m3 per person per yearby 2025. According to the International WaterResource Association, a country with an aver-age water volume per capita below 4000m3

per person per year is considered as a coun-try in water shortage.

Water resource are distributed unevenlyacross the country. About 60% of the totalwater flow of the whole country is distributedin Cuu Long river delta where 20% of thecountry's population live, the remaining 40%of water flow is thus shared among theremaining 80% of the population as well ashaving to meet 90% of production, commercialand other services activities

The total water generated in 3 - 5 months ofthe flood season contributes 70 - 80% of thetotal annual water flow. In the dry seasonwhich lasts 7 - 9 months, the water flow pro-vided is only 20 - 30%.

Source: National Strategy on Water resources

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Red RiverSource: John Hook

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Figure 1.1. Map of large river basins in VietnamSource: VEPA

1.2. CHARACTERISTICS OF 3 RIVER BASINS OF CAU, NHUE-DAY AND DONG NAI RIVER SYSTEM

1.2.1. Cau river basin

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Figure 1.2. Map of provinces related to Cau river basinSource: VEPA

Natural area: 6,030 km2 (accounting for2% of the total country area)

Annual water flow: about 4,5 billion m3,

Main rivers in the basin: Cho Chu,Nghinh Tuong, Du, Cong, Ca Lo, NguHuyen Khe.

Density: varying from 0.7 - 1.2 km/km2.

Provinces located in Cau river basin:Bac Can, Thai Nguyen, Vinh Phuc, BacNinh, Bac Giang, Hai Duong and Hanoi.

Population: 6,859,000 (2005).

Population density: 427 persons perkm2 (two times higher than the averagedensity of the country).

Industrial entities: 800

Craft villages: 200

Medical establishments: 1,200 with15,400 beds.

Natural characteristics

Cau is a large river in Thai Binh riversystem, which originates from Phia Deng(1,527m altitude) on the south east ofPia-Bi-Oc range in Bac Kan, Cao Bang.Cau river is 288 km long. The river flowsthrough Bac Kan, Thai Nguyen, BacGiang, Bac Ninh provinces and finallymerges with Thai Binh river at Pha Lai.Cau river basin covers almost all of BacKan and Thai Nguyen provinces and apart of Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Vinh Phucand Hai Duong provinces, and two dis-tricts of Hanoi (Dong Anh, Soc Son).

In general, Cau basin terrain slopes ina NW-SE direction and is divided into 3regions: Mountain, Highland and Plain.

Cau river basin has a diverse riverand stream system which are distributedalong the main river. Almost all of mainrivers in the basin are on the right bankof the river basin such as: Cho Chu, Du,Cong, Ca Lo,... There are 68 rivers andstreams with the length of over 10 kmeach in the whole basin.

The total water flow of Cau riverbasin is of 4.5 billion m3 per year ofwhich Ca Lo and Cong rivers contribute0.9 m3 per year. The flood season startsfrom June and lasts to October, the lowwater season often last from seven toeight months with a water flow of 18 -25% of the total water flow, the lowestwater season falls in January, Februaryand March with water flow of 5,6 - 7,8%of the total water flow.

Natural resources and environmen-tal characteristics

Cau river basin is rich in naturalresources including forests, water andminerals, etc. There are several mineralmines in the basin such as iron, zinc,

coal, gold, tin, etc... The average forestcover in the whole basin is about 45%.The elements of the natural landscape inthe basin have changed considerably.There is no more natural forest alongrivers and streams. The forest contribu-tion has therefore also significantlydepleted, being incapable of retainingmoisture for the dry season and of pre-venting flooding in the rainy season. Asa results land has been degraded, withsevere flooding in the rainy season andlong lasting droughts in the dry season.

In the basin, there are some protectedareas such as Tam Dao National Park,Kim Hy Natural Conservation Area andother cultural and environmental conser-vation areas with high eco-system val-ues. Fauna and flora in the basin are alsovery abundant with several preciousplant and animal species.

Deforestation, accompanied by socio-economic development activities such asindustry, mining, craft villages and agri-culture have created high pressure onthe natural environment of the basin.

