Farmers in Đồng Tháp Province are turning the flood season into an opportunity. — VNA/VNS Photo

ĐỒNG THÁP — In the once-devastated floodplains of the Đồng Tháp Mười region in Đồng Tháp Province, where seasonal waters from the upper Mekong River historically submerged entire communes, a quiet revolution is reshaping both the landscape and the livelihoods of local people.

In Hậu Mỹ, Mỹ Thành, Thạnh Phú and Tân Phước communes, the residents of Đồng Tháp are learning to live not against the floods, but with them – transforming crisis into opportunity through a model of production known locally as living in harmony with nature.

Every year, the floodwaters that arrive in August and September bring significant disruption, overwhelming rice fields and homes and posing immense challenges to the rural economy.

But the province has chosen adaptation over resistance. Through a series of deliberate, well-funded initiatives, Đồng Tháp has begun to redefine floodplain agriculture in the Mekong Delta.

Backed by over VNĐ500 billion (US$20.8 million), authorities have poured investment into building a flood-resilient infrastructure.

In Hậu Mỹ, a 100-hectare pilot project demonstrating the rice-fish farming model has become a centrepiece of the province’s transformation strategy.

Alongside that, a broader structural adjustment plan for crop and livestock production north of National Highway No.1 is being rolled out from 2021 to 2025, aiming to replace outdated monoculture rice systems with diversified, flood-tolerant alternatives.

Upgrades to embankments, sluices, internal roads and canals have enabled better water control and transportation, while agricultural extension programmes have encouraged farmers to adopt mixed-use models that not only mitigate flood risks but also increase incomes.

New research into breeding and commercial production of native species like striped loach fish in areas such as Thạnh Phú is giving farmers access to higher-value alternatives to traditional crops.

The results are striking. Across the region, nearly 500 hectares of previously low-performing rice fields have been successfully converted to integrated systems including rice-fish, fish-lotus, and aquatic nursery farming.

In Tân Phú, Hậu Mỹ and Mỹ Thành, communities are now hubs for fingerling production, ornamental fish, and freshwater aquaculture, supplying both domestic and regional markets throughout the Mekong Delta and southeast Việt Nam.

Farmers like Âu Văn On in Hậu Mỹ have emerged as symbols of this shift.

He converted 2.4 hectares of land into a dual-purpose farm, growing rice during the dry season and cultivating fish fry during the floods.

By creating shallow canals and maintaining water levels at 30 centimetres, he created a productive environment for fish breeding while still harvesting rice.

His income now exceeds VNĐ300 million (about $12,500) per year, with profits of over VNĐ200 million ($8,300) after expenses.

According to On, the model significantly reduces reliance on fertilisers and chemicals.

Weeds are controlled naturally, straw becomes fish feed, and the system as a whole lowers both input costs and environmental pollution.

He no longer fears the annual floods – instead, they have become part of his farming calendar.

Elsewhere in Tân Phước 2, farmer Mai Thanh Châu has launched a highly profitable operation integrating lotus farming with native fish and snail aquaculture.

On four hectares of reclaimed floodplain, she cultivates lotus stems and raises local species such as climbing perch, snakehead, catfish and apple snails.

Each year, her operation yields 10 tonnes of lotus stems, 2.5 tonnes of snails and 500 kilograms of fish.

After deducting costs, her annual profit reaches over VNĐ1 billion ($41,700).

In Mỹ Thành, Hà Văn Lợi has converted just 2,500sq.m of land into a thriving ornamental fish farm.

By dividing his fields into small ponds and installing nylon liners, he cultivates popular varieties such as goldfish and angelfish.

His annual profit exceeds VNĐ350 million (about $14,600), far surpassing the returns of traditional rice farming.

Today, he is regarded as one of the region’s most successful small-scale aquaculture entrepreneurs, with a modern home and growing business.

Farmers in Đồng Tháp Province adopt an integrated rice–giant freshwater prawn farming model to improve productivity and income. VNA/VNS Photo

Local leaders point to these stories as evidence of a larger transformation. What was once a region plagued by disaster has become a beacon of rural innovation.

Hậu Mỹ now supplies around 900 million fish fry and over 400 tonnes of fingerlings annually, forming one of the country’s leading freshwater fish production zones.

The success of these “living in harmony with nature” production models lies not only in their economic logic, but in their cultural resonance.

By choosing to adapt to nature rather than fight it, farmers have rediscovered resilience in ancestral knowledge and aligned their livelihoods with the ecological rhythm of the land.

Native species, local wisdom, and scientific support have merged into a development strategy uniquely tailored to the flood-prone Đồng Tháp Mười.

According to commune officials, the region’s rich soil and abundant floodwater resources hold enormous promise.

With appropriate planning, sustainable techniques and strategic investment, Đồng Tháp Mười can move from being a symbol of vulnerability to a showcase of Việt Nam’s rural renaissance.

As Việt Nam steps into a new era of climate resilience and agricultural modernisation, the story of Đồng Tháp serves as a powerful testament to the nation’s ability to rise with the water – and not be drowned by it. — VNS