Dong Thap Muoi, or the Plain of Reeds, spans the former Long An and Dong Thap provinces in southern Vietnam. In Vinh Chau Commune, located in the upper area, a 4.5-hectare jackfruit orchard with 3,000 trees has been submerged under floodwater.
Owner Nguyen Hong Phuc, 48, who relocated from Tien Giang Province two years ago, invested around US$114,000 (VND3 billion) into establishing the orchard. The trees were close to their first harvest when heavy rains breached a section of the dike protecting the land last Friday. Despite his efforts to reinforce the embankment and install pumps, the orchard was destroyed.
Phuc has since hired nearly 20 workers and excavators to rebuild the dike and drain the water, spending several hundred million dong (about US$3,800) over the past few days. Some workers patrol the dike around the clock to detect new leaks, while others move around the flooded orchard to trim branches and conserve tree nutrients.
"Only half of the area can likely be saved given how long the flooding has lasted," one worker said, adding that the remaining trees would need at least another year to bear fruit even with intensive care.
Around 20 kilometers away in Vinh Thanh Commune, Nguyen Van Hat, 45, and his wife have also faced losses after their durian orchard was submerged under two meters of water. The couple, originally from Tien Giang, sold their property to relocate to the area two months ago.
Hat purchased a 1.6-hectare durian orchard for over US$76,000 (VND2 billion) and invested another US$38,000 in improvements. Before the flooding, he had strengthened the dike and installed four pumps, planning to begin harvesting in two years. However, the dike failed last week, flooding the orchard and killing all 210 trees. Only a small warehouse used for storing pesticides and fertilizers remains.
"We have to wait until the water recedes before removing the dead trees and planting new ones," Hat said. "Fixing the dike will take a few hundred million dong. I do not know where to find the funds."
A neighboring two-hectare durian orchard managed to withstand the flooding due to stronger embankments. The owner reinforced the dike to prevent the meter-deep water outside from breaching the orchard.
Water levels in the region's rivers have reached 2.82 meters, about 0.32 meters higher than the peak of 2024, submerging dozens of hectares of rice that were nearing harvest. The Department of Agriculture and Environment reported that 6,000 hectares of rice are currently under cultivation in Dong Thap Muoi, with 750 hectares in Khanh Hung, Vinh Hung, and Tuyen Binh communes threatened by flooding. Local authorities have repaired several damaged dikes, including those in Vinh Thanh and Vinh Chau.
Source: VNExpress