Socio-economic characteristics

The basin covers about 47% of the totalnatural area of 6 provinces with about 6.9million people (2005) of which 5.9 millionlive in rural areas, 1 million in urbanareas. The population density is about427 persons per km2, double the averagepopulation density of the whole country.

The population density is lowest inmountainous and midland areas, where15% of total population of the basin livein an area accounting for 63% of the totalbasin area. The population density ishigher in urban and central areas.

The economy of these provincesdepends mostly on agriculture, forestry

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and industry while fishery contributesminimally. In the last 5 years, the GDP ofthese provinces has increased significant-ly, almost doubling.

The industrial growth rate in the areais higher than the country's average.Agricultural, forestry, and fishery prod-ucts account for 26% and is showing adecreasing trend. A high growth rate inindustry, construction and services isrecorded in Thai Nguyen, Bac Ninh andVinh Phuc provinces.

Mining and ore screening industriesconcentrate in the 2 upstream provincesof Bac Kan and Thai Nguyen. There areabout 200 craft villages located in BacNinh and Bac Giang provinces. Wastewater from villages specializing in ironand steel production, copper and leadcasting, paper production, weaving anddying is discharged directly into riversand streams. Typical examples are PhongKhe and Duong O paper recycling vil-lages, Dai Bai copper casting village andDa Hoi metal refinery village... Thewaste water from industrial and miningareas, craft villages and from urban areas

is discharged directly into rivers withoutany treatment.

Sand and gravel exploitation with anincreasing volume along Cau river bankhas caused turbidity of the water, bankerosion and changes in water currents,...

In agriculture, chemicals and insecti-cides are excessively used, especially inThai Nguyen and Bac Ninh provinces.NO2 and NOx content in the ground isespecially high in intensive rice, veg-etable cultivated areas in Bac Ninhprovince and in Me Linh district of VinhPhuc province and in downstream areasof the basin.

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Figure 1.3. GDP of provinces in Cau river basinSource: Statistical Year Book 2005

Cau RiverSource: Documentary photo

1.2.2. Nhue - Day river basin


Nhue-Day river basin is located in thesouth-west of the Northern Plain, on theright bank of Hong River. Although Dayriver is a branch of Hong river it has itsown basin with tributary rivers includ-ing Tich, Thanh Ha, Hoang Long, Vac,Nhue, Chau, Sat and Dao rivers. It isalso connected with Ninh Co river andQuan Lieu channel. The basin stretchesfrom mountainous areas belonging toHa Tay and Hoa Binh provinces to thecoast in Nam Dinh and Ninh Binhprovinces with a total natural area of7,665 km2. The basin is long in shapewith fan blades which include Ha Tay,Ha Nam, Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh and apart of Ha Noi and Hoa Binh provinces.

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Figure 1.4. Map of relevant provinces in Nhue-Day river basinSource: VEPA

Natural area: 7,665 km2 (accounting for 2%of the total country area)

Annual water flow: about 28,8 billion m3,

Main rivers in the basin: Nhue, Thanh Ha,Tich, Hoang Long, Chau Giang, Dao, Ninh Coand To Lich (a main branch of Nhue riverreceiving water from Lu, Kim Nguu and SetRivers.

Density: varying from 0.7 - 1.2 km/km2.

Provinces located in Nhue-Day river basin:Ha Noi, Ha Tay, Ha Nam, Hoa Binh, Ninh Binhand Nam Dinh.

Population: 10,186,000 (2005).

Population density: 874 persons per km2 (3.5times higher than the average density of thecountry).

Industrial entities: 4,000

Craft villages: 458

Medical establishments: 1,400 with 26,000beds.

Day River is 237 km long flowingthrough Ha Tay, Ha Nam, Nam Dinhand Ninh Binh provinces, finally out-flowing to the sea at Day estuary. DayRiver is a tributary of Red River. Since1937, after the construction of Day dam,Hong river water has not flown intoDay river very often therefore Day hasbecome a draining river and serves todiverge floods in the flood season.

