Ngo The Vinh, a physician and writer, was deeply concerned, over the last 15 years, about the disastrous impacts caused by the unsustainable exploitation of the Mekong River, especially the building of hydroelectric dams. To have first-hand information of the issue, he made several fact-finding trips to China and the four countries in the Lower Mekong. As a result, he authored many articles and books on this topic. His most recent book, Mekong – The Occluding River, can be summarized as “part history, part travelogue and part environmental treatise” that outlines the myriads of threats facing the Mekong River and Mekong Delta. According to his view, the construction of dams on the Mekong main stream is an irreversible process. The crux of the problem is to come up with an optimal and sustainable development plan that will attain this dual objective: first, to minimize the detrimental impacts on the people and/or the environment of the region; and second, to bring about the economic as well as social benefits that can be derived from the generation of hydroelectricity.

In this first of a three-part article, the author offers a broad introduction to two bold initiatives for a better development of the Mekong Delta: (1) the conversion of the Đồng Tháp Mười and Đồng Cà Mau large depressions into two natural lakes to retain sweet water and (2) a megaproject to build a strategic seawall also serving as an “East Sea Highway” to check the infringement of sea water.

Ngo The Vinh, currently residing in Southern California, is a board certified internist and staff physician at a Long Beach Medical Center.

Author’s publications:

Books:
1/ The Green Belt, Ivy House 2004
2/ The Battle of Saigon, Xlibris 2007
3/ The Mekong - The Occluding River, iUniverse 2010