The Mekong Delta is one of the three most vulnerable delta regions facing the harsh effects of climate change and is home to thousands of metres of protective dykes.

Sang said the sea dykes had helped to control tides, prevent salinisation, protect coastal property, support national security and reduce the risk of drowning.

However, local officials told Sang that strong tides and waves had damaged thousands of metres of sea dykes and flood-preventing forests in recent years, causing devastating property damage to local housing areas.

During the past two decades, the sea has encroached on the mainland in Duyen Hai district, Tra Vinh province, by a startling 2.5 kilometres, swallowing 6,000 hectares of coastal land.

Meanwhile, serious landslides had also been reported along the 22-km sea dyke in Cu Lao Dung district, Soc Trang province. The province houses seven anti-salinity culverts and seven bridges.

Despite residents in Tra Vinh and Soc Trang provinces pouring tens of billions of dong into upgrading dykes, they have found little success in preventing landslides and sea encroachment, which threatens local aquaculture.

It is forecast that sea water levels may rise by one metre by the end of the century, submerging 40 per cent of the Mekong Delta, 11 per cent of the Red River Delta and 3 percent of coastal provinces.