Nhue River is 74 km long and receiveswater from Hong River through Lien Mactrench. Nhue River also serves as a drainagesystem for Ha Noi city and Ha Dong town.It meets Day River at Phu Ly town. Nhueriver basin has an area of 1,070 km2.

Some main rivers receive water fromRed River through canals. These includeDay, Nhue, Chau Giang and Dao rivers.Besides, there are some other drainagerivers flowing though cities, towns, resi-dential areas, industrial areas, servicesareas and craft villages such as Tich,Hoang Long and Thanh Ha rivers.

Red River provides about 85-90% ofthe total water flow for Nhue-Day riverbasin. The total annual water flow ofDay river basin is about 28.8 billion m3 ofwhich 25.7 billion m3, equivalent to89.5% of the water flow is from DaoRiver (Nam Dinh province); 1.35 billionm3, accounting for 4.7%, comes from Tichand Day Rivers in Ba Tha.

About 70% - 80% of the annual totalwater flow of the basin results from theflood season, from June to October.During the dry season, from Novemberto May of the following year, the waterflow is mainly from Hong River. NhueRiver receives water from Hong Riverthough Lien Mac canal; Dao Riverreceives water from Hong River and out-flows to Day River.

The current water regime of DayRiver is influenced, not only by climat-ic factors (primarily rainfall) but alsoby the current water regime of HongRiver and the tidal regime in the Gulfof Tonkin. The water current of NhueRiver depends completely on the oper-ational regime of controlling canalssuch as Lien Mac (Hong River) andThanh Liet (To Lich River) and othercanals on the main stream such as HaDong, Dong Quan, Nhat Tuu andLuong Co-Diep Son.

Nhue-Day river basin is also influ-enced by the daily tidal regime in theGulf of Tonkin. The tide affects thecapacity of these rivers in regard towaste water drainage, flood dispersionand irrigation.

Natural resources and environmen-tal characteristics

Thanks to a diverse terrain with moun-tains, hills and plains, the basin has differ-ent eco-systems such as hills, limestonemountains, fresh water and wetlands.

Though the major part of the basin hasbeen exploited for many years, the biol-ogy of the basin remains diverse andabundant since part of the basin is setaside as special use forest area, includingCuc Phuong and Ba Vi national parks,Huong Son and Hoa Lu protected areasand Van Long and Xuan Thuy wetlandconservation areas.

With a diverse topography and themajority of the land area being plains,Nhue-Day river basin has advantages foreconomic development. However, thereare typical difficulties concerning riverdykes. There are several rivers flowingacross the basin and the dykes are often

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threatened by floods. Many dyke sec-tions are lower than the standard heightby 0.2 - 1.2 meter. Lower areas andswamps, particularly the flood divergingareas of Day River, are often inundatedin the rainy season. Whenever floodingoccurs at level III, the area is alwaysinundated under 1 - 4 meter depth. Localpeople are often faced with difficulties intheir domestic and production activitiesduring the rainy season.

Nhue-Day river basin has many tribu-taries flowing through cities, towns, resi-dential areas, industrial zones, servicesareas and craft villages etc… These areimportant water sources serving agricul-tural and industrial production as well asdomestic needs.

Socio-economic characteristics

The population of the 6 provincesbelonging to Nhue-Day river basin is10.2 million people (2005) with an aver-age density of 847 persons per km2,which is 3.5 times higher than the coun-try's average. Ha Noi, Ha Tay and NamDinh have a higher density compared toother provinces. During the period of1996 - 2002, the population living in thebasin had increased by 1.27% on aver-age, particularly in the urban areas.

An urban network has developed inthe river basin with Hanoi capital, NamDinh city (second-class city) and manyother towns and industrial zones. Theurban population of these provinces andcities had increased significantly in theperiod of 1996 - 2003 with an averagerate of 5% per year (particularly, 5.58%for Hanoi). The urbanization process inthe region is happening rapidly whilethe infrastructure is incompatibly devel-oped.

At the present, Nhue - Day river basinis under great pressure of socio-econom-ic development activities, especially ofindustrial zones, exploiting and process-ing areas and residential areas, etc. Theestablishment and operation of industri-al zones, craft villages, small factories,army economic entities, mining and pro-cessing, and agricultural activities in theflood draining corridor, etc. have causedsignificant changes to the environment ingeneral and the water environment ofthe basin in particular.

