Understanding the Politics of Vietnamese Climate Adaptation: The Case of Dyke Policies in Ca Mau Province

The geography of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta makes it highly susceptible to the effects of climate change, which are believed to worsen in the coming decades. The country’s adaptation policies and national discourses have primarily focused on engineering solutions like dykes, seawalls, and sluices. Although investments have bolstered infrastructure development and agriculture productivity, research indicates that these policies have led to a heavily modified and engineered delta, raising concerns about environmental sustainability and social equity. Through a policy analysis of Ca Mau Province, we provide insights into the dynamic adaptation policy and the political forces that supported reinforcing dykes and other defensive mechanisms rather than nature-based measures, which could arguably be more effective. The article explains how the politics of climate adaptation results from the dynamic, multi-level, and multi-actor governance landscape of climate change in Vietnam, as well as how the preference for built structures negatively impacts local ecosystems and livelihoods.