Sustainable Mangroves in Vietnam
Since September, we, six TU Delft students, have been living in Hanoi, Vietnam. Here, we are working on a multidisciplinary project on sustainable mangrove protection in the Kim Đông commune. The alarm clock rings early. With six people and one shower, there is only one golden rule: in and out within seven minutes. After a communal breakfast, we take a Grab taxi or a scooter towards the university. Two of us even arranged our own scooter for the whole period. The day starts by default with our daily stand-up and a cup of coffee. Everyone briefly tells us what they will be doing that day, followed by a brief applause for motivation. Then we dive into our work: investigating the impact of a planned fourth seawall on the coastal system and mangrove forests in Kim Đông. Mangroves are of enormous value here, for biodiversity, coastal protection and the local economy. Together with Vietnamese universities and stakeholders, we are investigating what changing hydraulic conditions mean for the ecosystem and the community.
From ecological analyses and hydrodynamic modelling to community interviews and governance research, everything comes together in our recommendations for sustainable mangrove development. Our fieldtrip to the area was a highlight, but also a challenge. Due to weather conditions and unexpected setbacks, we had to improvise, but precisely that made it extra instructive. For lunch, we usually order through Grab. It's cheap and tasty and we supplement it with a fresh salad for vitamins. Around five we end the day and the sportswear goes on: the girls, Tijn and Sam go to the gym, or the boys go into the pool for a few laps. Once brought home by the Grab, we walk through our own maze-street, where we are greeted by a chicken, the neighbourhood dog, cockroaches and sometimes a rat as standard. In Vietnam, you eat out and fortunately it is cheap ánd tasty: Bánh Xèo and Bún Bò Nam Bộ are high on our list of favourites. in the evening, we often play a game, toupee remains a favourite, or watch a Harry Potter film together. This is how we live and work here, in the middle of Hanoi, one minute from Train Street, completely immersed in culture, chaos, and lots of coffee.
This experience taught us an awful lot: about working together in a different culture, dealing flexibly with uncertainty and creating sustainable solutions for coastal protection.
tip: if you ever get the chance to do a project abroad: grab it. It is intense, educational, fun, sometimes chaotic... and unforgettable. All this was made possible by the KIVI scholarship