The economy of the related provincesin the basin depends on industry, agri-culture and small industries. Agricultureand small industry contribute consider-ably to the GDP (21% of the total GDP ofthe basin). About 60-70% of the popula-tion lives on agriculture. In recent years,the economy of these provinces hasdeveloped strongly.

In the basin there are 458 craft vil-lages, specializing in different areas suchas weaving, dying, food processing, ironand metal processing, handicraft andfine arts, woodwork etc... Ha Tayprovince has 219 craft villages.

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Figure 1.5. Population density and population dis-tribution per provinces in Nhue-Day river basin

Source: Statistical Year Book 2005

1.2.3. Dong Nai river basin system


Dong Nai river basin area is about37,400 km2 (accounting for 84.8% of totalthe basin area). The basin covers almostall territorial areas of Lam Dong, BinhPhuoc, Binh Duong, Tay Ninh, DongNai, HCM city and a part of Dak Nong,Long An, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, BinhThuan, Ninh Thuan provinces (11provinces and cities in total).

Dong Nai river basin is shaped astree branches, of which Dong Nai is themain stream flowing in NE-SW direc-tion. The main rivers flowing into DongNai are La Nga River (on the left bankof Dong Nai River) and Be, Sai Gon andVam Co (on the right bank of Dong NaiRiver).

Dong Nai River has a length of 470km with a basin area of 14,800 km back

Natural area: 37,400 km2 (accounting for 11%

of the total country area)

Annual water flow: about 36.6 billion m3,

Main rivers in the basin: Dong Nai, Be, Sai

Gon, Thi Vai,

Density: varying from 0.3 - 0.8 km/km2,

Provinces located in Dong Nai river basin:Dac Nong, Lam Dong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai,

Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan, Tay Ninh, Binh

Duong, HCM city, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Long An

Population: 16,431,000 (2005),

Population density: 269 persons per km2

(2.811 person/km2 in HCM city) 11 times higher

than the average density of the country),

Industrial entities: more than 9,000

Craft villages: 491

Medical establishments: 1,633 with 35,000

beds.

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Figure 1.6. Map of relevant provinces in Dong Nai river basin systemSource: VEPA

to Tri An falls. Sai Gon River is 256 kmlong with a basin area of 4,710 km2. BeRiver is 344 km long with a basin area of7,170 km2. La Nga River is 290 km longwith a basin area of 4,100 km2. The basinhas 266 rivers and streams with a lengthof over 10 km each.

The river system flows to the sea attwo main estuaries of Ganh Rai and SoaiRap. In the downstream area, tides causesalt intrusion to the fresh water. This isrecorded in Sai Gon River, at Dau Tiengdam which is 148 km distance from theriver mouth and also at Tri An dam.

The total water flow of the river basinis about 36.3 billion m3; of which 32 bil-lion m3 originate from in-country parts ofthe basin (accounting for 89% of the totalwater flow of the basin); the annualwater flow of Be river is about 8 billionm3, Sai Gon River - 3 billion m3, Vam Coand La Nga Rivers - 5 billion m3 each.

Dong Nai river basin has a tropicalmonsoon climate with two seasons -rainy and dry. The rainy season starts inMay and ends in October with a rainfallaccounting for 85% of the total annualrainfall.

The basin has several dams and lakessuch as Tri An hydropower plant, DauTieng reservoir and other hydropowerplants including Don Duong, Dai Ninhin Dong Nai River; Thac Mo, SrokFuming, Can Don in Be River; HamThuan and Da Mi in La Nga River.

After the construction of Tri Anhydropower plant and Dau Tieng reser-voir, the water flow increased by 4 - 5times in the dry season (Feb., Mar.,Apr.) and decreased by 50% in the floodseason.

Natural resources and environmen-

tal characteristics

Dong Nai river basin system is rich inmineral resources including gold, iron,tin, zinc,... which have now attracted lotsof attention and are being exploited.

