Mekong Salt Lab

The Mekong Salt Lab in Vietnam’s Tra Vinh province helps smallholder farmers adapt to increasing drought and saltwater intrusion. Combining practical water and agricultural solutions with training, data and local knowledge, the project has tested approaches ranging from rainwater storage and hydroponics to water treatment and constructed wetlands.

Facts

• Project type Partners for Water Pilot Project
• Country Vietnam (Tra Vinh Province, Mekong Delta)
• Partners The Water Agency · The Salt Doctors · Acacia Water · SkillEd · HZ University of Applied Sciences · Saxion University of Applied Sciences · Kim Delta Vietnam · Tra Vinh University
• Themes Salinisation · Climate adaptation · Agricultural water management · Food security
• Duration 1 June 2023 – 11 June 2026 [to be confirmed]
• SDGs SDG 2 · SDG 6 · SDG 13

Living with saltwater intrusion

The Mekong Delta is one of Asia’s most important agricultural regions, but climate change, sea-level rise, drought and groundwater extraction are increasing saltwater intrusion. In Tra Vinh Province, this threatens agricultural production and freshwater supplies.

Farmers often lack the information, technologies and financial resources needed to adapt. An impact assessment involving more than 200 smallholder households found that, during the dry season, 42% experienced water shortages for agriculture and 33% for household use. More than half relied on groundwater, while salinity and pollution often made surface water unusable.

The consequences extend beyond water scarcity. Farmers reported reduced harvests, financial losses and growing pressure on household savings. Some resorted to borrowing, cutting food expenditure or selling assets. Almost 29% had not fully recovered from previous shocks, while 35.5% reported unstable or very unstable agricultural production values.

Repeated shocks threaten farmers’ livelihoods and may eventually force some to abandon agriculture or migrate. Small-scale rice farmers without alternative income sources are particularly vulnerable.

The team

The Mekong Salt Lab brings together eight Dutch and Vietnamese partners:

• The Water Agency: Leads and coordinates the project.
• Kim Delta Vietnam: Provides local project coordination and consultancy.
• Tra Vinh University: Supports local implementation, applied research and farmer training.
• The Salt Doctors: Develops and tests hydroponic solutions for farming under saline conditions.
• SkillEd: Develops blended learning materials and works with farmers to improve training programmes.
• HZ University of Applied Sciences: Contributes expertise in water management, delta technology and applied research.
• Saxion University of Applied Sciences: Contributes water treatment expertise, including rainwater purification technology.
• Acacia Water: Brings expertise in groundwater and sustainable freshwater management.

Activities and results

The Mekong Salt Lab combines practical water management solutions with training, data and applied research. Its main activities and results include:

• Six solutions tested: Household and agricultural rainwater storage, open hydroponics, surface water treatment, rainwater purification for drinking water and wastewater treatment using constructed wetlands. By October 2024, all six models had been assessed as suitable for further replication in Tra Vinh Province and the wider Mekong Delta.
• Integrated water security model: The project developed an approach combining water availability, water quality and fit-for-use applications with practical demonstrations, training and applied research.
• Farmer training: In 2025, twelve lead farmers helped validate training materials on salinity adaptation, which were adjusted to their needs, including the addition of audio. Another 40 farmers received training, laying the groundwork for a farmer-to-farmer learning model.
• Local knowledge network: By the end of the pilot, a network of more than 50 core farmers had been established to support knowledge exchange and future replication.
• Digital tools and research: The project delivered a blended learning package, a mobile app and modular water purification systems, while strengthening applied research capacity at Tra Vinh University.
•  Potential for scaling: The tested solutions, training activities and local partnerships have created a foundation for wider adoption and future investment in climate-resilient agriculture.

Looking ahead

The Mekong Salt Lab aims to bring proven adaptation solutions within reach of more smallholder farmers across the Mekong Delta. Its farmer-to-farmer learning approach, supported by local authorities and Tra Vinh University, provides a foundation for continued knowledge sharing. Neighbouring provinces, including Soc Trang and Ben Tre, have already expressed interest.

Affordability remains a major challenge: around 80% of households surveyed identified the cost of adaptation measures as a barrier. The project is therefore exploring partnerships with governments, financiers, donors and NGOs to make solutions more accessible.

Future scaling could involve replicating individual technologies or integrated packages, expanding training and research through Tra Vinh University, and developing public-private partnerships to support long-term adoption.

Why it matters

Saltwater intrusion cannot be addressed with a single technology. Farmers need to know when water is becoming saline, how to conserve freshwater, which crops and cultivation methods remain viable and how water can be treated and reused.

The Mekong Salt Lab brings these elements together. Its significance lies not only in the individual technologies tested, but in creating a locally rooted system through which farmers can learn, experiment and choose solutions that fit their circumstances.

The impact assessment also shows that successful adaptation depends on whether farmers can afford those solutions. Water stress can contribute to a downward spiral in which repeated shocks lead to financial losses, negative coping strategies and a declining ability to recover. Adaptation is therefore not only a technical water-management challenge, but also an economic and social one. Accessible finance, local capacity and public-private cooperation will be important if successful approaches are to reach farmers on a larger scale.

Innovation in Progress

The Mekong Salt Lab is part of the Partners for Water Innovation in Progress series, which follows selected innovations from development and testing towards implementation and scaling.

In Tra Vinh, this progression can be seen in the move from testing solutions with a small number of champion farmers to validating models for replication, developing a farmer-to-farmer learning approach and exploring the partnerships and financing needed for wider adoption.