The upstream forest system plays avery important role in the Dong Nairiver basin. The current total forest coverof Dong Nai river basin system is about950,000 ha accounting for 18.66% of thetotal natural land area of the 9 southeastern provinces, of which 280,000 haare special use forests. The upstreamforests play an important role as theyhelp to maintain water sources for DongNai River in the dry season and preventflash-flooding in the rainy season. Inaddition, the forests are also importantin protecting valuable species and con-serving biodiversity of tropical ecosys-tems. However, the forests are being pro-gressively destroyed and becomingunable to play their protecting role.Quantitatively, 89% of the flora mass isnot able to conserve water since thedecay layer is very thin. This also affectsthe capacity of the forest in balancing thewater resource in the dry season.

There are several natural protectedareas with high economic and ecologicalvalues in the Basin. Can Gio WetlandBiosphere Conservation Area, which is73,360 ha is an example. (It is recognizedby UNESCO as the first World's bios-phere area of Vietnam).Another bios-phere conservation area is Cat TienNational Park with an area of 73,878 ha.Besides, there are other forests in thecatchment area which are not only veryvaluable in terms of landscape and eco-logical values but also important for bal-ancing and protecting water sources inthe basin.

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The delta of Dong Nai river system isknown as a breeding area of aquaticspecies. Aquatic products contribute sig-nificantly to the local economy.

Socio-characteristics

Population of the 11 provinces in thebasin in 2005 is about 16.4 million peoplein total (accounting for 19.7% of thecountry's total population) of which 8.3million are rural population and theremaining is urban. The population dis-tribution is different from area to areaand from urban to rural areas.

The average population density in thebasin is 296 persons per km2, particular-ly in HCM city the density is 2,811 per-sons per km2.

In the basin, urbanization is progress-ing rapidly. The average population

growth rate in the whole basin is 5.5%,the rate is especially high in Binh Duongprovince with 15.6%. HCM city, DongNai, Binh Duong, Ba Ria - Vung Tauprovinces are considered as having highurbanization rates.

Although having a high urbanizationrate, infrastructure in the basin such astransport system, hospital, water supplyetc… has not yet developed sufficiently.

Dong Nai river basin is the mostdynamic economic development regionin the whole country. Tay Ninh, LongAn, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Ba Ria -Vung Tau provinces and HCM city arelocated in the southern focal economicregion which contributes up to 40% oftotal revenue to the state budget. This isone of the economic developmentregions with a high and sustainablegrowth rate and is considered as an eco-nomic momentum for the economicgrowth of the whole country.

Presently, there are about 60 industri-al areas and export processing zoneslocated in the basin, mostly in the 6provinces and cities of the southern focaleconomic region and located in thedownstream to lower sections of rivers.Other provinces have established theirown industrial zones, the operationalrate of which however is still very low.

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Figure 1.7. Population of provinces in Dong Nairiver basin

Source: Statistical Year Book, 2005

An Ha - Thay Cai Canal, Ho Chi Minh citySource: Documentary photo

The industrial share in the basinaccounts for 58% of the total industrialshare in the country's GDP.

The total agricultural land is 1.45 mil-lion ha (accounting for 24.3% of the totalbasin area). South eastern region andsouth Tay Nguyen is characterized byperennial industrial trees such as rubber,coffee, tea, cashew, pepper and sugarcane etc… and others like corn, cassava,pea nut, bean, etc.

Thanks to favorable natural condi-tions, animal husbandry is undergoingrapid development. The number of cattlewas 2.7 million in 2001 and increased to4.4 million in 2005.

The area has a high potential in aqua-culture and fishery with several highvalue species such as clawed shrimp,white bass, Chia Voi fish etc… The totalaquaculture area in the basin is about71,800 ha with a yield of about 449,000tons per year.

Water transport: According to statisti-cal data, there are 37 small and big portsin the southern focal economic region,which serve 1,000-30,000 DWT of ship-ping coming in and out of the country(Source: National Report on Inlandsource of Marine Pollution, 2004).

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Figure 1.8. Industrial production growth of provinces in Dong Nai river basin system

Source: Statistical Year Book 2005

Sai Gon RiverSource: Documentary photo

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